Business Hotel Ise

The rooms are renovated and clean despite the building being old, and the air conditioning, plumbing, and outlets all worked fine. There’s a rotary phone on the desk for some reason, though I don’t know if it works. This seems like a good fit if you just want somewhere simple and inexpensive. There doesn’t seem to be hotel parking; the Odawara City Sakaemachi Parking Lot, a mechanical garage in the east area, is a cheap option. One small oddity: from the fourth floor, the elevator skips the third-floor front desk and goes straight up... (whispering).

They let us leave our luggage before the 4 p.m. check-in, which made sightseeing easier. The room was basic but had what we needed, and I liked having an outlet right above the bed. It’s also a good value, with Seven-Eleven next door, the station nearby, and restaurants across the waterfall. Odawara Castle is the closest hotel attraction. The balloons scattered along the street made a colorful display that people stopped to photograph, even on a birthday. I wish the morning could start a little earlier for a walk or breakfast, giving us more freedom. I’d stay here again.

A supermarket and spa are close by, and the hotel is conveniently halfway between Odawara Station and Odawara Castle Park. The rooms are on floors three through five. There’s an elevator, but you have to enter at the mezzanine, with a few steps along the way. It was an annoying bit of inconvenience, and I wondered why it was set up that way.

The front desk staff were polite, though there’s a curfew to keep in mind. It’s near the station, and while the building isn’t fancy, it’s maintained well. The large windows made the room chilly in winter, so I had to turn the heat up high. For a short stay, it’s fine and reasonably priced.