I’m loosely considering travelling to Japan sometime next year and had a quick look at Toyoko Inn’s prices and was surprised that they were that cheap, i.e. between 4000-6000 Yen p.n. I was wondering wether their prices have been continuously reduced because of Covid or wether they were more or less the same pre-Covid. Considering it’s primarily a business hotel I would’ve thought demand wouldn’t have changed as significantly as it must have for other hotels.
I’ve stayed in one before but it was many years ago and I seem to remember it having been more expensive than it is currently.
Any insight would be much appreciated!
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Depends on which Toyoko we’re talking about. 5-6k was the pre-covid standard in most places but if you’re getting those numbers in Tokyo it’s probably been made cheaper.
> it’s primarily a business hotel
state of emergency → conference calls and remote work → events and business trips cancelled
And considering relatively high intercity transport costs in Japan and that main economic hubs of the country (Kanto, Kansai and Aichi) are in more or less state of semi-permanent state of emergency – previous mode of doing business (based on personal contact) may be slow to recover.
I’ve stayed in lots of Toyoko Inns (as well as other budget business hotel chains) throughout Japan. In more rural areas, something around 3k-5k/night in the cheapest (single) room is common. In Tokyo it will be more like 6k-8k, I think – Tokyo being the one town where Toyoko Inn isn’t necessarily the cheapest option.
Might also want to look at APA Hotel, Dormy Inn, Hotel Sunroute hotel chains. Note that they’re all Japanese business hotels, i.e. tiny rooms, no frills. Very functional though. So they’re great if you only need the room to take a shower and sleep (and maybe do some quick research on your laptop), but if you plan to spend some quality time in your hotel, look elsewhere.
That said, most Dormy Inns actually include a hot spring facility. Pretty nice, particularly in the colder season.
Anyway, as for prices – just google something like “cheap business hotels japan” and you should easily find a couple of blog posts, etc. that include (pre-pandemic) prices.
I’ve recently stayed at a couple Toyoko Inn. They’re really my go-to because they’re usually always the same look and quality, and yes, I think prices lately have been cheaper than I remember.
Also, if you join their membership for a small fee, you get 5% discount and 1 free night out of every 10 night stay.
I stayed at teh Moxy in Tokyo and Osaka. Great Vibes and good breakfast.
Can’t speak for toyoko inn specifically but APA hotels were always that cheap prior to pandemic. They are usually right outside of a major station too so I was very surprised a night can be sometimes as low as 3-4k yen
My fiancee and I did APA hotels pre pandemic and really enjoyed them!
Yep sounds about right, depending on the area of the country. I also recommend Route Inn, pretty no frills. Breakfasts there are ok, have a good selection but pretty cheap.. enough to at least fill up your stomach. In some parks of the country (I think Tohoku somewhere) they even had regional foods – thinking of a special one that had some sort of nabe?
Another benefit of business hotels is that they’re usually conveniently located near stations! This page has a good overview: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2025_business_hotels.html
Prices have gone down because of less demand. They are very reasonable right now but they should be closer to 8k when demand is higher and can easily go above 10k during peak season.
Now they are just trying to lose as little money as possible.
I stayed in a business hotel, and it was fine. Only issue, the room was a little smokey smelling. I think the non-smoking room concept hasn’t made it everwhere over there yet?
I was paying 1700-2800 yen per night when I stayed in March right as everything closed down in the US and tourism significantly decreased (I believe China was already in full lockdown and this subreddit recommended no one travel). Those prices will not stay once tourism is allowed, and you’ll probably have trouble finding a hotel if you don’t book early
The most I’ve paid at Toyoko Inn is like 8,000 yen/night. They’re always cheap, and they’ve got great breakfast.
I paid 8,000 yen the last time I stayed at Toyoko Inn, but it was New years eve and 1h away from the center of Tokyo. I stayed in a couple of other 2-3 star hotels im Tokyo roughly 10,000 yen per night. Prices depend on the season, national holidays and distance to center. Therefore I would recommend to calculate 10,000 yen per night in Tokyo and 8,000 per night in other major cities.