Niigata Grand Hotel

“Clean, modern room in hotel by the river”

We enjoyed our stay at the Niigata Grand. The room housed the three of us and our luggage well, without feeling too cramped, especially with a closet in which we could keep some bags out of the way. The bathroom was big enough, though not as spacious as some of the others we’ve encountered on this… more

We enjoyed our stay at the Niigata Grand. The room housed the three of us and our luggage well, without feeling too cramped, especially with a closet in which we could keep some bags out of the way. The bathroom was big enough, though not as spacious as some of the others we’ve encountered on this trip to Japan. However, we appreciated that it had some hooks and small towel rails, as well as a clothesline you could extend from the wall. Also, the mirror did not fog up after a shower, though my husband found the lighting could have been better for shaving. The beds were comfortable and I very much liked that we were provided with more than one pillow each. I ended up sleeping on what turned out to be a Tempur memory foam pillow, which worked quite well for me. There are night lamps for the two main beds, allowing for light levels to be adjusted as required for earlier sleepers. An unusual feature of the room these days, but one that I liked, was that we didn’t need to insert a room access card into a slot to activate the lights and air conditioner. The room we were in seemed to have undergone a refurbishment relatively recently, with modern furnishings and fixtures and a more minimalist style. It didn’t match with the foyer and reception areas, which presented more ostentatiously more likely reflecting the era in which the hotel was first built. Check in, as seems to be more common with the business-style hotels we’ve been encountering on this trip, was via a machine that dispensed our room access cards. There is the option to choose from a range of languages, so I guess it makes it easier in a way, if rather impersonal. We could park our rental car in the hotel’s garage in the basement, though parking is unreserved. The cost for this was 600 yen, which we paid when checking in. As we didn’t know where to find the garage at first, we parked in one of four parking spots at the front entrance of the hotel while we checked in. There is a lift from the garage to the lobby area, but a separate lift goes from the lobby level to the guest rooms. The hotel itself is located by the river, about a 20 min walk away from the train station. There is are buses that stop nearby, but more that stop on the other side of the river, though it is an easy stroll, with beautiful views over the bridge to get to the hotel that way, especially at night, with the lights on the water.

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“Good for Nagaoka Fireworks ”

Although it takes a few stations to Nagaoka, not the venue of the fireworks, it is convenient for us to catch up with the train from Nagaoka. There are several thousands of people going to Nagaoka for the fireworks but most of them coming from the Japan east and they go back their home on the same … more

Although it takes a few stations to Nagaoka, not the venue of the fireworks, it is convenient for us to catch up with the train from Nagaoka. There are several thousands of people going to Nagaoka for the fireworks but most of them coming from the Japan east and they go back their home on the same day, so there are a lot of people at the station when the show is over. Luckily we stay at Niigata and we can go back to hotel before 11:30pm. The hotel is grand huge. Although it is not fashioned, it is being renovated. In the room, the wall papers, toilet and carpet are new. Specially the restaurant is very nice and price is reasonable. The city view is very peaceful. Through the window, you can see the river and beautiful sky. Having breakfast in this hotel is a must!

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