Grids Premium Hotel Otaru — a brand-new budget hotel with an 11th-floor bay-view bath
Have you ever found a hotel in the ¥7,000 range that throws in a rooftop communal bath overlooking Ishikari Bay — plus a sauna? Grids Premium Hotel opened in September 2022, making it the newest and cleanest option in the Otaru budget category. A score of 9.0 from over 1,100 reviews is remarkable for a property that has been open just three years. Add a five-minute walk to JR Otaru Station and you have an easy base for exploring the canal district and Sakaimachi Street without spending a fortune.
Grids Premium Hotel Otaru is located on Nihon Gin-dori Street in the Inaho district, a five-minute walk from JR Otaru Station. That location makes getting around easy: the famous Otaru Canal and the Sakaimachi shopping-and-sightseeing street are both within comfortable walking distance, and anyone who wants to travel on to Sapporo can jump on the JR train from the same station. You arrive, roll your bag to the hotel, and you are ready to go.
"Brand-new rooms, spotlessly clean, the 11th-floor bath with bay views is stunning at sunset — and the breakfast buffet was far better than we expected for this price."
The feature guests talk about most is the communal bath on the 11th floor. There is both an indoor pool and an outdoor bath, alongside a sauna for men and a steam room for women. The view from the outdoor section looks out over Ishikari Bay, and at sunset the light on the water is genuinely beautiful. To be straightforward: the water in the baths is heated tap water, not a natural hot spring (onsen). But at ¥7,000 a night, getting an outdoor bath with bay views and a sauna is exceptional value.
Another area guests consistently praise is the breakfast buffet. Reviewers repeatedly note that the selection is wider than you would expect from this price point — Japanese dishes alongside Western options, grilled fish, rice porridge, yoghurt, and fruit. A solid breakfast matters in Otaru because the town rewards those who walk a lot, and starting the day properly before heading out to the canal or the glassware shops makes a real difference.
On the rooms themselves — it is worth being upfront that rooms are compact, with a Standard Double running around 20 square metres or less. The bathroom is a combined wet-dry unit rather than a separate shower and bathtub. However, because the hotel opened in 2022, everything still looks fresh: the fixtures are unmarked, the furniture is in great shape, and the shower pressure is strong — the usual complaints about ageing budget hotels simply do not apply here.
The hotel has 142 rooms in total, a scale that fits a compact city like Otaru well. The lobby is modern and unfussy, the check-in desk handles international guests competently, and Wi-Fi is free throughout. Parking is available on-site at an additional charge, which is handy for anyone doing a road trip around Hokkaido.
A few things worth knowing before you book: the Standard Double has a 3-in-1 bathroom with no separate soaking tub, so if you need that separation you will want to book a larger room category. And as noted, the baths on the 11th floor use heated water rather than a genuine natural hot spring — if a mineral onsen is important to you, a traditional ryokan is the better choice. But for travellers who want cleanliness, a great location, and more amenities than the price implies, this hotel delivers.
All told, Grids Premium Hotel Otaru is the best all-round pick in the Otaru budget segment for anyone who wants a brand-new room, an 11th-floor bay-view bath, and a solid breakfast buffet from ¥7,000 a night. It is the kind of hotel where guests consistently feel they got more than they paid for.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Opened 2022 — rooms and facilities are brand-new clean
- ✓ 11th-floor communal bath with Ishikari Bay views and sauna — rare at this price
- ✓ Breakfast buffet well-received for its variety relative to cost
- ✓ 5-min walk from JR Otaru Station — very easy to get around
- ! Compact rooms (<20 sqm) with 3-in-1 wet/dry bathroom
- ! Communal bath uses heated water, not a genuine natural hot-spring onsen
- ! Parking incurs an extra charge (not free)
- ✓ Excellent location — 5 min to JR station and Nihon Gin-dori Street
- ✓ Brand-new interiors, no signs of wear, great shower pressure
- ✓ 11th-floor outdoor bath with bay views — go at sunset for best effect
- ✓ Exceptional value for money given the facilities on offer
- ! 3-in-1 bathroom with no separate soaking tub — book a larger room if that matters
- ! Communal baths use heated water, not genuine natural onsen
- ! Compact rooms — limited space for multiple large bags
- 💡If you want a genuine natural hot-spring onsen — the baths here use heated water, not a natural spring → choose Ginrinsou or another ryokan with authentic onsen facilities instead.
- 💡If you need a large room or separate bathroom — Standard Double rooms here are compact with a 3-in-1 bathroom → book the Deluxe or higher category, or consider a mid-range hotel with more space.
- 💡If you are driving — on-site parking incurs an extra charge → check the rate and availability when booking, as central Otaru parking can be limited.