OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi by Hoshino Resorts — Hotel in Kanazawa

My sister and I spent 2 nights at this hotel. From Kanazawa Station, we took a taxi to the hotel (about 1500 yen). The downside to the hotel is that it's located in a street that is not accessible by car (I believe there are certain times of the day cars may drive through, but likely during off-hours from what we could tell), so we had to be dropped off at the curb and walk a short distance to the hotel. ||Check-in was via smart tablet (with assistance from staff) and there are storage lockers off to the side to store your bags until your room is ready. Staff were friendly and spoke a mix of okay to very good English. Across from the elevators you can find self-service water and laundry facilities. Next to the elevator, you can help yourself to amenities that are free (pencil, toothbrushes, wash cloths, etc.) or borrow for a fee (PJs). I particularly like that when you scan your key in the elevator, your floor is automatically selected! ||We stayed in a Superior Room, which felt smaller in comparison to standard US hotel rooms, but still had room for both of us to have our suitcases out without feeling like we're tripping over it. The room felt light and airy with great shower pressure and the beds (on raised futon platform) that were very comfortable. Overall, no complaints with the room.||The hotel offered several activities (free and paid). We signed up for the free "Aji Walk" which is a walking tour around the vicinity of the hotel through little alleyways, restaurant recommendations and even a stop at a place in the Nagamachi district to sample some tea and sweets. Our guide spoke good English, but they also provide maps and notecards in English which was helpful. I really enjoyed this walk and highly recommend it!||The hotel is in a great location in being walking distance to many sightseeing spots, such as the Nagamachi district, museums, the castle and adjacent garden. There are also several department stores and restaurants nearby. We even walked to Omicho Market and Higashiyama area and later caught the loop bus back (Katamachi exit), where the bus stop is across the street from the hotel. ||I have previously stayed in their Hoshinoya resorts (Fuji, Karuizawa, Nikko, Tokyo) and excited to stay in this OMO resort. In comparison to the Hoshinoya brand, the OMO brand is more modern and urban, targeting more budget friendly travelers that are on the go, yet still keeping with the Hoshino feel. ||The only reason why I rated my experience as 4 instead of 5 star is access to the hotel. In preparation for check-out, the staff (to the best of our understanding) informed us that they could not arrange for a taxi to pick us up because there was no direct access to the hotel. The only option we had was to take a bus or wait by a taxi stand that is located in front of the Starbucks a few minutes walk north of the hotel (next to Kanazawa Tokyu Hotel). We were leaving during the morning rush hour and noticed the bus lines were super crowded, so we decided to take a chance by waiting at the taxi stand. Fortunately, we only waited a few minutes for a taxi, but it was a level of uncertainty that made us a bit anxious since it was raining that day and we weren't sure how frequently taxis stop by that stand. ||For that reason, if I was in Kanazawa again, I think I would look for a hotel that is readily accessible by taxi. However, despite this negative point, I really enjoyed the hotel and highly recommend staying there if you don't have issues getting around via public...

