About Route Inn Hakodate Goryokaku

Route Inn is a chain of hotels across Japan. They are usually located near transport hubs or sightseeing places, such as Hakodate Goryokaku (a star-shaped fortress).

Route Inns are 3-star hotels with onsen (Japanese hot springs), a restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner, and other amenities typically found at 3-star hotels.

Route Inn has a reputation for being a good value-for-money hotel. For about the same price as comparable hotels, you can access some services that are not guaranteed at others, such as the onsen, welcome drinks/snacks, etc.

Location

Hakodate is a city in southern Hokkaido known as one of the bigger port cities in the region. It is particularly known for its combination of Japanese and European/”foreign” architecture, as this was one of the first cities to open up at the end of the Edo period. It is also known for its consumption of squid and squid-based products.

Hakodate is also just across the water from Honshu, the largest of the Japanese islands (which also has Tokyo). Trains connect it directly with Sapporo and New Chitose Airport. The high-speed bullet trains also go to Shin Hakodate Station, connecting Hakodate and Hokkaido with places as far away as Tokyo.

Additionally, you can take buses to the surrounding natural areas, many of which are very beautiful.

Gallery

About the room

The rooms at Route Inn hotels are a bit nicer than other standard Japanese 3-star hotels. The desk has more floor space, and the bed feels larger. The fridge is slightly larger, there are more amenities (both in amount and variety), and the quality is higher.

However, there is a drawback: the bed is like sleeping on concrete. The mattress has little to no give, so putting the sheets and pillows on the ground would have been more comfortable. I did not sleep well during the week I was there.

The good

Here is what I said on Booking.com:

Route Inn is known for its good quality, affordable rooms, breakfast/restaurant, and onsen. I had a single room, which was enough for one person with the usual furniture (desk, lights, table, TV, etc.). The staff were very kind and helpful, answering all my questions. The hotel is also just a short walk from Goryokaku (the star-shaped fortress) in one direction and trams in the other. Several buses travel around this area.

The bad

Here is what I said on Booking.com:

The bed was like sleeping on concrete. Putting the bedding and pillows on the floor would have been more comfortable. Also the lifts/elevators were sometimes extremely slow. There are only 2 for 14 floors, and at one point, I had to wait for nearly 5 minutes during a busy rush.

Response to my review

Here is what the owners had to say:

(There has been no response yet)

What I did while there

Here is what I did:

Verdict

For my back’s sake, I do not think I will stay at a Route Inn again.

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