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What are the ingredients of the perfect city break? A fresh, relatively mysterious urban environment to explore? Obviously. Alluring museums, shops, cafes and restaurants that aren’t jam-packed with slack-jawed tourists? Yes. Neighbourhoods that feel like they still belong to the folk who actually live there? That would be nice, too.
There’s also the all-important fourth ingredient: a dynamic base of operations. Somewhere to stay. It has to be central enough that you’re in the thick of things, but still feel like a comfortable environment to come back to after a hard day exploring (eg not a hostel above a train station). It should be affordable (after all, you’re there to see the city not the accomodation) but still provide the kind of service and amenities that make you feel like someone’s guest and not their begrudged tenant. And most importantly it should hum with the energy of the city in which it exists.
If we use these criteria, then OMO5 Kanazawa, which sits in lively Katamachi, is an ideal city-break hotel. It’s cheerful, it’s fast and it’s fun. But those qualities are complimented by the fact it’s also stylish, supremely comfortable and run by people who really do care about your experience of not just the hotel, but also Kanazawa as a whole.
Why stay at OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi?
Because it’s a Hoshino property. Resist the identikit global chains with their dreary Euro breakfasts and soul-killing lobbies; you’re in Japan, you should experience Japanese hospitality. There’s no country in the world like Japan, and there’s no company within Japan like Hoshino. Whether you’re staying in one of the firm's luxurious flagship hotels, rural onsen properties or colourful family resorts, Hoshino’s commitment to quality (as well as its lightly eccentric personality) always shines through.
The other reason to stay is the city of Kanazawa itself. Japan has recently been subjected to extreme levels of tourism. This is great for long-haul airlines, but bad for the side streets and alleys of Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo that were simply not built to accommodate so many people. Travellers wanting to swerve the mad crowds but experience the best of what Japanese cities have to offer, should strongly consider Kanazawa. It’s historic and pretty like Kyoto, has lots of independent shops like Tokyo, and is also famous for food and drink like Osaka. OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi is designed to be a chic launchpad into the city; the surrounding neighbourhood is considered part of the hotel experience itself. To that end, the property provides a curated neighbourhood map, alongside staff-led walking tours and local activities designed to get guests out into the surrounding streets.
What are the rooms like at OMO5 Kanazwa?
In total OMO5 Kanazawa has 101 rooms: queens, twins, superiors and, finally, OMO Houses (featuring four beds, kitchens and laundry facilities). For a boutique-y inner-city hotel it’s large, but most of the building is hidden from sight, meaning your stay at OMO5 will feel gratifyingly intimate (and not like you’re shuffling around a windowless human beehive).
The rooms at OMO5 Kanazawa are straightforward, comfortable, stylish and clean. We stayed in two different twins and in both instances the spaces felt well-designed and large enough to avoid the stereotypical Japanese-hotel-room-meets-western-suitcase floorspace disaster. Walls and floors combine sleek light wood, pastel colours and comfy carpets. Storage is cleverly integrated and those all-important electrical outlets remain within easy reach. The bathrooms meanwhile are bright, with large-enough tubs and Aesop-ish Hoshino toiletries on offer.
The whole shoes-off layout (where you remove your shoes on entering the rooms and then step up onto the raised flooring) is a small but crucial detail. Your accommodation feels a bit like a little home.
What’s there to eat and drink at OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi?
It’s not really that kind of hotel. The OMO5 wants you to get out there and discover all of Katamachi’s buzzy izakayas, restaurants and bars. Having said that, the OMO Cafe & Bar, featuring huge windows, therapeutic lighting and plenty of design touches referencing Kanazawa’s arts and crafts pedigree, is a lovely place to eat breakfast, sip a coffee and check your emails. The menu leans toward comfort food, with a few regional touches. Local craft beers appear alongside coffee and tea, while desserts incorporate regional flavours such as bocha (roasted tea).
On the subject of tea: the cafe-bar’s other function is to act as the setting for the hotel’s nightly tea-focused cultural programming. Each evening the lights are dimmed and the hotel hosts the KOGEI Night Salon, a relaxed talk and hands-on demonstration focusing on Kanazawa’s traditional teas and sweets. It’s surprisingly fun (and free).
Want to get out in the city to gorge on oden (a Kanazawan specialty), but not sure where to start? The hotel helpfully offers ‘food culture walks’ of the area, during which one of OMO5’s trusty guides will show you their favourite places to grab a bite (or a beer).
What’s the service like at OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi?
The staff we encountered (most of whom didn’t know we were reviewing) were polite, helpful and welcoming. Even in the lobby area, where there are dozens of people coming and going, families checking in and random backpackers trying to cram their car-sized bags into the property’s lockers, Hoshino staff maintained a calm demeanour and never appeared distracted or at sea.
The true stars of the show are the OMO Rangers. If OMO5 Kanazawa bills itself as a kind of base camp at the foot of an urban mountain, then these guys are cultural sherpas. The hotel’s resident neighbourhood experts lead short walking tours and share local recommendations drawn from personal experience, often pointing guests toward small restaurants and hidden corners of Katamachi that might otherwise be overlooked.
We took the OMO5 up on its offer of a guided tour of the (huge) Museum of Contemporary Art, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our ranger was funny, helpful and capable of intuitively tailoring the experience on the fly. We didn’t at all feel like the dumb tourists we were, but instead like newcomers being shown around by an obliging local friend.
What’s the area like around OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi?
Kanazawa is a fun, attractive city and Katamachi is one of its buzziest areas. From OMO5 you’ve got easy access to hundreds of restaurants, lots of independent shops (fashion fans will be particularly pleased) and a few heavy-hitting museums and galleries. A short walk connects you to a world-class pint of Guinness, cutting-edge contemporary art and a sprawling, nationally famous Edo-period garden.
The city is big enough that you won’t run out of things to do, but always retains an intimacy that prevents it from feeling overwhelming or impersonal. Some of the best meals I've had in Japan were in Kanazawa (often in fairly unlikely locations), and I genuinely cannot wait to go back to its world-class record shops, astonishing museums and ridiculous bakeries. It’s safe to say that when I do, I’ll definitely be happily checking back into OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi.