Kobe Portopia Hotel

I think the breakfast on the 30th floor redeemed the stay at this property, it was a very enjoyable time. room was large in size. hotel lobby and reception very attractive. good value for money with the inclusion of the breakfast.

location wasn’t particularly close to a number of things, needed taxi or train to get towards central kobe. room was incredibly aged and in need of a refresh.

The Portopia hotel is on one of the new islands in Kobe and is connected to Sannomiya station via subway train. As such it's a short 15min to downtown. The station is directly next to the hotel and is connected to it by roofed walkway. There is also a regular free shuttle bus from the hotel to Sannomiya station. In the other direction the train goes to Kobe airport and the ferry to Kainsai airport. Although not in downtown it is extremely well located. Since it's on the island there are not that many restaurants around, but the hotel has plenty food options itself. This includes a family mart in the building, which is extremely useful. We had a bigger room and it was very well equipped, with strong internet, a small sitting area and table to enjoy the great views. The views are either of Kobe city or the island and the bay beyond it. One thing to strongly consider is adding breakfast. The main breakfast restaurant is on the 30th floor and offers even better views with a very, very good breakfast buffet. This was definitely a highlight during the stay. Throughout the staff are all very friendly and typically speak English. Overall I would say the Portopia hotel is an exceptionally good option to consider when in the area and I will definitely go again.

For those wanting to go back and forth between room and activities the hotel might not be the best option due to it being on the island. To me this is a very minor consideration though. Once before I had a small room which although still good was not such a good option for two people. The service team tends to want to clean rather early, so put the do-not-disturb sign out if you want to lay in.

- Lobby gave off an upscale vibe, very spacious with many shops and restaurants surrounding it. - Room was very spacious, with the standard amenities offered. - Beds and pillows were comfortable - Affordable - Directly connected to the metro station

- Location. To get to downtown proper, it takes about 30 minutes by train, so might want to plan ahead in terms of attractions and food. There are little options within walking distance in the area from our experience. -We found the set up of our TV in our room a bit awkward. In our previous stays, the TV would always face directly in front of the beds, but this one wasn't. To watch TV we'd have to sit on the couch across our beds since it was facing a different direction. It didn't really bother us as much since we only stayed one night, but worth noting.

We stayed here for four nights and we liked Everything! Location, we stayed in the 27th floor, one of the Club floors that included an splendid breakfast in the 27th floor with a great view. The staff was wonderful everywhere we turned. Room was spacious with all the amenities. Other things we liked were: Free shuttle to and from Sannomiya and Shin-Kobe stations every twenty minutes. An automated cash machine to exchange dollars to Yen at a reasonable rate available 24 hours. Very close to the Portliner train. There was a gym and swimming pool included in the Club room rate but we didn’t use.

Everything was fine

The hotel was located next to the convention center where I was attending a meeting. The hotel was nice for the area and there was a convenience store located on the ground level. I didn't do the breakfast package but I understand that it's pretty good. There is a shuttle from the JR station but taking the Portliner train or even a taxi is easy if you're coming to Kobe by Shinkansen or local train. I ended up leaving Kobe through the local airport, which was less than 20 minutes from the hotel on the Portliner train. It was super convenient. If you're flying in from an international location, you would have to fly into Kansai airport, which is considerably farther away. Overall, the room was comfortable and somewhat basic, but still felt cozy. They provide plenty of amenities such as soap, q-tips, toothbrush, etc. They also provided two free bottles of water in the room and there is a small refrigerator. The staff were friendly and can speak English. If you are attending a conference at the Kobe International Conference Center, I would definitely stay here.

A bit of an unexpected stay, due to cancelled flights, but it was very easy to get to using public transport. The room was very spacious and comfortable, with a distinctly retro vibe (though in more "dated" way, than "vintage" or "historic") and great views. Also, the elevators were notably fast - we almost never had to wait more than a few seconds for one to arrive.

The staff at the front desk were a bit cold/distant. It's not that hey weren't helpful, but it clearly felt like they'd rather not be helping... Also, it was fine since we were staying on the airline's dime, but the cost-performance is kind of average - while the room was spacious and comfortable, it didn't justify the price for me.

It was a very very very big hotel, a bit old school and we loved it. It was very close from the airport, not 5 minutes from the train station. We were able to check-in, even late in the evening. There are not many (we didn't really check) restaurant or shops in the area as it is mainly convention centers. The hotel had a konbini open until 2 am inside so that was convenient. The room was big with an old decoration but it gave it charm. The beds were very comfortable. The personal spoke english. We were able to take a taxi to go to the station Shin Kobe (in around 20minutes). We enjoyed our stay.

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The transportation (shuttle bus) from the hotel to the Sannomiya and back to the hotel was excellent. It ran frequently and the sitting in the sequence of arrival to the waiting room were great. The viking food restaurant had a great view and the selections of the food and drinks were ample.

It's not the fault of the hotel but the guest(s) that stay. One guest lady totally ignored the rule, sit according to the arrival in the waiting room for the shuttle bus. This lady sat toward the higher number but when the bus came, she barged in and took the earlier position. Either she is unable to follow the rule or can't read or lack of comprehension. The room had a deep bath tub but if one wants to shower and clean before soaking in the deep tub, it posed a bit of problem, waiting for the tub to fill up.

We choose the hotel as it was the nearest to Kobe airport, in order to catch the first flight of the day - it was indeed very convenient as we could take the first train of the day, just outside the hotel, and be at the ariport for its opening time (6 AM) to catch our 7.05 AM flight without problem. The hotelis very big and we were impressed by the size of the reception area, which 'grand' and luxurious. The room was big and with a view toward the bay and the airport, very nice. Big and comfortable bed. We ordered dinner in our room as all the hotel restaurants seemed booked already, and were pleasantly surprised by the service and the quality: it was served on a table with wheels, brought in for this purpose and set-up by two peoples, and everything was at temperature and tasty.

We hoped to use the swimming pool or hot shared bath but the prices for those were too high

Large lobby area with bar where you can relax after a long day's sight seeing. Reception and lobby area looks modern to me, The free shuttle bus at the hotel entrance runs every 20 mins to the main Sannomiya train station at Kobe- always on time and plenty of seats. It saves having to walk to the station (but it is only a 3 mins walk) and queue. Coach style bus wIth plenty room for luggage and push chairs. Better option if you have luggage to carry. Politeness of the staff - always on hand to help out. From my experience they speak adequate English to show us around and also pre-book us a taxi at 4am in the morning !!!. Their English is definely better than my Japanese. Flight at 7am at Kobe airport to Tokyo (Haneda) for connecting flight at 9.55am. Staff did warn us that Kobe airport opens at 6am. Still needed to get there in plenty of time to be ready to check in luggage when doors to airport open. Quite a rush at Tokyo airport as well. Landed at terminal 2 (8.15am) but connecting flight at terminal 3 - needed to come out of Terminal 2 for shuttle bus to terminal 3 but luggage is transferred straight to connecting flight by airlines ANA. We managed to check in luggage at Kobe airport and catch the connecting flight at Tokyo with a bit of time to spare. Note- no spare time for duty free shopping at the airports. Rooms - yes furniture is a bit outdated but for the price I paid for the rooms, it is fine. I hope this helps.

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