Hotel Route-Inn Ueda - Route 18

Having convenience stores, restaurants, and gas stations nearby was handy. But the room door doesn’t lock automatically, so I had to lock it myself. Turning the lights on also meant inserting and turning the room key, which was a little stressful when I couldn’t see my hands in the dark. There was a notice in the room about massages, but when I asked at the front desk, they said the hotel doesn’t provide that service. The notice was misleading, and I wish they’d taken it down or made the information clearer.

I trusted the AI saying there was a sauna, but there wasn’t one. 😭 The bath switches between men’s and women’s hours, so be careful about going in after 8 PM. The staff were polite and the service was excellent, and they put out newspapers on weekends, which was nice. But my room’s bathroom smelled strongly of sewage, probably because of mold. At breakfast, other people had curry but there wasn’t any for me, which was disappointing. I’d like to see more local dishes.

Stayed September 13, 2025. I booked a single through the official site for ¥9,300 a night, and they kindly upgraded me to a twin. The room was spacious enough for one person, with two outlets at the desk, one by the bed, and two on the wall facing the refrigerator. I didn’t hear much from outside, but there was clearly noise from what sounded like guests upstairs. Wi-Fi stayed stable, though it seemed a bit slow from around 9 PM, when everyone had been using it. Parking was on site, but cramped for larger vehicles. There may also be a lot farther north, though I’m not sure where. The front desk is on the second floor. I got a vending machine coin as a perk for booking on the official site, but the machine was on the third floor and my room was higher still, which was inconvenient. There’s just one elevator, and depending on the time, I had to wait. The room door doesn’t lock by itself, so I had to lock and unlock it manually. There’s no closet, and the unit bathroom is small and dim. The large public bath would usually make that less of an issue, but it’s a single bath that alternates between men and women. On this day, the schedule meant I couldn’t use it in the morning, which was disappointing. The large bath and breakfast room are on the first floor. Breakfast is meant to start at 6:30 AM, but they opened about five minutes early, which I appreciated. It was the usual Route Inn breakfast, though the selection felt a little limited, or maybe I just imagined that. Since it was the first day of a three-day weekend, I could understand the price, but I didn’t feel the facilities justified it. The layout and flow of people could use renovation.

Nagano Ueda The good: Free, flat parking. There’s a large public bath, though it isn’t all that big. Judging by the number of faucets in the washing area, I’d guess it holds about four people. We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, and the self-service all-you-can-drink was very good, though it may have been a limited-time offer. Staff service was good too. The main downside for me was the centralized air conditioning instead of individual controls. It was a scorching day and the temperature was managed properly this time, but I’ve had many bad experiences at hotels with central air. At one place, not a Route Inn, they told me they could only provide heating even though it was 28℃ in Okinawa in January. Central air is a big negative for me. Check-in and checkout both require a stop at the second-floor front desk, and with only one elevator, checkout meant a long wait. People say there are lots of restaurants nearby, but they’re the usual regional chain places that you need a car to reach. There are almost no walkable options for someone who wants a drink. You could stay at the Route Inn near the station or eat at the hotel restaurant.