Japan essential
Dormy Inn: the best value onsen hotel chain in Japan
ドーミーインホテル
The sweet spot between affordable and a proper onsen: Dormy Inn is the chain I keep coming back to.
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Why Dormy Inn
Why Dormy Inn
If you're travelling on a mid-range budget — not hunting for the cheapest bed, but not looking to spend hundreds of euros a night either — the Japanese hotel chain Dormy Inn Hotels ドーミーインホテル is one we keep coming back to.
Rooms tend to be small, so it's often worth booking a twin room instead of a double for a few extra euros — you'll get noticeably more space.
That said, there are good reasons we keep booking Dormy Inn:
- Almost every property includes both an indoor and outdoor onsen, free to use from check-in
- Hotels are typically well located, close to the train station or in the city centre
- A solid breakfast buffet
- Free yonaki soba noodles served in the restaurant between 21:30 and 23:00
- Free popsicles in the evening next to the onsen, and free Yakult in the morning
- Free coffee in the lobby, usually from 14:00
- Free washing machines; dryers take 100 yen coins
- A solid breakfast buffet, often featuring local specialties depending on the region or city you're staying in
Indoor and outdoor bath with sauna
What sets Dormy Inn apart from comparable chains like Toyoko Inn, Tokyu Rei or Daiwa Roynet is that almost every property — around 99% — includes both an indoor and outdoor onsen. It's free to use from check-in until midnight or later, which makes it easy to fit in a soak after a long day of walking or hiking. On rainy days it's reason enough to stay in. Some locations even use natural hot spring water pumped directly from the ground.
All Dormy Inns are also equipped with a sauna and a cold bath.
Hotels are spread across Japan — you can find the full list on the Dormy Inn website.
