JAL City Nagano

The room had a strong smell of old cigarettes even though I’d booked non-smoking. The location is ideal, just steps from Zenkoji Temple, and the hotel stays open through midnight, which works well for Hatsumode. Staff were quick and professional, and there’s plenty of parking. Breakfast is upstairs with a stunning view, though it gets very crowded.

The train station is close by, and the area stays lively at night with restaurants around, even though some shops were closed. The hotel has coin laundry and affordable vending machines, and the Wi-Fi worked perfectly. My room was fantastic, with a lovely view, comfortable bedding, and thoughtful amenities. They even arranged alternative bedding for my feather allergy, which I appreciated. From the moment I arrived, staff were exceptional and accommodating. Check-in through check-out was a great experience, and I’d highly recommend the JAL Hotel in Nagano.

The location is the one redeeming point, about a 7-8 minute walk from the station. My fifth-floor room was dated, with stains on the walls, black, dirty corners in the toilet, and a brown feather in my towel. The lamp above the bed was dirty too, and there were only three hangers for two people. With just two lifts serving 16 floors, they were always packed, and there was even a queue when we checked in. Poor value for the money. I expected more from this hotel chain, and the stay was disappointing. I believe rooms above the fifth floor may have been renovated and could be better, but I wouldn’t stay again.

We stayed two nights and put out the do not disturb sign. On the second day, the hotel left a bag of amenities, towels, and pajamas outside our room, along with a note to collect our minibar from the Front Office. I’ve never had another hotel do that, and I thought the gesture deserved more than five stars. The hotel is old and the room small, but it was clean, quiet, and well maintained. Service was very good, as you’d expect at a typical Japanese hotel. It’s around a 10-15 minute walk from Nagano train station, or you can take a bus. Don’t expect staff to understand English, and I don’t think it’s fair to rate them poorly for not speaking your language. They can courier luggage to Tokyo, as we did, but make sure they call the recipient hotel to confirm the address and let them know the bags are coming.