I recently spent three nights at the Hyatt House Kanazawa. I was in Japan visiting family and had a work meeting in Tokyo, with a few free days in between, so I decided to take the chance to explore Kanazawa, part of a region I had heard great things about but never had the chance to visit. It seemed like an easy place to explore, get some work done, and decompress before heading back to Tokyo and eventually New York.

For my stay, I couldn’t decide between the Hyatt House and Hyatt Centric Kanazawa, which is located next door in the same complex, so I decided to split my time between the Hyatt House and the Hyatt Centric Kanazawa.

Booking the Hyatt House Kanazawa

I booked a standard king room for 10,000 World of Hyatt points per night. Cash rates were around $200 per night during my stay, making points a reasonably compelling option.

As a Globalist, I was upgraded from the entry-level room to a one-bedroom suite. There was one catch I hadn’t noticed when booking: the suites here have two twin beds rather than a king. After getting upstairs and discovering this, I checked whether a king-bed suite was available.

It wasn’t. In fact, the hotel doesn’t have any suites with a king bed.

I pushed the two twins together instead, creating a serviceable Japanese-style Hollywood king.

Getting to the Hyatt House Kanazawa

To get to Kanazawa, I took the limited express from Osaka Station to Tsuruga, then connected to the Shinkansen to Kanazawa. All in all, the trip takes about two and a half hours of zipping across the Japanese countryside before arriving in the small city of Kanazawa, population 450,000.

Both the Hyatt House and Hyatt Centric are part of Cross Gate Kanazawa, immediately beside Kanazawa Station.

Google Maps will probably direct you out the West Gate. That works, but there’s a slightly faster route. Look for the small exit immediately to the left of Starbucks inside the station, head straight from there, and you’ll find yourself facing Cross Gate Kanazawa, home to both hotels.

Either way, it’s exceptionally convenient and no more than a five-minute walk from the station.

The Hyatt House entrance is slightly tucked around the corner and considerably less conspicuous than the Hyatt Centric entrance. Once inside, an elevator takes you up to the lobby.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Check-In

I arrived shortly before the hotel’s official 3 p.m. check-in time. An agent was immediately available and check-in was quick and efficient.

I was given the usual rundown of the hotel’s facilities along with a printed information sheet. You can also access most hotel information at this link.

One notable quirk concerns breakfast. The Hyatt House no longer serves breakfast itself. Instead, the Globalist breakfast benefit is offered next door at the Hyatt Centric. Since I’ll be eating in the same place during both stays, I’ll cover breakfast in my Hyatt Centric Kanazawa review, but this is noticeably more guest-friendly than hotels that claim not to have a restaurant to get out of offering free breakfast.

I was asked about my checkout time (I had selected 4 p.m. in the app thanks to the Globalist late checkout benefit). I told the hotel that I’d be switching to the Centric, so they said they would liaise with the Centric team and let me know when the room is available to make the switch as seamless as possible.

Hyatt House Kanazawa One-Bedroom Suite

The suite is substantially larger than a standard hotel room and clearly designed with longer stays in mind. Entering the room, the living area is directly ahead, while the kitchen sits to the left.

There’s a shoe cabinet and luggage stand immediately inside the entrance to the left.

This is also where the safe, ironing board, and iron were stored. I was pleased to see a steamer as well.

Breakfast information and a postcard about a hashi stand (chopstick rest) workshop from the previous month were on the coffee table. (The card in my room advertised an August workshop, though updated September cards elsewhere in the hotel and when I moved to the Hyatt Centric showed the program was ongoing.) There was also a welcome note and amenity consisting of some local cookies (which were delicious).

Storage is something the suite certainly doesn’t lack. Cabinets and cupboards appear almost everywhere there’s space to put one.

The kitchen is particularly well equipped and considerably more substantial than the token kitchenette found at many extended-stay hotels.

A couple of water bottles were on the kitchen cabinet along with information on the water dispensers on every floor. Additional bottles were provided daily.

