Daiwa Roynet Hotel Morioka

We paid $277 at each hotel for three rooms, one double occupancy and two singles, which was a wonderful price. Both hotels were very nice overall. The Yamagata one had parking. The Morioka hotel was nice too, but the covers were too warm, parking was two blocks away, and the bathroom was small.

The room was clean and tidy apart from a small stain on the bedsheet, and the toilet and shower were pretty good. There are restaurants, diners and local attractions within walking distance. Check-in is after 1400, and checkout is by 1100.

The room was good value and had plenty of amenities. Staff were very helpful at check-in. It’s a bit of a walk from the station, though there are shops and restaurants all around. I found the paid rape-themed porn on the TV a bit disturbing as a foreigner.

The lobby was saturated with a particular fragrance, which made me nauseous. I guess that’s the chain’s “signature.” When I arrived in the afternoon, I was the only guest in the lobby, with four staff at the desk. The young woman who seemed ready to “welcome” me gave a slight cough through her mask and made a few mumbling sounds that might have been greetings. All four stood motionless without any expression. I felt like I was the last person they wanted to see. If they don’t want to work in a hotel and smile at strangers all day, they should change jobs. It took them forever to find my reservation, even though I’d booked through one of the most popular OTAs. I asked whether they needed anything from me, but they just told me to wait. When they finally found it, they’d forgotten to photocopy my passport, so they had to ask for it again. They weren’t apologetic about that either. I told them clearly that this was my first stay at a Daiwa Roynet hotel, and it would be my last.