Hotel Alpha-One Yatsushiro

I stay here every year for business. The building feels a little old, but the renovated rooms and bathrooms are clean. New faucets always make me a bit happy, and I like that they stock POLA shampoo and conditioner. The breakfast has plenty of tasty choices, including breakfast curry. I especially liked the kelp tsukudani, which made me want another bowl of rice. The large bath is clean and the water temperature is just right, though it isn’t spacious and has only four washing stations. Shower caps in the changing room would be useful, and high-powered hair dryers would help me get back to my room sooner. There are smoking rooms, a public bath, and both Japanese and Western breakfast options. It’s a little far from the station, but there’s a shopping street nearby and a Lawson a short walk away, so getting food is easy. For the reasonable price, it’s good value. The staff are friendly and smile while giving great service. I was pleasantly surprised when the parking attendant greeted me with a lovely smile from the entrance. I’ll be back next year!

The room was clean and clearly well looked after, and I didn’t hear noise from nearby rooms or outside while I slept. I stayed after a drinking party and got a clear explanation from staff at check-in. My room was on the 10th floor, with a great view, and being on the same floor as the public bath got me excited. Breakfast cost 1,000 yen, but I found it disappointing. Some people might say, “Well, I guess that’s about right.” I also wanted to use the public bath as late as 9:30, hoping to be the last one in, but it was already past closing time. Bring a 100-yen coin to lock the bath locker, though you get it back when you unlock it. Towels aren’t supplied there, so take one with you. It’s close to downtown and the rooms are clean, so I recommend it.

The room itself was average, neither good nor bad. The bath was shallow, parking signs were inadequate, and noise from the food stalls outside was awful. The room next door was bad too, probably because the hotel is near a bar district. The WiFi connected but showed no internet access, which was a mystery, lol. The front desk said rooms would be cleaned every three days, which reassured me, but staff came in daily and threw some of my belongings away. The hospital and police station nearby make the area feel safe, but their emergency callouts are ridiculously loud.

On this first business trip here from outside the prefecture, I found a cheap weekday room nearby that allowed smoking. I asked in the booking site comments if I could switch to non-smoking, if possible, and at check-in they had one available that day. The change went smoothly. A capable front desk really makes a difference. The room has the familiar Alpha One Group feel and seems to have been recently restored, so I expect to sleep well tonight. Thank you 😊