OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Resorts — Hotel in Otaru

This is a subpar OMO. I fell in love with OMO after my first experience in Osaka, so I tend to choose it over other hotels. However, aside from the interesting architectural details of the OMO5 Otaru South Building and the largest shower room I’ve ever seen, this one was a letdown. I like Hoshino hotels, but I would definitely stay elsewhere in Otaru.

No OMO Base. They only have a restaurant and lounge located on the top floor of the South Building. It offers paid services during breakfast, afternoon hours, and at night. I was told by the front desk that during non-operational hours, guests couldn’t use it, meaning there’s no communal area to enjoy outside food. I found this disappointing, especially since a Family Mart is just around the corner.

Limited relaxation space. Other than our room, there’s really nowhere to relax in the hotel. I checked two nearby hotels, and both had public baths.

Laundry. Only two washers and two dryers are available on the premises, located on the second floor. Cash only.

Elevator inefficiency. There is only one elevator in the seven-story wing where we stayed. Considering the laundry is on the second floor, the water dispenser is on the first floor, and the microwave is on another, the elevator runs inefficiently.

Water dispenser. There’s only one water dispenser for the entire hotel. The line can get long, and the water pressure was weak. Some guests tried refilling narrow-mouthed bottles, which caused spills—understandably a user error, but unfortunately, it led to a mess on the floor both nights...

I fell in love with OMO after my first experience in Osaka, so I tend to choose it over other hotels. However, aside from the interesting architectural details of the OMO5 Otaru South Building and the largest shower room I’ve ever seen, this one was a letdown. I like Hoshino hotels, but I would definitely stay elsewhere in Otaru.||1. No OMO Base. They only have a restaurant and lounge located on the top floor of the South Building. It offers paid services during breakfast, afternoon hours, and at night. I was told by the front desk that during non-operational hours, guests couldn’t use it, meaning there’s no communal area to enjoy outside food. I found this disappointing, especially since a Family Mart is just around the corner.||2. Limited relaxation space. Other than our room, there’s really nowhere to relax in the hotel. I checked two nearby hotels, and both had public baths.||3. Laundry. Only two washers and two dryers are available on the premises, located on the second floor. Cash only.||4. Elevator inefficiency. There is only one elevator in the seven-story wing where we stayed. Considering the laundry is on the second floor, the water dispenser is on the first floor, and the microwave is on another, the elevator runs inefficiently.||5. Water dispenser. There’s only one water dispenser for the entire hotel. The line can get long, and the water pressure was weak. Some guests tried refilling narrow-mouthed bottles, which caused spills—understandably a user error, but unfortunately, it led to a mess on the floor both nights...

We stayed in premium deluxe room. A very unique hotel renovated from a history bank building. Enjoyed the interesting hotel experience merging of modern use of amenities and management in an old setting. There are two towers. We stayed in premium double in the old building. It kept the bank wall and door deco in dark brown and white. The room is not bad in size, very big kind size bad and clean overall. The bathroom is big with separate toilet, a comfy tub and big shower space right on the side. Water power is good. Would be nice to have a stool. Just a little slower in draining for the tub after my hot tub. And a little mold around a few tiles but I think it is acceptable since it is an old building. Overall the whole room is not rusty, but well kept and clean, with good ventilation. Face care amenities need to pay while other bathroom amenities and tea are free to take.||Premium room with club access adds on my interesting experience to the night lounge which is decorated with lots of classical oil lamps and music boxes. You can even bring one music box you like to your room to listen and return when check out.||The girl staff (forgot her exact full name but it started with Tam….) at reception on our check in time between 4:80-5:15 pm on 9/7. She was comparatively ok to communicate in English. She was so friendly, helpful and patiently explained & recommended about tourist attractions and spent a long time to help us book a boat ride tour for the next day.||The breakfast buffet is worth to have. Good tasre...