Super Hotel Arai Niigata

It was OK.

There’s a welcome drink, a hot spring, and free breakfast, plus restaurants right next door, a convenience store across the street, and a roadside station nearby. The only snag is the single elevator, which could get crowded in the morning. I picked this hotel because it’s right off the highway for a stop during a trip, and it turned out to be a good choice.

The view from the top floor was great, and I enjoyed the hot springs. Breakfast was included, though it was so crowded that I couldn’t take my time eating. Having a roadside station attached was handy for going out to eat. I stayed here on the first night of my trip to Niigata.

I liked having a convenience store and takeout places nearby, but this stay felt disappointing compared with other Super Hotels I’ve used in different regions. I was there on the middle day of a three-day weekend in October. There’s just one large public bath, and access rotates by time slot. It may depend on the day, but women had it from 6 PM until midnight, with men using it the rest of the time. Other Super Hotels have arrangements like restricting men’s access during work hours or women’s access in the morning, so this setup was a letdown for me. The welcome bar is really for taking drinks back to your room. Alcohol isn’t available in the lounge during serving hours. Breakfast gets crowded too, though that probably varies. A line had formed about 20 minutes after opening, so I came back roughly an hour later. When it’s busy, they offer breakfast in a bento-style box. It was also stressful that you can’t use the stairs to reach your room. The doors from the stairs to the hallway and landing won’t open, and there’s only one elevator.