Hotel Hankyu Hanshin di Hamamatsu

My family and I stayed at the Hotel Concorde for 5 days in August, and we enjoyed a lovely and very memorable experience during our stay. The lobby is very big, but furniture and decor is a little dated and could do with an eventual renovation. A good front desk/reception staff is the hallmark of a great hotel. As non-Japanese visitors to a less frequented area of Japan, we expected to have some difficulties communicating in Hamamatsu. Though this was largely the case, we were pleasantly surprised at the lengths hotel staff would go to in order to ensure we had a good experience. We arrived at around noon, earlier than the supposed 3pm check-in time. Our luggage from Tokyo had been sent via luggage delivery service, and the front desk informed us that all our luggage would be kept securely in the room and would be available upon check-in. We passed the time in the hotel restaurant - understandably, some staff could not understand us at first but made every possible effort to try and communicate with us. The hotel restaurant (which also serves daily buffet breakfast, lunch, and à la carte dinner) had a decent selection and we found it sufficient for our needs. Upon check-in at 3pm, we received complimentary water bottles and a single physical key to our room. Unfortunately, this is the only key, making staying in a room with other people a little inconvenient. Elevators are fast and frequent, offering access to coin laundry, food and beverage vending machines, ice machines, an unagi and a Japanese restaurant, as well as guest rooms. An amenity station is provided at the entrance to each floor, where guests can help themselves to instant tea and coffee, toiletries, and even a clothing press. Rooms are basic but clean and practical. Adapters are provided upon request. There are robes and slippers within the drawers, a bag for dirty towels, and tea bags. One feature my family appreciated was a laundry status channel on the television, in which guests can see which laundry machines are in use, and how much time each has left. Our room had an amazing view of the Hamamatsu City Hall and the Hamamatsu Castle. The housekeeping schedule can be variable - there was one day where the maids were just getting started on our room at 3pm. However, cleaning seems to be fast and efficient. In terms of location, we eventually settled on the Hotel Concorde due to its proximity to a friend's apartment. It is about a 15-minute walk from the Hamamatsu train station. A Family Mart is located just across the street, and there is a beautiful Starbucks location in the Hamamatsu Castle park. Taxis don't seem to pass by the area too often, but hotel staff can always make a call for you. Though there isn't a large selection of restaurants nearby, most locations are within a 10-minute walk. I want to highlight and commend the efforts of the front desk staff. Despite the large language barrier, each person was friendly and welcoming, greeting us whenever we passed by the l