My sister and I spent 2 nights at this hotel. From Kanazawa Station, we took a taxi to the hotel (about 1500 yen). The downside to the hotel is that it's located in a street that is not accessible by car (I believe there are certain times of the day cars may drive through, but likely during off-hours from what we could tell), so we had to be dropped off at the curb and walk a short distance to the hotel. ||Check-in was via smart tablet (with assistance from staff) and there are storage lockers off to the side to store your bags until your room is ready. Staff were friendly and spoke a mix of okay to very good English. Across from the elevators you can find self-service water and laundry facilities. Next to the elevator, you can help yourself to amenities that are free (pencil, toothbrushes, wash cloths, etc.) or borrow for a fee (PJs). I particularly like that when you scan your key in the elevator, your floor is automatically selected! ||We stayed in a Superior Room, which felt smaller in comparison to standard US hotel rooms, but still had room for both of us to have our suitcases out without feeling like we're tripping over it. The room felt light and airy with great shower pressure and the beds (on raised futon platform) that were very comfortable. Overall, no complaints with the room.||The hotel offered several activities (free and paid). We signed up for the free "Aji Walk" which is a walking tour around the vicinity of the hotel through little alleyways, restaurant recommendations and even a stop at a place in the Nagamachi district to sample some tea and sweets. Our guide spoke good English, but they also provide maps and notecards in English which was helpful. I really enjoyed this walk and highly recommend it!||The hotel is in a great location in being walking distance to many sightseeing spots, such as the Nagamachi district, museums, the castle and adjacent garden. There are also several department stores and restaurants nearby. We even walked to Omicho Market and Higashiyama area and later caught the loop bus back (Katamachi exit), where the bus stop is across the street from the hotel. ||I have previously stayed in their Hoshinoya resorts (Fuji, Karuizawa, Nikko, Tokyo) and excited to stay in this OMO resort. In comparison to the Hoshinoya brand, the OMO brand is more modern and urban, targeting more budget friendly travelers that are on the go, yet still keeping with the Hoshino feel. ||The only reason why I rated my experience as 4 instead of 5 star is access to the hotel. In preparation for check-out, the staff (to the best of our understanding) informed us that they could not arrange for a taxi to pick us up because there was no direct access to the hotel. The only option we had was to take a bus or wait by a taxi stand that is located in front of the Starbucks a few minutes walk north of the hotel (next to Kanazawa Tokyu Hotel). We were leaving during the morning rush hour and noticed the bus lines were super crowded, so we decided to take a chance by waiting at the taxi stand. Fortunately, we only waited a few minutes for a taxi, but it was a level of uncertainty that made us a bit anxious since it was raining that day and we weren't sure how frequently taxis stop by that stand. ||For that reason, if I was in Kanazawa again, I think I would look for a hotel that is readily accessible by taxi. However, despite this negative point, I really enjoyed the hotel and highly recommend staying there if you don't have issues getting around via public...

I stayed here for four nights as a solo traveler, and find the location to be a mix-bag; on one hand, it is very close to sights like the castle, garden, and the museum, but on the other hand, there is no way you can walk here from the main train station, and you either have to take a bus with your luggage (and if you take the buses, and they take cash only), or a cab. I did send my luggage over from my previous hotel so I only had to come with a small bag and taking public transportation was not a problem for me, but I have seen other travelers causes quite a lot of disturbances for locals with their bags on board during rush hours. ||The overall decor of the hotel was modern and soothing. The check-in process was speedy and efficient, and because this hotel is still mainly geared towards locals, English proficiency of staff is not that high. ||The room was very spacious, I stayed in the entry-level category with a double bed, and you are required to take off your shoes right after the door (they have to highlight that on the floor), which may be very confusing for Westerners. The bed is a futon, and it actually felt way more comfortable than a proper mattress. Pillows were firm and fluffy, and the duvet was extremely comfortable yet not overly stuffy. The window had a daylight shade that you cannot retract and behind it lies a blackout shade that you can draw down. There is both a USB and Japanese power outlet on the bed top.||The wash basin and vanity area is just directly in the walkway once you open the main door, and next to it lies the separated shower with bathtub booth, and besides, it is a separated toilet with bidet. A small hanging door-less closet area is also next to the door, and there are also two towel hooks outside the bathroom.||In between the shower and bedding area is a very nice dining table console with very comfortable counter seats. You can also easily work on this table (they are electrical outlets on the side of the table). There was also an app purifier and humidifier in the room, and the refrigerator was emptied out so you can stock it with your own items from the nearby convenience store just downstairs. ||You can get purified water from level one in the room, where the smart laundry system is also located, but there was also assigned to say that water in the room is also filtered and safe for consumption.||Do know that they don’t do housekeeping services daily - they’ve never come into my room during my entire stay (which was weird because at the OMO in Kyoto, I was given a paper stating that housekeeping will be done every third day of a stay when I check in). On the third day I just put my trash bin and the basket of dirty towels outside the room when I left to signal that I need new ones and they replace what I left outside with fresh towels when I came back. ||As much as I really like the decor and vibes of this hotel and the comfort level, I don’t think I’ll ever stay here if I’m back in the city as my friends stay at two other hotels nearer to the market and they are bothe similar and comparable to OMO, and I think have better locations. Afterall, the size of the city actually means that you can easily walk everywhere...