Dormy Inn Takamatsu Chuokoen-mae — Hotel in Takamatsu

We like to stay in Dormy Inns for the public baths and evening ramen, but sometimes the rooms are too small for our liking. We will only book the largest room they offer which usually suits our needs. ||||Check-in was easy even though we arrived early and had the hotel hold our luggage while we walked around the neighborhood. ||||The very helpful staff gave us information on area supermarkets and suggested the best one, Marunaka, even though it was a bit further away. We accidentally left a cane on the table of the free coffee service and when we went to retrieve it it was gone. A staff member had found it and brought it to the front desk for safe keeping. ||||Our room was clean and comfortable as we expect from all Dormy Inns. We choose the “no daily cleaning” option and were given fresh towels and amenities daily for our 3 night stay. We don’t need clean sheets each night.||||The public baths were excellent for both men and women and they are natural hot springs not just hot bath water. The hotel is quite new and everything was very spiffy. ||||The evening free ramen [and beer or soda (not great beer, but free!)] is standard Dormy Inn fare. We always buy additional toppings, vegetables and a salad to go along with the noodles to make a meal of it. The supermarket was a ten minute walk, by no means impossible. It is one the shopping street right near the hotel. There is a Family Mart just across the street if you don’t want to walk further afield. ||||It is an easy 15-20 minute walk to Ritsurin Garden, which makes this location ideal for a garden visit. The station for our day trip train was close by, but the JR statiion is not. A taxi is necessary to get to JR station if you have luggage.||||One final bit of advice: take care when booking - there are 2 Dormy Inns in Takamatsu, this one and an older one (Dormy Inn Takamatsu) in a different part...

This is a tricky review to write… the staff are so helpful and kind, and the facilities are really nice. The rooms may be a bit small, but they are nice rooms. They give you ice cream/popsicles, free noodles, and other complimentary amenities. There is free laundry (washing is free, drying is 100¥ for 20 minutes). The location is decent… so why the 2 stars?

They have a gorgeous hot spring/communal bath facility at this location, as well as in Kochi (where we stayed just before). Unfortunately, they have a very rigid NO TATTOOS policy. The bath is available from 3pm to 10am, open all night. And yet, they will not allow people with tattoos.

This makes me feel really unwelcome… especially considering that we had no problems with our tattoos at Dogo Onsen, one of the most famous and traditional Onsen in Japan. But the Dormy Inn hotel? No way.

In my opinion, if they offered a time period (even late at night) where tattoos were allowed, that would be fine by me. But completely forbidding access is so off-putting and disappointing. It is a huge reason why we chose to stay here. It wouldn’t sting so much if it wasn’t included in the price of the stay… but now it feels like we’re being cheated out of something we paid to access and aren’t allowed to.

If you are a foreigner with tattoos, please be aware — the staff is very friendly and I can’t say enough good things about them… but this inflexible policy on tattoos is atrocious. If the spa is important to you, steer clear and find a different place to stay. Perhaps someplace that allows tattoos… or at the very least, another hotel that doesn’t charge you for a spa that you can’t...

I'm a fan of the Dormy Inn chain of hotels. This hotel offers everything you normally expect from a Dormy Inn, including of course the complimentary onsen/hot pool area, free evening drinks, free late-night ramen, and practically designed rooms.||||There are two Dormy Inns in Takamatsu, and this newer one is just on the side of the downtown area rather than right in the middle. However, that's not a problem. Buses from the airport and JR Railway stop just over the road (Kenchodori Chuokoenmae stop), and it's a short walk to the restaurants and shops, with the port and Ritsurin Garden both about 1km walk away. I chose this over the older inn as it has more varieties of room configuration available.||||Our standard twin room with shower was 20m2, which is not huge but was quite adequate with a compact bathroom area and plenty of hanging/storage space for clothes and plenty of power outlets. There is a convenience store over the road. The buffet breakfast, for Y1500 /head, is plentiful with many choices for both Japanese and western palates; although cheaper and more simple fare is available from nearby cafes if you prefer. The staff on duty when I was there spoke serviceable English and there was never a communications issue for me.||||One unusual feature was that the laundry machines were located in a room off the changing rooms for the onsen - this shouldn't cause a problem, and in fact means you can put on your washing and then soak in the bath for 30 minutes or so. If a traditional Japanese communal bath is not for you, then the rooms have their...