Submitted by rabuho on Sat, 10/17/2009 - 16:04
Hotel Sweet Memory is located a block from the Beppu train station and offered great room rates (around 5,000 Yen) along with major convenience (check in for 'stay' as early as 7 p.m. on weeknights!).
Outside:
The hotel is in a tall building with a neon sign on the top flashing the name in English. There is another sign above the entrance.
Lobby:
The dark interior has a lit-up sign featuring all of the rooms, prices and room numbers. The lit-up rooms are available. The room is reserved by pressing the sign. An elevator located in the lobby takes you to your floor and your room's front door will have a flashing light above it. As you'd expect, the first number for the room indicates the floor the room is on (i.e. room 205 is on the 2nd floor).
Inside:
Shortly after entering the room someone will call to determine if you want to rest or stay. After indicating your preference, pay by the pneumatic tube in the corner of the room. You must pay cash, but if you do not have exact change you can overpay and get change back through the tube. The room itself was not outfitted with sexy decor but was a decent size with a bed and couch in front of the large TV. The bathroom and toilet rooms were separated, but the bathroom was not much more than a small shower area and tub.
The hotel is located close to the train tracks, so there was a fair amount of noise in our room. After a little investigation, we realized that there was a window overlooking the tracks that was closed in with shutters, but it did little to keep out the noise.
The next morning we received a call asking if we had used anything in the room that we needed to pay for. There was a small refrigerator with beer and food in it and we had both drunk a beer the night before. We said as much on the phone and paid for our beers in the tube. We left the room at 11 a.m. The phone call is an indication that it is time to get going.
Leaving:
When we left our room there were signs in the hallway for the exit in the opposite direction of the elevator we had arrived in. The exit included a different elevator and we left the building on the opposite side of the entrance.
