The 4 hotel chains I always use when I travel Japan!

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I nomad around and the most tiring thing is finding a place to stay for my travels. Like many countries, Japan is also full of hotel options, too and there are so many interesting accommodations out there!

But I also have a list of reasonable hotel chains I book when I'm too tired to plan, can't decide on which hotel, or simply in an emergency.

Today I want to introduce the 4 hotel chains for my travels to all the cities I use, and one more if you are traveling to Hokkaido!

hotel room at JR INN Hakodate


The 4 hotel chains I use on my travels to Japan

These hotels are called "business hotels" in Japan. It's less expensive than the city boutique hotels and is catered to the business trip crowd for a reasonable stay and efficient transport from one city to another.

Business hotels evolved to cater to the touring crowd as well, and many Japanese like to use business hotels when traveling!

So, here is the list of my favorites!

1. Dormy Inn

Dormy Inn is a hotel chain that is now very popular in Japan. 

It is most famous for its breakfast which includes local cuisine. It has a public bath within the hotel for good Japanese relaxation and is usually very strategically located, a short walk from the major train station or the city center.
  • Modern Japanese sento-style public bath
  • Breakfast is a buffet of Japanese/Western dishes and will cover the local cuisines of the area.
  • Free mini shoyu ramen “yonaki soba” from 9:30~11pm daily
Especially for foodies, Japan has so many things to try you’re always full… I love the concept of Dormy Inn where they have a variety of local dishes in very small portions.

Taste them all, and then I usually plan to go to restaurants that specialize in my favorite dishes to eat out.

2. Super Hotel

Super Hotel is a smart hotel I also love. 
They brand the hotel to provide “good sleep” with a “healthy breakfast” so those are the selling points!
  • Collaborates with Osaka Furitsu University to provide better sleep. -Uses organic vegetables and has their original dressings for a healthier breakfast
  • Smart check-in, check-out
  • Strategically located near the city center and train stations
My favorite thing about Super Hotel is its smartness. For example, you will get a receipt when you check in, not a key. You will type the code to unlock the door. Either keep the receipt or take a picture on your phone and you don’t have to worry about losing it. When you check out, no need to stop by at the front desk either as you don’t have a key to return.

I kept being amazed by the efficiency ideas when Super Hotel first opened more than 10 years ago!!

3. Richmond Hotel

Richmond Hotel is the closest to a city hotel on this list. Everything is more spacey, and the furniture and equipment are more sophisticated and very functional among the business hotels in Japan.
  • Strategically located
  • Awarded many times for best service in the business hotel sector of Japan
  • It has a smartphone catered to travelers “handy” which you can use (free call and internet during your stay) 
I stay at Richmond especially when I need to stay near Narita Airport. I don’t have a specific example, but I always feel that “on-point” help will be provided when I need it.

4. WBF Hotel

If you are staying in either Hokkaido, Osaka, or Fukuoka, WBF Hotel is also worth staying, and the most affordable on this list!

It’s a chain hotel but each hotel has its own benefit they provide. For example, the Sapporo branch had a minibar with an unlimited beer and chu-hi machine, when you become a WBF member for 300JPY, or WBF Kushiro offers 6 hours of free bicycle rental for WBF members.
  • Best Budget business hotel on the list
  • Interesting and different "mini service" from each branch 
  • Potential improvement overall from joining the Hoshino Resort Group
They were acquired by a well-known Japanese resort group Hoshino Resort in 2020, so you can also earn OMO Points now.

Hokkaido Only: JR INN

JR INN is run by JR Hokkaido, so it’s so unfortunate that it is only in Hokkaido!
Except for Sapporo, the hotels are linked to the main JR Stations.

I think it’s a ridiculous budget for the stay you have.
  • No better location to stay
  • Free lounge for free coffee and some books to read
  • Most branches have a public bath within the hotel, and some have an outdoor bath nice for fresh air.
For those who are new to the city, it makes very good sense to choose this as your first night to find out about the city center a little bit, and for your last night if your transport is early morning the next day.

Hope it helps!

I think it will surprise you how many hotels and hotel chains there are in Japan. I also use Airbnb, and love to stay at pensions and traditional ryokans for a more local experience. 

But when I stay in city centers and near transport terminals, over the years the business hotel chains listed above became my best bets!

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