Hotel New Otani Saga

The staff were efficient and courteous, and checking in was easy even though I don't speak Japanese. The buffet breakfast was fine, with a decent mix of Japanese and Western food, though nothing special. The location was okay, around a 30-minute walk from Saga JR and its shopping area, which was already decorated for Christmas when I visited in November. The lobby and lounge were well kept. Rooms were small and dated, but clean and had the basics.

The views were nice, though the sparkling wine we bought at the bar downstairs was completely flat. This is a proper old-school business hotel with lots of faded retro character. The room console felt like an antique, with buttons for NHK radio and background music.

At check-in, the front desk spotted that we'd been overcharged and issued a refund without us having to ask. I appreciated how responsible that was. The bed was quite firm, which might not suit everyone. Breakfast left me with a bad impression. I went into the restaurant in slippers without realizing that wasn't allowed in Japan. The staff member explained the rule, and I apologized and was ready to go back and change. Still, they kept lecturing me in a way that felt excessive and left me feeling blamed.

The location was just so-so, with no malls or much else nearby apart from the castle park. Staff were okay, polite and kind in the usual Japanese way. They helped with my luggage at check-in, but not at checkout, even though the help was free. Despite the name "New," this is a very old hotel. I guessed it might date from the 1970s. The furniture gives the place an old hotel smell. It wasn't too bad once I got used to it. All in all, things were so-so.