JAPAN | TRAVELODGE NAGOYA SAKAE ~ Budget Accommodation with Superb Location

ABOUT TRAVELODGE

TRAVELODGE NAGOYA SAKAE FACADE

Travelodge is a budget hotel chain with branches around the world. As of this writing, they have Asian properties in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

TRAVELODGE ENTRANCE HALL WITH INTERNATIONAL GREETINGS

When I say budget hotel, I don’t mean el cheapo hotel types though, their properties are in fact rated as 3-star hotels. Their rooms are well designed, beautifully furnished, and equipped with modern amenities.

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CHECKING IN

LOBBY AND LOUNGE AREA

I was pleasantly surprised by how chic Travelodge Nagoya’s lobby was—floor rugs, comfy couches, coffee tables, and rows of drop lamps—all these against a monochrome mural of the city’s landmarks.

ROOM ESSENTIALS CONSOLE CABINET

Off one side is a low cabinet console filled with coffee, tea, sugar, and other room essentials. I guess this is to minimize guest calls for housekeeping to keep hotel expenses down—a pretty nifty move.

FLOOR AREAS ARE CREATIVELY MARKED USING NAGOYA STREET SCENES

Check-in was quick and painless, and we were soon going up to the 12th floor for our room. By the way, checking out was also pretty easy, you simply drop off your keycard on their easy check out suitcase, and that’s it!

ROOM TYPES

LOVE THE HEADBOARD AND THE KONNICHIWA!

Travelodge Nagoya Sakae has six room types for solo travelers and family vacationers, to special accessible rooms for PWDs. They have Standard Single, Standard Double, Superior Queen, Superior Twin, Friend and Family Triple, and Accessible Room.

Like most modern hotels in Japan where space is a luxury, their rooms are spaced as economically as possible, with floor areas ranging from fourteen to twenty square meters.

OUR ROOM

OUR ROOM FOR FIVE DAYS, TRAVELODGE’S SUPERIOR QUEEN

We were billeted on their Superior Queen which has one queen bed and is good for two adults and a toddler. We initially considered booking the Standard Double since it was cheaper, but it can only bed two adults—I’m not sure how strict they are when it comes to toddler stays, but to avoid any inconveniences, we booked the next room type that allows kids.

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E-SAFE AND FRIDGE UNDER THE SOFA

Surprisingly, even with its limited space, it managed to cleverly put in a sofa and a working desk that can double as a dining table. Below the sofa is an electronic safe and a mini-fridge—perfect for storing discounted bento meals we usually buy the night before in grocery stores. And beside it is a table consigned as a vanity table or a table for the water kettle—depending on who you ask, lol.

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KETTLE AREA OR VANITY TABLE

One problem with these kinds of rooms are suitcases—it’s a bit hard to open and store them. This, however, is not a problem with Travelodge’s rooms. The area near the door is a good place to open suitcases and there is a dedicated suitcase storage space under the bed to stow them away after you have unpacked.

AMPLY SPACED TOILET AND BATH

All rooms at Travelodge Nagoya Sakae have an en suite toilet and bath and it’s surprisingly roomy. In fact, it even has a separate enclosure for hot showers. I love how they use refillable pumps for their POLA body wash, shampoo, and conditioner—which are not your generic hotel bath products, by the way, they’re really, really nice. And of course, it is fitted with an automatic Japanese toilet, complete with a seat-warmer. Using the toilet has never been more comfortable. Only in Japan, of course.

LOVE THE NAGOYA WALL MURAL AND THE WINDOW

The room also has a forty-inch flatscreen LCD TV. While most Travelodge hotels use smart TVs, the one in our room was just a regular one. It is, nevertheless, connected to a cable service, so we were able to watch a few English shows. Our son, Kid A, however is quite happy with the Japanese anime, even if it was in Nihongo. Free and fast wi-fi is also readily available in the room.

NAGOYA EVENING VIEW FROM OUR WINDOW

And lastly, our room has a real window. And not just any window for window’s sake, but one with a view of the city—you can actually see a part of the famous Nagoya Mirai Tower and the Sky-Boat Ferris wheel. For budget hotels, this is indeed a luxury.

