You spend the day walking, then come back to the station. A business hotel is a kind of accommodation that’s often close to that station.
Business hotels were originally Western-style hotels built so people traveling for work could rest at a reasonable price. So they have what you need, and not much extra. Once you understand that trade-off, you’ll see how to make the most of your stay.
Using chains like Toyoko Inn (東横イン), Route Inn (ルートイン) and Dormy Inn (ドーミーイン) as examples, let’s look at four things.
- Room size — compact, but close to the station
- When you arrive — check-in, sometimes by machine, and what’s set out in the lobby
- Loungewear — how far you can wear it depends on the hotel
- Something to look forward to — the large shared bath (大浴場), breakfast and late-night ramen
1 Room size — compact, but close to the station
Rooms are on the small side. According to JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), they’re usually 12–20㎡. They may not be ideal for a large suitcase. Most rooms sleep up to 2 people, and some hotels offer rooms that sleep 3.
Prices are often more affordable than at a regular Western-style hotel, but they can be higher in popular spots near major stations.
The rooms are small, but the location is good. In the morning, you check out and walk straight to the station to catch your train. It’s just right for the night before you move on to the next town.
That said, not every one is right in front of a station. Route Inn, for example, is a chain that says it doesn’t insist on any particular location, and it has parking (a few of its hotels don’t).
When you have large luggage
Some chains offer rooms meant for guests with large luggage. Toyoko Inn’s “ワイドスペースシングル” (a “wide space single”), for example, is a room with extra space, meant for people traveling with large luggage.
You can also send your luggage to the hotel ahead of time. At Route Inn, you can send luggage in advance (they can’t accept things such as cash, valuables, fragile items or luggage sent collect, with the shipping fee to be paid by the hotel). On the shipping label, write the date of your stay and the guest’s name in カタカナ (katakana, one of the Japanese scripts for writing out sounds). Because storage space is limited, they may not be able to accept it. Send your big suitcase ahead, and you can get around traveling light.
The bath in a Toyoko Inn room is a “ユニットバス” (a unit bath): the tub, shower, sink and toilet all in one small room.
When you stay several nights in a row, some hotels don’t fully clean your room every day. Toyoko Inn, for example, does a regular cleaning once every 3 days, and on days you’d rather they didn’t come into your room, you put a sign on your door and they’ll hang fresh towels on your doorknob.
2 When you arrive — check-in, and the shelves in the lobby
At some places you check in at the front desk, and at others you use an automatic check-in machine.
At Toyoko Inn, foreign guests show their passport and have a copy taken. You also pay for your stay at the front desk when you arrive. Have your passport out and ready when you check in.
In some cities, there’s an accommodation tax. For details, see the article “Paying for Your Stay.”
What’s in the lobby
Once you’ve checked in, take a look around the lobby before you get on the elevator.
Toyoko Inn, for example, sets out bar soap, shower caps, razors, combs and sleepwear in the lobby. But depending on the hotel, these may be in your room, handed to you at the front desk, or not provided at all. The lobby also has a water dispenser and an ice machine.
If you can’t find something in your room, check the lobby before you keep looking — it may be there.
Check-in times, and when you arrive early
On days you reach town in the morning, you’ll wonder what time you can get into your room. Check-in and check-out times differ by company.
| Check-in | Check-out | |
|---|---|---|
| Toyoko Inn | From 15:00 | Until 10:00 |
| Hotel Route Inn | From 15:00 | Until 10:00 |
| Dormy Inn | Usually 15:00 | Usually 11:00 |
(As of October 2026. Even within the same company, times may differ by hotel or rate plan.)
If you arrive early at Toyoko Inn, you can at least get checked in before 15:00. You can get into your room from 15:00. At Dormy Inn, if the hotel has agreed in advance, it will hold your bags both before check-in and after check-out. Once your bags are dropped off, head out and explore town, traveling light, until you can get into your room.
3 Loungewear — how far you can wear it depends on the hotel
Business hotels also have loungewear and sleepwear to wear in your room. But whether you can step out of your room still wearing them depends on the hotel.
- Toyoko Inn specifically asks guests not to leave their guest rooms in sleepwear or slippers
- Route Inn’s loungewear is 甚平 (jinbei, a Japanese-style outfit for lounging, split into a top and bottom)
- Dormy Inn’s loungewear can be worn not just in your guest room but also around the hotel, including the large bath and the restaurant
For the yukata at a ryokan, see the article Shoes Off, Slippers and Yukata.
Dormy Inn’s guide adds a line in the guest’s voice: “I don’t want to bother changing clothes just to leave my room.” After your bath, too, you can wander around the hotel just as you are.
4 Something to look forward to — the large bath, breakfast and late-night ramen
Some business hotel chains have a large bath in addition to the bath in your room. After a day of walking, you can stretch out your legs in a big bath.
The large bath — in at night, and again in the morning
Route Inn has a large bath (a few of its hotels don’t). Some hotels have a large bath with a natural onsen (温泉, hot spring). At Hotel Route Inn, the large bath is open from check-in until 2 a.m., and from 5 a.m. the next morning until check-out (hours differ at hotels with an attached bathing facility; for hotels where the men’s and women’s baths switch, see each hotel’s page). You can go in at night, then again in the morning. The baths are separate for men and women, and the entrance to the women’s bath is locked.
Dormy Inn has a large bath too. Some locations even have a sauna, a cold plunge bath and a spot where you can cool off in the open air.
Only some Super Hotel (スーパーホテル) locations have a natural onsen.
If you have tattoos
Some hotels let you use the large bath with tattoos as long as you cover them. At Dormy Inn, you can bathe if your tattoo is small enough to cover with a sticker. At Route Inn, you can go in if your tattoo is completely covered with a cover sticker. Route Inn doesn’t allow uncovered tattoos in the bath, and Dormy Inn, as a rule, doesn’t either. At all Route Inn facilities, you can also bathe wearing bathing wear (a garment made to be worn in the bath).
For how to get into the tub, see the article The Large Bath and Hot Springs.
Breakfast
When you stay at Hotel Route Inn, the buffet breakfast is free (some hotels charge for it; at some brands, such as Route Inn Grand, it’s free only when you book through the official website). The lobby also has a free self-serve café.
At Dormy Inn, whether breakfast is included in the price depends on the rate plan and the property.
At night — ramen, laundry and pillows
At Dormy Inn, you can head to the large bath in your loungewear. While you’re in the bath, you can have a load of laundry going. The washing machines, which add detergent automatically, are free, and one load takes about 30 minutes (there’s a charge for the dryers).
At night, when you’re feeling a little hungry, Dormy Inn’s own soy-sauce ramen is ready and waiting.
Super Hotel has a “ぐっすりコーナー” (a “sound sleep corner”), where you can choose from 8 kinds of pillows.
Before you book, check the hotel’s details to see which of these it has — that may be what helps you decide. A place close to the station, or a place with a large bath? You can choose night by night, to fit your trip.
For now, just this
- Rooms are about 12–20㎡. With a large suitcase, choose a larger room or send your luggage ahead
- Have your passport ready when you check in. After check-in, take a look around the lobby
- How far you can go in loungewear depends on the hotel
- Before you book, check the hotel’s details to see whether it has a large bath or breakfast
Then just walk from the station to tonight’s room.
