BRENZA HOTEL — Hotel in Kobe

This budget hotel worked well for our last night in Japan at the end of a 2-week trip. It was substantially cheaper than the other hotels, where we stayed in the country, but clean and well located, just a short walk from the Sannomiya Station, many restaurants, shopping complexes and the airport bus to kIX. ||||We arrived in the city at Shin-Kobe Station and I emailed Brenza for directions. They seemed simple enough. Go to Sannomiya, leave through the East gate and head to Tokyo REI Hotel, which is next to Brenza. Tokyu REI was to be our landmark because ”Brenza” does not appear on the building that it occupies. Much to our dismay, we discovered at Sannomiya that the East Gate has eight exits. A helpful rail employee in a small office used a detailed map to locate Brenza and gave us additional instructions, including to leave at Exit 3. Once outside, these proved to be especially useful, because Tokyu REI was nowhere in sight. It took about 4 minutes to reach our goal.||||We checked in at Reception on the second floor, where pleasant night staff were not fluent in English but understood and spoke enough English to be helpful. For example, they printed our boarding passes and looked up possible places for us to have dinner nearby. Aside from the Reception desk, the hotel had no true lobby. Instead, there is an open restaurant area with a sea of tables. No dinner is served there, just lunch between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.||||Our standard twin room and its bathroom were rather tiny, compared to the others where we stayed, but quite typical for Japan. I would describe the decor as quite basic and utilitarian. We managed to find space for our two carry-on suitcases, and the beds proved to be comfortable. I found the bathroom to be a bit awkward. The high side of the soaker tub made it difficult for a short person, such as me, to enter easily. The sink was jammed next to the tub and shared faucet controls with the tub; the toilet was jammed next to the sink. We heard no noise throughout the night.||||Checkout time of 10 a.m. proved to be the earliest we had faced during our trip. But the staff happily accepted luggage for storage until pickup later in the day. ||||We considered the hotel to be good value for one night but perhaps not at the comfort level that we prefer for...

I stayed for 2 nights at the Brenza Hotel in Kobe. I chose the Brenza Hotel for its convenient location one block over from JR Sannomiya station. I arrived at Itami airport and took the limousine bus to Sannomiya, which basically drops me off across the street from Brenza Hotel. I also went to see the famous Himeji Castle near Kobe and therefore the Sannomiya station location was great for taking the JR train to Himeji (about 30 minutes by the Special Rapid Train). ||||In addition to transportation convenience, the Sannomiya station location also gave access to several 24 hour convenience stores just around the corner from the hotel at the station, numerous restaurants within a few minutes walk, and close access to the network of underground malls spreading out from Sannomiya station. ||||The hotel has a restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch but I did not get a chance to try it. Other than that, it does not really have any additional facilities as it is a basic type hotel. ||||The superior single room I booked was very small but was fine for a short stay. There was a built in desk, a mini fridge and an in room safe. A kettle and Japanese tea bags was provided (but no instant coffee as is common in many hotels in Japan). The bathroom was also compact and had a combination soaker tub and shower and a swinging faucet that moves between the tub and the sink. ||||For the very inexpensive price, I thought the hotel was good value for...

I am so glad I changed hotel in the last minute. I had booked one next to Kobe Station - having read the train from Osaka Airport (KIX) would drop me there. However, after further research, I found out the limousine bus would be a better option and I thought it would be more convenient to be close to the bus terminal. Guess what! Not only the hotel is right across the street where they drop you off but it is close to Sannomiya Station and the bus station (do yourself a favour and go to Arima Onsen for a day) and all the other places you want to go to by foot. It is very convenient.||I also liked the size and the spartan decoration of the rooms. The bed is very comfortable. Not much of a view as windows face the other building but it is alright. Like every hotel and hostel in Japan, rooms come with an assortment of amenities like shampoo (not that little sample thing), fabric refresher spray, etc. Products were all of good quality ||I did not interact much with the staff members because reception is on the second floor and you go straight from entrance to your floor, but when I did, they were all very polite, friendly and helpful. ||My only suggestion to the hotel is to adopt a greener policy. I consider unnecessary to have my room cleaned everyday so I always leave a sign on the door, but they kept leaving these bags with new towels and bath robe – even after I said there would be no need. In the end of my stay, I...