4-Starhotels in Aomori Prefecture, Japan

"Check-in was very smooth. In fact, they allowed us to check in earlier - about 1 to 2 hours earlier, I think. The room was already ready, so they allocated it to us when we arrived. The room itself was rather small but functional and clean, so we don’t really have any complaints other than it being a bit small. I guess this is Japanese standards. The pricing is fairly more expensive than the inns across the road, perhaps because of the location and also because it is very new. The property itself has a very nice onsen. The female onsen had a lot of apples floating in it, which was a very nice touch to showcase Aomori apples. The front desk staff are very nice and very friendly. They also have staff who can speak Chinese. Not that I am Chinese, but I can speak some Chinese better than Japanese, which I can’t speak at all. Nevertheless, the staff could converse in English, or at least some basic English. There’s free yoga and some classes, but we didn’t utilise them as it’s not really useful for tourists who would rather spend time outside the hotel. This seems more suited for locals who want a short getaway, but still a very lovely touch. Breakfast is paid separately and does not come with the room, so there is no comment on that. The property provides Nespresso capsules in the room, and there is also a better Nespresso machine near the check-in counter. I also love that they provide water for free without having to pay extra. The lounge is available for everybody and overlooks the bridge. They provide some free snacks and drinks depending on the timing - different items in the morning and in the evening. That being said, there is no alcohol being served. Also, the coffee there is very bad. I don’t understand why they don’t put the Nespresso machine in the lounge since they have one at the lobby. Overall, everything was quite perfect for this hotel. In fact, the location was the most perfect part. Once you exit the train station, you enter an elevator that goes up to the hotel. Since it was winter, I was afraid I would need to drag my bags for a long time, but it’s right outside the exit after you tap your card and turn left. If I remember correctly, the elevator is right there and there is no need to go outside at all. However, there are only two elevators servicing the entire building, so there might be some waiting time. I would advise leaving earlier if you have a train to catch. The only reason this is not a full-star review is because I requested about a one-hour late checkout due to our train time, and they told us we needed to pay - if I remember correctly, ¥2,000 per hour. I felt they were very rigid about the 11 am checkout time. To be honest, even if they had given it to us, we probably wouldn’t have used it anyway, as we later decided to change our train time to leave Aomori, since there isn’t much to do here. Still, the rejection and inflexibility made us feel very uneasy and unwelcome. I think they could have handled this better by being less rigid and more human. So that’s minus points from us. After all, this is part of hospitality, and it doesn’t hurt."

"帰省で友人と別部屋で泊まりました。 昔からあるホテルで泊まったことはなかったけど、内装をリノベしたようです。セミダブルベッド？だけど扉開けたら通路が狭すぎて圧迫感を覚えました。。たぶん広かった客室を狭くして増やしたのかな？そこが残念。 狭い通路にキャリーケースをギリギリ広げて出し入れしました。 ロビーが開放的でソファや個々の椅子がふかふかキレイ。まあまあの広さの浴場がある。スタッフは親しみやすくサービスが良い。そこもよかった。 三日町にあり、バス停もすぐそこ。駅からは坂道ありで15分くらい歩きます。でも歩くのも好きなので立地はgood!!お酒飲んですぐねれます。 今度はオフシーズンにもう少しお安めの時に泊まりたいかな。いい旅になりました！ありがとうございます！"

"The room was really big for a japan hotel. it was the biggest room we had throughout our 13 days trip. There is a bathtub which i enjoyed daily, with the free bath salts which are provided at the lobby. The staff are friendly and do their best to understand and help us out. We experienced earthquake during our stay, but the building held up. there is a lawson right beside the hotel which is very convenient. The train station is also within 10 minutes walk with mostly covered walkways towards the hotel."

"Excellent location next to the JR station. Room is spacious, superior bathroom with double sinks. Breakfast is just amazing! Coin laundry very convenient"

"Ik maakte een reservering nadat ik een foto had gezien van een badhuis met drijvende appels. Toen ik daar aankwam, lagen er niet veel appels in de grote badkuip, dus het was geen probleem, maar het was een hotel met nog veel meer voordelen. Omdat appels het thema zijn, is het welkomstdrankje appelsap en wordt er ook een welkomstappel voorzien. Diverse interieurdecoraties, waaronder het appelbeeld van Guanyin, zijn appelgerelateerd, dus mensen die houden van een concept met een duidelijk thema zullen dit waarschijnlijk leuk vinden. De kamer was zeer ruim, schoon en comfortabel tegen een betaalbare prijs. De houding van het personeel ten opzichte van klanten is ook erg vriendelijk. Vanaf het moment dat u op de parkeerplaats arriveert, laden wij uw bagage in een karretje en vervoeren deze comfortabel naar de inchecklocatie en uw kamer. De locatie is afgelegen, maar je kunt Hirosaki gemakkelijk met de auto bereiken. Een aanrader als je een auto hebt."

"Service was good. There was a staff who is stationed at the entrance, checking with guest who arrived by car. They will ask for your name, provided clear instructions of where to park. Unfortunately, I have accidentally left the lights in the car switched on. A few moments later when I was doing my check-in, the front desk staff quickly informed me about it. The facilities are good. Food is really good, very different from the other Hoshino resorts in Aomori that I have stayed. At KAI Tsugaru, it is Kaiseki instead of the usual buffet style. The staff took pains to explain and share the reason for each dish that was served. There are only 41 traditionally-furnished and generously-sized rooms offering both Western and Japanese-style designs which gives a very unique and dedicated experience as compared to other hotels which has many rooms."

"Room is clean and spacious. There is free water dispenser every floor, you can try Aomori apple juice at the hotel. I love the idea that you can choose the cleaning or not cleaning on the television. You can also see the status of the laundry on the television. The location is abit far from Aomori station but I think it’s okay. There is a direct bus from Aomori airport to the hotel. There is a convenience store nearby."

"Room is spacious. Have a sofa and coffee desk. This good for us to pack our luggage.Bed is comfortable for a good night sleep. Room have a good view of the sea. Breakfast japanese style with lot of varieties. Parking at hotel car park. Parking charge paid at reception when check-out."

"The room in general is clean although the white curtain has holes and the shower curtain is a bit ripped. There are some molds under the sink. The soap and conditioner ate not so good. We asked for some facial soap and moisturizer, the staff said those things ate only available depending on the room type. How come other affordable business hotel chains provide those things?! I was expecting that this hotel has better service since they collaborate with Nikko Hotels, but to be fair, the restaurant staffs are kind."