Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Ichii

Location of the hotel is superb!! A short 4-5min walk from the Kusatsu Onsen bus station. Check in was prompt and quick but the front desk staff spoke very limited English. Hotel itself spans 3 separate buildings. Interior is a bit tired and old. Buffet breakfast is well organized and food is good. Onsen baths is large with an outdoor onsen pool as well. Towels were not available at the locker rooms, which is a bit of a let down. Need to bring from own room. Overall, it was a pleasant stay and if I were to visit Kusatsu Onsen again, I would stay here.

Hotel Ichii is right in the heart of Kusatsu, so that is awesome. The onsen facilities are very clean and organized. However, our room was disappointing - perhaps because we are used to western style rooms. Our Japanese style room in the annex had no storage - other than the wardrobe where the yukata are stored and you could hang a couple of coats, there was nothing. Since the table in the center of the room was moved each morning and night by the staff to lay out the futons, we didn’t feel comfortable leaving a lot on the table. The futons were clearly old and the comforter on top was stained. There were only the towels meant to be used in the onsen - there were only very thin paper towels for the sink, which seemed very wasteful. Our rooms were located in the annex and while we could get hot water for the in room bath, there water in the sink was barely tepid. The smoking room on the second floor by the passage to the main building made the whole area smell. So if we hadn’t paid up front, we would have left early.

One of the best location facing Yubatake. The food and service details are above average. Hot spring is excellent and relaxing. Love this hotel and will rebook it again.