Iroha Grand Hotel Matsumoto Ekimae

Breakfast was the best we had , so far during our visit in different hotels in Japan. The location is the best, few minutes walk from the train station, and within short walk from the places we wished to visit.

The major problem, not in this hotel alone, but all the hotels we were guest in Japan, so far, is that the staff do not know even elementary English. It seems that the Japanese government’s policy is not to invest in the study of English in its school system- though it is the one and only major intenational language world wide. This observation is made after two weeks traveling in Japan, where almost all the people we approached asking them for directions, could not communicate in English- young and old alike. More over, another aspect of the negligence of tourists needs, is the washing and drying machines in the hotel which carry on it a full description, in Japanese, of the operation, while in English, there are insufficient directions.

The room was small but perfectly sized for one person, and had all the facilities I could need. There's even a humidifier! And they provide loads of amenties including face wash and bath salts in the lobby. I visited in winter and the room was really well insulated, I barely had to use the heater. The bathroom was spotless and has a bathtub. I asked for a quiet room and was given a room at the end of the corridor - it was super quiet and I slept extremely well. The bed and the sheets were super comfortable. The location is excellent, just 5 min walk from the JR train station/main bus station, and 10-15 min walk to the castle. To top it all off, there was free supper at the restaurant when I stayed!!

Nothing!

We like the hotel. The room was not big, but everything was well placed, it didn't feel crammed. By size, we weren't expecting much. But we were very please to find it was actually quite spacious. We've got a big luggage to forward to the next destination. It fit into the doorway with lots of space left. Even for a writing table, coffee machine, and so many power/charging points. Bathroom was clean, decent in size that we could moved around easily inside. We were greeted with flower fragrance at check-in front desk. Clean hotel, friendly and courteous receptionist. Generous too. They offered soba and waffle ice cream from 8pm-10pm, free for the guess (restaurant charged to the hotel). Got the feel that many considerations was done for guess comfort. Gave a warm feeling instead of just sterille efficiency. Big point for hospitality. Location was in the middle between Matsumoto JR station and Matsumoto castle. We walked from station, checked-in, then walked to the Castle.

It's literally 5 mins walk from Matsumoto Station. We could drag our suitcases through an alley from station to hotel! And 15 mins walking distance to Matsumoto Castle. We stayed 1 night and we arrived in the evening and checked out before mid-day the next day, so we did not get the chance to explore the city much. I only walked to the castle the night I arrived. Receptionist were helpful and straightforward. We got 2 access cards to the room. This was the 3rd hotel we stayed during our trip and got a nice surprised with how spacious the room is and an air filter/humidifier in the room that we can use (we had 2 super dry days so having the humidifyer was really handy). The beds are very comfortable, 2 pillows per bed. Comforters were soft and light. AC/heater are working well and can be adjusted. We've got a table and chairs, small refrigerator, electric kettle in the room. Plenty of power outlets, some USB outlets next to our beds. Drip coffee and tea bags are provided. Spacious bathrooms with bathtub. Hot water was working well with good water pressure. Two big towels and two small towels, with floor mat. Hair dryer is provided. Razor, toothbrush, face wash, cotton buds, are available at receptionist area which you can take. I'd love to return. This time I was fortunate to visit Matsumoto Castle during the winter light show. It was amazing.

Consider providing one or two international power outlets in the rooms.

Excellent location, very clean rooms, great laundry with machines that both washed and dried clothes made it easy to stay on top of laundry while traveling. The breakfast was outstanding; there was a short wait after putting one's name on a list. Staff was responsive with a reservation issue prior to arrival and requests for rooms nearby and an extended check out time. Our full size bed and room, tho smaller than a typical American queen hotel room, was as expected for this type of hotel and comfortable with nice linens, fittings and some thoughtful amenities.

It’s relatively new and all things are clean. Amenities are only available on the entrance floor but still enough to fulfill my needs like a toothbrush, a shaver and cutting buds. The room was comfy although there was only duvet , no blanket so we needed to turn up the AC to sleep. Well, this is a common problem for most hotels. The shampoo and body soap smelled good, which was a great bonus for a “business hotel” in Japan. Ramen was served in the evening as kind of like a snack. It’s a great addition too. If I have a chance to come to Matsumoto again, I’d choose this hotel again.

There’s not much thing I hate about this hotel.

This was close to the station and very central. The room had comfortable beds and space to slide your suitcase under the bed .

When we arrived we were early and so left our luggage and went sightseeing until the advertised check in time. However, when we returned at 2 pm , they wanted us to wait until 4.30’to check in - we said that was not ok as we were tired from walking - we waited in the foyer and then they did let us check in after about 15 more minutes- so not sure what was going on there. There were only 3 long cycle washing/ drying machines in the laundry- it is a large hotel so perhaps more are needed - it took 2 evenings of checking for a free machine to get my washing done.

If you are arriving by train, the hotel is conveniently located near Matsumoto Station. A 10 minute walk to Matsumoto Castle and Nawatedori street and Nakamise Street. Our room is on the corner of the hotel which has a view of the street and behind the buildings you can see views of the mountains. Hotel staffs were nice to answer my inquiries on how to get to Matsumoto Museum and Arts. The hotel offers noodles or ice cream for free from 8pm-10pm.

Nothing.

Great stay. The hotel concierge was patient in explaining and answering my queries when I requested for courier services to send my baggage to Toyama. Room was clean and comfortable, location accessible.

Had a scare when their account was hacked, and someone asked for card verification details over Booking.com chat. Not sure if it was the hotel or Booking.com's system that was compromised. Good thing they reached out later to confirm the request was fraudulent.

The breakfast was tasty and generous with the breakfast room also well located and set up. The room itself was comfortable as were the beds. The bathroom and toilet were spotlessly clean. Room-cleaning was tops!!! The hotel was also in a convenient location relative to the JR station, restaurants and other places of interest.

The attitude of reception staff was variable. Some were exceptionally friendly and helpful. A few others were less helpful.