Hotel AreaOne Miyazaki

The staff were great and helpful, and the location is convenient, near restaurants and the city center. Breakfast was decent, though it could be better. It’s a budget-friendly hotel, so you get what you pay for, and the building’s age is obvious as soon as you walk in. The rooms felt a bit dirty because of how old the place is. Would I stay again? No, I’d look for better options.

The location was neither good nor bad, and the staff at the desk were very pleasant. They also kept my luggage for four hours at no charge, which is why I gave service 2/5 rather than 1/5. For what I paid, just under 80,000 yen for two nights, the room was old, worn, and well past its use-by date. The foyer had been refurbished and was quite pleasant, but stepping out of the elevator on the fifth floor felt like entering a time machine to the 1950s or 60s, or a hostel for refugees. The wallpaper was torn, the doors were bashed, and the room was tatty and grim. The dark, dingy corridor gave a taste of what was coming. The carpet looked like industrial carpet built to last 60 years, and it had done its time. The room needs a complete overhaul, or perhaps the building should simply be knocked down. I’d choose the latter. The old bedside “stereo” gave an idea of the hotel’s age, apparently from before Japan’s HiFI stereo boom in the 60s and 70s. At check-in, staff said I could buy a western-style breakfast for an extra 1,000 yen a day. That sounded reasonable, though at 80,000 yen for two nights I’d expected breakfast to be included. Hungry the next morning, I eagerly tiptoed out of that awful room expecting fresh bread, croissants, pastries, bacon and eggs, waffles, pancakes, bagels, fresh fruit, and hopefully freshly brewed coffee. What a letdown. I got two factory-made “croissants,” probably made two months earlier or taken from the freezer, a glass of orange juice, and coffee. I didn’t bother the next morning. It wasn’t worth the effort. What kind of breakfast was this supposed to be, western Japan, western Azerbaijan, western Albania?

I never stayed at the hotel. I booked, then immediately asked to cancel after realizing they wouldn’t honor the separate beds request that was offered as an option on the booking page. They refused to refund the cost even though I told them I wouldn’t be coming. It felt very unreasonable, though I guess business is desperate during this pandemic. I feel they’re dishonest and will take your money.

Might be okay if all you need is a place to sleep 😐. The bathroom is really small. The hotel staff seemed unwilling to help with guest requests and pretty lazy. I wouldn’t ask them about nearby restaurants, since they don’t seem interested in looking those up for you.