AMENITIES

Our son, Kid A, was actually asking us when can we swim on the pool, lol. While some Travelodge properties, do have swimming pools, the one in Nagoya Sakae, unfortunately doesn’t. Still, it has more than a few amenities for its guests.

GYM

THE GYM AT THE GROUND FLOOR

Located on the ground floor, the gym has a treadmill, an arc trainer, a spin bike, a workout bench, and a variety of weights. While I would have loved to use their gym for my daily work out, I opted instead for early morning walks around Nagoya City. That way, I get to see sights I probably won’t visit with BG and Kid A—and I get to exercise too!

DINING HALL

SPACIOUS DINING HALL WHICH TURNS INTO A CO-WORKING SPACE AFTER THE BREAKFAST BUFFET

Travelodge Nagoya actually offers breakfast buffet for guest for an additional fee of JPY1,500.00 (PHP 580.00++). We didn’t avail of it, so I really can’t comment on their offerings.

TYPICAL GROCERY BENTO BOXES THAT GOES ON SALE DURING THE EVENINGS

We, nevertheless, still experienced using their dining hall, which turns into a co-working space at 10AM. Since BG, Kid A, and even MM usually wakes up late and we usually buy our breakfast the night before—discounted grocery bento boxes—what we do is heat these on the microwave station at the ground floor near the elevators, and bring them up on the dining hall.

FREE SODA STATION

I also like that the soda station is open 24 hours for guests, and it’s totally free! It has a variety of sodas and fruit juices from Coke to Minute Maid. I just wish they have Coke Zero too. We usually load up with Minute Maid orange juice in one of our water jugs for Kid A before going out.

VENDING MACHINE

HOTEL VENDING MACHINE

If ever you get the munchies in the middle of the night and don’t want to go out to the nearby convenience stores in the area, Travelodge Nagoya Sakae has its own vending machine at the 2nd floor. Although most products in the machine are drinks.

LAUNDROMAT

IN-HOUSE LAUNDROMAT

Also on the 2nd floor, the hotel has its own coin-operated laundromat. Rates are very reasonable too! In hindsight, we regretted bringing eleven days’ worth of clothes with us, instead of just bringing half of that and doing our laundry at Travelodge instead. We could’ve saved more on luggage and brought more instant ramens home with us, tsk lol.

LOCATION

SUMMER SUNRISE AT FOUR IN THE MORNING

One of the best things about staying at Travelodge, besides the affordable price, is its location. Situated at Nagoya’s Sakae area, it is right in the middle of everything.

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THE FAMOUS NAGOYA MIRAI TOWER

It is within walking distance from the Nagoya Mirai Tower, Hisaya Ōdori Park, Oasis 21, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Nagoya Castle, Nagoya City Hall, Nagoya City Science Museum, Osu Shopping Street, and Fushimi Underground Shopping Street. The nice thing is that you can string these places in one single loop to make visiting them by foot much easier.

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LEGOLAND NAGOYA JAPAN

For farther spots, like the Nagoya Zoo, Legoland Japan, or even the Chubu Centrair International Airport, it’s close proximity to the Hisayaodori Station—about seven minutes away by foot—makes it a breeze to go there.

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VIBRANT NIGHTLIFE ALONG SAKAE AREA

The hotel is also surrounded by malls, convenience stores (Family Mart, VDrug, Daily Yamazaki), restaurants, and bars. The area is particularly lively during the weekends as bars and restaurants fill with evening revelers, it has a very vibrant nightlife.

FINAL THOUGHTS

GOING OUT TO EXPLORE NAGOYA CITY

Comfort, convenience, and connectivity—that’s what Travelodge stands for, and we experienced all of that, plus more. I especially appreciated its location, as we barely needed to use the subway during our stay in Nagoya. Travelodge offers the essentials, and they serve it quite well. A true value for money.

Travelodge Nagoya Sakae
Address: 3-1-22 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Contact No: +81 (0) 52-228-8410
Email: enquiry.tlns@travelodgehotels.asia
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GPS Location Map: 35.172578, 136.902404