Sasebo Washington Hotel

The bus station is just a few steps from the entrance, and I felt safe. It was quiet enough to sleep, so the stay worked out. My room was clean and had everything I needed for two nights, and the blackout curtains worked really well. There's a breakfast place that opens at 0630. For anything else, you'd need to walk a block to the 711 or FamilyMart. Don't expect the staff to speak English. I had trouble from the start trying to call and confirm a non-smoking room, and that option wasn't available when I booked. There was barely a foot between the bed and the walls. The bathroom was one of those single-unit pods in the corner, which I've seen twice in Japan and apparently is typical. I couldn't figure out what was happening with the restaurant that was supposed to be on the second floor. It wasn't open, but there were no signs saying so. When I asked the front desk, they seemed surprised, as if there had never been a restaurant. I'm sure it was a language barrier issue.

Staff were really friendly and helpful. You can pick up amenities yourself beside reception, and check-in and checkout use automated machines, with staff there to help if needed. The rooms are showing their age and could use a refresh. This probably would've been the best hotel when it first opened.

We stayed one night in room 7019 at Washington Hotel Sasebo. Check-in and checkout went smoothly, but the rest of the stay left us very disappointed. The hotel is old and small. I expected an average place, not anything special, but even that expectation wasn't met. Cold water didn't work in the sink, only hot water. My wife has eczema and can't use hot water, so she had to wash her hands in the tub. The bidet spout came out but no water did, probably connected to the sink's cold water problem. Cold water did work in the bathtub. The air conditioning kept blowing hot air and we couldn't get it to cool down. There was no temperature setting on the controls. We slept for maybe four hours, and I woke up drenched in sweat. At one point I stayed in the bathroom because it was cooler than the bedroom. I wouldn't recommend this hotel. Working cold water and air conditioning should be the bare minimum.

The shower was good, though the room itself was small and looked out onto the side of another building. I stayed two nights. It was an okay place.