Hotel Route Inn Niihama — Hotel in Niihama

We went to Niihama for the Taiko Festival in October and stayed at the Route Inn. It is about 1 mile from the Niihama JR Train station and is a level walk except for one intersection that requires you to climb stairs up to a pedestrian walkway to traverse the intersection. We did find out that the hotel has a bus that operates in the afternoon to transport guests from the station to the hotel. The hotel bus will also transport guests from the hotel to the train||station in the morning free of charge. ||||English capabilities of the staff is minimal. Of course this location is a bit off the beaten path for international tourists (even for the festival).||||If you require two beds, please book a twin room. As noted by other reviewers, the beds are hard. We tried to see if there were any futon pads available, but what we had to settle for was getting extra blankets and using the comforter as a cushion. The room was clean, but it was small and the bathroom was tight as well. There is the public bath at the hotel as an option if you need more room for bathing (separated by gender).||||We also included breakfast into our stay. The menu varied each day and was served buffet style. It contained a mix of Japanese and Western food items. The staff keeps the buffet well stocked and cleared the tables as soon as a patron leaves so there are always tables available. We enjoyed the buffet and found it to...

We stayed in Hotel Route Inn Niihama recently. We were booked in for 7 nights but only stayed for 1 night. The hotel is a basic hotel with rather drab fixtures and fittings. We stayed in a twin room, which was a good size and included a small table and 2 chairs. The problem was the bed. We know Japan hotels have firm beds and we like a firm bed. But this bed was as hard as a very very hard rock. It was impossible to sleep on. We got a refund after 1 night and went to another hotel. The staff were nice and gave a refund without any problems. Only stay here if you like a...

Big room for a Japanese hotel (around 30 square meters) and it was a smoking room, which is not available everywhere. Room and bathroom were equipped and clean. The staff was friendly and helpful (came with us to park our bicycles and show us the washing machine). Breakfast included in the price and an onsen with large timetable of access. BUT, the building is clearly outdated and the price is too expensive for the location...