Last Updated: Sep 3, 2024

In Praise of Dormy Inn

My Business Hotel of Choice

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium

Oh my god… I am about to sound like the biggest shill in the world for Dormy Inn, but I swear that this isn’t a sponsored piece of content or anything. Frankly put, I just want to get the word out about this great chain of hotels in Japan. My first time staying at Dormy Inn was during my outing to Fukui Prefecture back in 2020, a trip that will fondly always be remembered as my last adventure before the coronavirus ruined inbound tourism for a few years. Alas, at the time I didn’t realize just how great the franchise is as a whole (though I did thoroughly enjoy my stay).

Honestly, it wasn’t until I started traveling a lot with my voice actor friend Sandy that I put two and two together and finally realized the appeal of staying at Dormy Inn. Thanks to her — let’s call it “listen-to-me-Donny-or-I’ll-kick-your-ass” attitude, Sandy opened my eyes to all of the perks that Dormy Inn offers over competing chains like APA Hotel. When I initially stayed at the one in Fukui, I thought that the onsen, the free ice cream and the other benefits were just a one-off and not something ubiquitous to the brand. I am glad to now have learned how wrong I was!

Of course, if you’re looking to splurge on a fancy hotel or experience a stay in a traditional…