Business Hotel Hiratani

The building is older, but my room was clean, quiet, and private. It had a shower and toilet, an air heater, air conditioning, and an air-filtering machine, and I could open the window. It's a budget business hotel mainly used by business and sales travelers, who may smoke, so whether you notice that depends on how sensitive you are to it.

We were generally happy with our stay, especially since the daytime sightseeing was so fulfilling. I couldn't find a hot spring inn for this trip, so we stayed here without meals. Restaurants nearby were open at night, but we went to a supermarket for local food instead. Payment by several credit cards and some electronic money was accepted. The owner's family were having dinner in what seemed to be the coffee shop area on the first floor, which was a heartwarming sight, and the service was polite. There are water dispensers in the hallways on every floor, though the one on the first floor is recommended. A laundry area is past the accordion door at the end of the hallway after you enter the first-floor entrance. Our room had a small fridge, a large TV, a hairdryer, a hot water kettle, and room wear. The unit bathroom included a bidet toilet. There was no entrance hall, so it was an American-style room where shoes are allowed, though slippers were provided. The fridge freezer was half unusable because of frost, but we were allowed to use the freezer in the refrigerator by the first-floor reception. The hotel is near Kumano City Station on the JR Kisei Main Line, and its parking lot fits about 10 passenger cars. We stayed without meals.

Kaikatsu is cleaner. Maybe this place is bearable if you think of it as a guesthouse with a lock, but I won't stay here for several work nights again.

The hosts were helpful when I asked, even though my Japanese wasn't very good, and the free laundry with detergent and drying came in handy. There's an AEON nearby, plus an unmanned bento shop by the station. The restaurants around there close early, though, so choices get scarce after sunset. It was my first trip outside a major city, and I got a good rest. I stayed in January over the Lunar New Year holiday while visiting anime pilgrimage sites. I wasn't expecting a chain hotel, and based on other reviews, it's worth being prepared. The room's cleanliness overall, sound between rooms, and drafts through the non-double-glazed windows could be an issue depending on the season. The bathroom and bedding were clean, but the unused coffee pot still had water in it and the refrigerator had ice cream left by the previous guest. There was an ashtray, though the room itself didn't smell of smoke. The exhaust fan was a little noisy. Extra blankets seemed intended to help with drafts, and in winter I'd pack pajamas, as I always bring warm ones. There was a water dispenser and free washing machine and dryer, which were helpful. The rest of the ending text is garbled and partly in Japanese, so it isn't possible to recover its meaning.