Good budget hotel in Sapporo - Toyoko Inn Sapporo-eki Kita-guchi

The last two words of its name means Sapporo Station North Gate. (Kita=north, minami=south, higashi=east, nishi=west). The breakfast served at this hotel was fine.

Day 23 hotel breakfast

Among the 12 Toyoko Inns we stayed at during our 28-day Japan trip, we booked ‘Non-smoking economy double’ rooms whenever available. But this hotel does not offer non-smoking-type rooms, hence we booked ‘economy double’ rooms (at least, I did not see it on Toyoko Inn's website). Fortunately, we did not detect any cigarette smoke smell in the room nor along the corridor.

Only stayed one night - 21 December 2011 (Wednesday). If my memory serves me right, the hotel serves free curry rice on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays evenings. We did not have that for dinner as we were out exploring Sapporo’s Ramen Yokocho (‘ramen street’ – an indoor stretch concentrated with ramen outlets) to have a taste of Sapporo-style ramen. There’s two Ramen Yokocho – the original one plus a newer one, near each other. We checked out both, liked one of the outlets in the original one but it was too full to take 6 of us, so we settled for another place at the newer yokocho.

One thing though – I tried to leave a bag with the hotel when we checked out to head for Asahikawa, hoping that we could come pick up the bag on our return leg a day or two later. Unfortunately, they said no. It seems that it is Toyoko Inn’s policy not to hold your luggage for you overnight once you have checked out.

They did not have any problems with holding all our luggage (5 small trolley bags and 6 small backpacks) at the hotel lobby when we checked out at 8 plus in the morning to head for Otaru for a daytrip, as we returned in the afternoon to collect everything and head for Asashikawa. BUT – I feel the portly guy manning the reception counter delivered sub-standard service compared to all the other ladies manning the counter at the other 11 Toyoko Inns we stayed at.

When I asked if we could leave our luggage at the lobby till 3pm, he said yes and I asked for a net (to put over our luggage). No net, he said, and gave me a length of string instead. He did not leave the counter and there was no other guest waiting to be served either. Okay, I get that he meant for me to secure our luggage ourselves. We did that, and in the time we took, the luggage tag was not prepared either. I returned to the counter and asked for one. Mr Portly then began writing one out. It was obvious if I did not ask, our luggage would be left there in the lobby untagged.

I could see that there was no other luggage at the lobby – so definitely it isn’t that all the nets have been deployed. And I have left my luggage with enough Toyoko Inns (after checking out) by now to know that they have such nets and their SOP (standard operating procedure).

The ladies manning the reception counters invariably either use a net or a string (at times, even both) to secure our luggage at the lobby. They’d leave the counter to do it, and not expect the guest to DIY. In fact, they apologize when we try to give them a hand in stacking up our luggage (so it takes up less space in the lobby). Then they’d issue a luggage tag to me.

Hence, service-wise, this Toyoko Inn is below average because of Mr Portly’s sub-standard Toyoko Inn service. Everything else was all right.