Hotel Ai – Nagano
Located in north Nagano Hotel Ai is no more than a five-minute walk from the nearest station. The area its in quiet but the view is pretty. Nagano is surrounded by beautiful mountains and after completing the Alpine route I selected this hotel as it was close to the end of the route and also on the direct line to Matsumoto. For location I award a 7, for those coming by public transport the train station is close by, there maybe bus options too.
For ease of Access, I award a 7 for a total of 14. The hotel can be booked on booking and is a hotel style so there is a front desk. The check in time for this hotel was early which gave plenty of time to actually relax and enjoy the room. The view was of the mountains and the shoe store opposite.
The hotel was revamping and I arrived to them celebrating their reopening, the room however still felt old, the bathroom was old but the bath was very deep. There were some repairs around the room that had been made hastily. The bed was clean and so was the bathroom. This hotel also had some of the best water pressure I have ever experience to the point the shower was turned down in fear of my skin being blasted off. Perhaps this is why the bathroom was so clean. There were old features still in the room which were no longer being used such as the old payment system, in a few older hotels a pipe system is used where you place the money into a tube and it is carried away into the building. But this room also had the new payment machines so it’s a feature that was visible but defunct. Whilst maybe some rooms where new the room I was in was probably still the same as before reopen. It was also the most expensive because Golden week had started and prices were sky high. For cleanliness and comfort, I award a 7 for a total of 21.
The next category is amenities and the hotel has a bath salt bar which is fun. There is also a collection of beauty products available in the lobby for you to bring up to your room. The room also comes with freebies and you can order extra via the tv system if you desire. For this I award a 7 for a new total of 28. Because check in was so early and the surrounding area had little to offer for food, I decided to explore the menu and order something. The hotel offered a free drink item and a free snack which was a great addition. The menu is limited but the food I ordered was very good. The fries were very good and the chicken nuggets were surprisingly good. The food on the menu was enjoyable and I hope more items are added. For food I award a 6. For a total of 34.
Overall, I award a 6 for enjoyment, the room was large and the bath was deep if a little old. The food was good and the bed was comfortable. Some of the furniture was mismatched suggesting that perhaps the reopen had seen some rooms gain furniture from other rooms. The view was nice but the road is right under the rooms facing the mountain and the sound proofing was the best. I enjoyed the hotel and I am happy they offered food as the area around the hotel is very rural. For likely to return I also award a 6 for a grand total of 46. The hotel was nice but if I return to Nagano, I would like to explore its capital so a hotel closer would be preferred. My schedule was short so I had limited time but the hotel was in a good place for the alpine route. So, if you visit with the intention of doing the route this hotel would make for a great start or finish location.
