I stayed a few nights at the Comforts+81 Shinsaibashi Apartment Hotel and there are few things I wanted to mention. The whole setup seemed more like a flat or apartment than usual hotel room. My friend would like this setup, because he always complains about the tiny hotel rooms in Japan.
The building is right in the Shinsaibashi area and you can tell it's an apartment hotel from the outside, because the entrance looks more like a house than a usual hotel lobby.
Glass doors, clean look, nothing too flashy.
My Stay at Comforts+81 Shinsaibashi Felt Like an Apartment
Check-in here is self-service, which is common in Japanese apartment hotels. There were room key lockers, bottled water and some bags with stuff that you can take. The lobby had a Christmas tree with decorations, printer and tablet.
It is not a big space, but it does the job.
The small lobby area had couches with a big round paper lantern hanging above it. I sat here to chill a bit, but finally I went straight to the room. There was a water cooler nearby too, which was nice, because in most hotels where I stayed, there were only vending machines.
Luggage storage area with shelves full of suitcases, you can store your luggages here if the check in time is not ready yet, or when you just want to leave the luggages here and going out for a walk after the checkout.
The room itself is just like an apartment, it had a couch, TV, windows and enough space to actually hanging out. I had my suitcase open on the floor. That is a lot different to my stay in Hotel Emion Kyoto, where the room was a usual hotel.
Apartment hotels like this have a full kitchen, washing machine and everything, so they're made for longer stays. I wonder, if people actually book them for weeks at a time.
The kitchen had a sink, stovetop, microwave, etc. I am kind of a coffee lover so not having a real coffee machine hurt a little, but I think that most apartment hotels at this price just give a kettle and call it a day. I did not cook anything, but it was cool to have the choice.
A vacuum cleaner and some trash cans in the corner. You can clean up by yourself, which makes sense for an apartment hotel.
The washing machine was a nice extra too, with towels and hair dryer on the shelf above it. Most regular hotels do not have your own washer, so that stood out to me.
The bathroom had a full bathtub and that was the best part for me. I was going to skip the bath, but the tub looked too good, so I ended up soaking in it way too long. Shampoo, conditioner and body soap were all ready.
My room has 4 beds in total, where three beds lined up in a row, and another is a placed opposite to them. Light was coming through the window and the curtains were thick enough to block it when you want to sleep.
Not bad for the price.
The whole time in Comforts+81 Shinsaibashi Apartment Hotel was more like having your own little apartment in the middle of the city than staying at a hotel. You get a kitchen, washer, bathtub and actual space to move around. I also stayed at Courtyard by Marriott Kyoto Shijo Karasuma Hotel during my stay in Kyoto and the feel is totally different, because that is a full-service hotel with staff everywhere.
Here it's just you and your key and your apartment, and I kind of liked that. I think checkout was at 10 or 11am.
