Hotel JAL City Sendai

I appreciated being able to leave our luggage before check-in and after check-out, which made travel planning easier. The front desk was friendly, spoke good English, and check-in went smoothly. I spent 2 nights here, one in a 3-bed room and one in a double room. Both were comfortable in size, especially the 3-bed room, which fit my family and our large suitcases well. The hotel has a retro, classic look and may seem a little old-style, but it was clean and everything worked. Breakfast had plenty of options and was enjoyable. It can get crowded, though the hotel posts a crowd forecast on the first floor near the elevators so you can plan when to go.

Our room was spacious for the price, with a newer TV, mini fridge, small table, and sofa. The double bed was very large, about queen size by US standards. The place is close to the station, but sits on a quiet side street, and the staff were helpful and polite. The room was clean, though old, with visible damage to the walls and window shades. We asked for non-smoking, but found an empty, clean ashtray and noticed a faint smoky smell, which was disappointing. The mattresses were the firmest I've tried in Japan so far. If you like a firm bed, you'll be happy; we found it a little tough as foreigners. I did appreciate that each person had two types of pillows to choose from. A key card is needed to use the elevator, which was a nice extra for security, even though Japan is already very safe.

I couldn't find a coin laundry or a microwave, which wasn't convenient for me. The room was larger than an average room in Japan, and the insulation was good enough that I barely heard outside noise. The area is quiet. Breakfast had plenty of variety, including zunda mochi and zunda milkshakes, and their scrambled eggs were surprisingly delicious.

The room was clean and cozy. The location was very good, just a few minutes' walk from the Jr station and really close to the shopping mall.