Okayama Universalhotel Second Annex

I read the reviews before booking this place and thought I was walking into a medieval dungeon. People on here complaining like they regularly sleep on silk sheets woven by angels. Like... are y'all princesses or something? Let’s talk numbers. I paid 7,140 yen. For that, I got a room and two actual, edible, decent meals. Do you know what 7,140 yen gets you in North America right now? A soggy sandwich, a lukewarm coffee, and maybe a cardboard box under a bridge. That’s easily a $30+ value just for the food alone, and you’re getting a whole roof over your head! Are y'all kidding me? Here is what you actually get instead of whatever horror movie the other reviews described: The Room: It’s pretty clean! And look, I can tell they change out the wallpaper every now and then. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s fresh and it does the job. The Public Bath: Pretty damn large, actually. A great place to soak away the stress of reading entitled internet reviews. The Food: Is it Michelin-starred? No. Is it decently good and shockingly filling for the price? Absolutely. And for some context: I work as air crew. I literally stay at fancy hotels all over the world on a regular basis for my job. Marriott, Hilton, you name it—I know what luxury looks like, and I know what a massive bill looks like. So take it from someone who lives out of hotels: if you want a personal butler to peel grapes for you, go spend 50,000 yen somewhere else. But if you want incredible value, a clean bed, a massive bath, and a full belly for the price of a cheap dinner back home, this place is legendary. 10/10 would ignore the haters again. The bathroom in the room had a funny (sewage-like) smell but hey, what’s the public bath for if you don’t use it?

Nil

Breakfast was good. Barhroom was good and functional. Fridge which turns everything into ice. Weird layout of the room, with the only table-like surface being fully taken by stuff of questionable usability, like phone...

The bed is pretty hard but for myself it did not affect my sleep. The free dinner they provide is convenient but not great food however it is still of value for what the room is priced at.

Some untrained receptionists at the front desk.They lack the proper training since the front desk is the best part of a hotel.

Some stairs to reach entry or some elevators and with a bag is not ideal. It's a very old traditional looking hotel.

There's an exposed nail on the bed frame around the head area

The room had some dust in many places. Like on the window sill and the desk.

Room too small

The plus side is the free breakfast and dinner. Although the menu is limited and very basic, with the rate + those 2 meals its more than enough. Also the hotel gives the super old showa-vibe, which is a plus if you dig it but unfortunately with how small the room is, it's more like any other business hotel but left behind by the age. The room layout was a bit different than advertised but its still have almost the same requirements. The room that I got had a slanted bed for some reason, so felt a bit weird when sleeping.

Staff in the kitchen is very kind and provides delicious dinner. Public bath is also available and nice. Very reasonable price. Toilets are not clean. And rooms are old and have a smell.

The location is good and convenient to reach to the railway station and Korakuen Garden. The facilities are old and JPY10,000 are too expensive for them. I understand that the prices of Japanese hotels are rising now, but I felt it’s too much for the services.

It’s a little way away from the tourist attractions. A little dated but that’s easy to look past.

Pleasant

earlier check in

Very good

Hotel is old, but nothing like the some of them commented. The rooms are clean & staff is also helpful. Dinner & breakfast is available. It's not superb, but it's acceptable for the price range. They have a tower parking & it's not free. It's also very inconvenient if you have to access your vehicle. So I parked near by parking which is cheaper than the hotel parking.

This is a very recent addition, but the hotel does have wifi now. I stayed there passing through on two separate nights, on the first, there was none, but on the second they had just installed it. Okayama Annex Hotel is a place that while not amazing on its own, with what you get for how little you pay, it can't be beat. The rooms are small but have everything you need (though layout can differ) and are clean. The free meals are a welcome addition and the interactions I had with th staff were pleasant. The meals were not the best, but this is a tiny nitpick as they are free, if you want something nicer, you can go out to get something.

The cost. The breakfast was also good. The heater in the air conditioner was weak so the rooom never warmed up. The fridge didn’t work. The change room in the big bathroom on B2 was not very clean.

The room was quiet and the breakfast was varied and excellent, although the termination of breakfast time was far too early. Early end to breakfast.