Smile Hotel Nagano

I paid 243AUD and this was the worst value hotel I stayed at in Japan during my five-week trip all around the country. The room was tiny, and the view was a multi-story car park, honestly. There were stains on the wallpaper, a hair in the bath, and footprints that made it look like it hadn’t been cleaned in ages. The bathroom shelf seemed to be held together with sellotape. I’d just stayed at a dormy inn premium in Kanazawa, with an outdoor rooftop bath, for about half the price. I don’t understand how a hotel in Nagano can charge this much. The reception staff were friendly and professional, though. No complaints about them.

We stayed here on 2026/01/07. The room was okay and clean, but the morning buffet was very bad. There’s no parking for hotel guests, so you have to pay separately.

The room was very hot because the air conditioning is central. There’s only one elevator and it’s tiny, so it can get backed up in the morning. Staff were friendly, but their English was very basic and we had to use Google Translate. The location is less than a five-minute walk from Nagano Station, and the price was excellent for one night.

A little small, but the room was clean and good. The bed and pillow were comfy.