About Dormy Inn Premium

Dormy Inn is a chain onsen hotel found across Japan. While it describes itself as a business hotel (no doubt to attract Japanese businessmen travelling for work), it is unlike other “business hotels”. Dormy Inn focuses on the natural hot springs that each Dormy Inn has and the services that come with it.

Dormy Inn describes themselves as:

More convenient and comfortable.
A business hotel where you can “live”
That’s what we’re aiming for.
What is the comfort of a business hotel?
Just like customizing the space in your own home,
Our first priority is convenience. We think it’s important.
You can charge your smartphone while lying down and use it.
Walking around the building in loungewear,
If you get hungry, there’s a midnight snack in the kitchen…
Until now, and from now on,
Imagine “living” in a business hotel.
We will continue to improve the small details.

Four points of emphasis:

• Breakfast
• Spa
• Rooms
• Free Services

The Spa (or rather “onsen” is the better term—like a Japanese version of a thermal bath) is the focus at every Dormy Inn and is included in the room. All the amenities for the onsen are also included, such as free drinks, snacks, and leisure areas after you finish or when you want to take a break from dipping in the thermal water.

Location

Fukui City is the capital city of Fukui Prefecture. Located on Japan’s northwestern coast above Kyoto and Osaka, international tourists often overlook Fukui – but it is really their loss! There are several amazing things to see nearby, including one of Japan’s original castles, a famous dinosaur museum, and some amazing temples. Known for its seafood and a version of sauce katsu, it is a good place to spend a more relaxed time on your trip to Japan.

If you are interested in history, Fukui has been an important centre since the Sengoku Period, when it was a major population centre—the third largest in Japan—a military stronghold and seat of power.

Dormy Inn Premium is near the river by Fukui central train station and has excellent local, regional, and inter-regional transport connections. The “Premium” refers to its location in the city centre.

Dormy Inn Abashiri Gallery

About the room

There are various rooms available at this hotel, ranging from single to family rooms and Western-style (i.e. a bed with a mattress) to Japanese-style (i.e. tatami mats and sleeping on futons). The rooms come with all the amenities you would need to stay in a hotel in Japan: towel, hand towel, bath mat, toothbrush and toothpaste, hair dryer, bottled water, kettle, loungewear (top and trousers), shoehorn, etc.

I found the beds to be some of the most comfortable I have tried in Japan so far, which is definitely saying something! They are still on the firmer side, but due to the quality, there is a little bit of give that lower-quality beds do not have.

Each room has a separate toilet, shower, and sink. Most Japanese hotel rooms also have a TV, air conditioning/heating, and other standard appliances and electronics.

The good

There is a lot of good points, so I will keep it brief.

Room:

• Good bed – not too hard
• Good amount of space for Japanese hotel rooms
• Excellent internet connection – WiFi and wired speeds were extremely fast

Onsen:

• Small but very clean
• Two pools inside, one pool outside
• Outside pool has a view over the river
• Sauna – I did not use it but it looked decent from what I could see
• Free snacks and drinks provided outside of onsen area

Free services:

In addition to the free services that Dormy Inn provides, they offer an additional one that is definitely unique to this chain: yonakisoba (also known as night songbird soba).

Yonakisoba is a soya sauce soba that is served every night from 9:30 to 11 p.m. at Dormy Inn. It is a speciality dish from Muroran in Hokkaido, Japan.

1. Ingredients: Yonakisoba typically includes noodles, pork, vegetables (like cabbage and carrots), and a savoury sauce. At Dormy Inn, they provide half portions without the slices of pork. The idea is that you can go to sleep comfortably with someone filling in your stomach. Since Japanese people often eat dinner around 6 p.m., guests may want a smackerel of something before bed.
2. Origin: The dish originated in the mid-20th century when a restaurant in Muroran started serving it as a late-night snack for workers and students. Its name is said to come from the idea that the smell of the noodles cooking would make people cry out in hunger during the night.
3. Serving Style: It’s often served with pickled ginger and topped with aonori (seaweed flakes) and bonito flakes.

I have to admit that I was hooked! I had yonakisoba every single night I stayed.

For those travelling on a budget, I also felt that this was a good way of replacing your evening meal with something filling but not heavy before bed, especially if you have a larger, later lunch than usual.

The bad

I would say that there isn’t anything! I enjoyed my stay here and would not change a thing about how it was.

Response to my review

I booked through Trip.com. Here is the review I posted:

I love Dormy Inn. This is my third time staying at a hotel in this chain, and I have never had a bad experience. The staff is excellent, the rooms are some of the cleanest I have ever seen, and the free yonaki soba offered is delicious (as always!). This Dormy Inn (the Premium refers to the location as it is in the “downtown” area) is close to food and transportation. It also has excellent onsen facilities and the coin laundry machines are free (although dryers are ¥100 per 20 minutes).

There is absolutely nothing to dislike. Very comfortable, affordable (I booked the room with a 50% discount sale they were running) and friendly staff. I will definitely be staying at another Dormy Inn again.

Conclusion: Amazing as always – will definitely stay again!

Here is what the owners had to say:

(No response yet)

What I did while there

Dormy Inn Premium: Verdict

As I said in my review above, I would happily stay at a Dormy Inn again!

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