There are plenty of supplies in the kitchen if you want to get some cooking done.

There’s even a small dishwasher.

The living room has its own television along with plenty of space to spread out.

Unfortunately, both the living room and bedroom looked directly onto the parking structure next door — a rather uninspired view.

The separate bedroom has two twin beds, another television, a small makeup desk, and its own closet.

Between the bedroom closet and the storage throughout the living area, there’s more than enough room for a longer stay.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Bathroom

The bathroom follows a familiar Japanese residential layout. The vanity and bathing area are accessible from both the entryway and the bedroom.

The toilet occupies its own room, separate from both the vanity and bathing area, to the left of the entryway.

The main bathroom has a sink and vanity.

There’s a separate bathing area with a bathtub and shower. There’s no rainfall shower. Instead, there’s a handheld showerhead that can be mounted to the wall.

It’s not my preferred arrangement, but the overall setup is spacious and practical.

Toiletries are in pump containers from KenetMD.

There’s also an in-room combined washer-dryer between the bedroom and bathing area, with laundry detergent (and instructions) provided.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Gym

The gym is on the fourth floor and open 24/7. There’s a small selection of cardio equipment, a Smith machine, a bench, and some free weights.

It’s enough for a basic workout, but this is not a hotel gym anyone is going to cross town to use. There are towels and a water cooler.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Laundry Room

The fourth floor also has a guest laundry room with three washing machines and three dryers. My suite had its own washing machine, so I didn’t actually need to use the communal laundry facilities, but I understand entry-level rooms do not have their own in-room laundry.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Lobby and Free-Flow Drinks

The free-flow drinks in the lobby is probably the most distinctive part of the Hyatt House Kanazawa. The lobby itself is a genuinely pleasant space to sit, work, or have a drink rather than simply somewhere to pass through on the way to your room.

From 7 a.m., complimentary coffee and soft drinks are available for guests. Starting at 11 a.m., the offering becomes considerably more interesting with complimentary alcohol, including several bottles of Japanese sake, Asahi beer, and red and white wine.

Everything is officially available until 8 p.m. However, at least on the evening I was there around closing time, nobody seemed particularly eager to dismantle the setup. It stayed out until roughly 8:30.

For a Hyatt House, it’s an unusually generous setup and easily one of the better features of the hotel.

There’s also an outdoor area/terrace shared between both the Centric and the Hyatt House. This area is quite nice, especially at dusk when you can feel the atmosphere of the town around you.

There’s also a small smoking room off the lobby (the hotel is otherwise smoke-free).

Hyatt House Kanazawa Grab-and-Go Market and Amenities

There’s also a small grab-and-go market in the lobby beside the check-in counters.

In addition to food and drinks for purchase, the area has various complimentary room amenities available for guests to pick up as needed. These include dental kits, shaving kits, vanity kits, and other basics. There are also lightweight robes or yukata available to take back to the room. Sensible enough.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Breakfast

As mentioned before, the Hyatt House no longer offers its own breakfast and instead sends guests (including Globalists who receive free breakfast and guests wanting to purchase breakfast) to the Hyatt Centric so I’ll cover breakfast in my review of the Hyatt Centric.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Service

My interaction with staff at the Hyatt House Kanazawa was fairly limited, but my impression was that they were professional and efficient throughout my stay. Check-in was handled smoothly, and I didn’t have any reason to contact the front desk again before checking out. Housekeeping was consistently well done and seemed to be timed around when I was out of the room, which I appreciated. Common areas were in order and regularly cleaned. All in all, well-executed if unmemorable, but appropriate for a limited-service property.

Hyatt House Kanazawa Bottom Line

Hyatt House Kanazawa is a good extended-stay hotel in Kanazawa. The location beside Kanazawa Station is excellent, the suites are practical with lots of storage, and the complimentary drinks in the lobby are a genuinely generous touch. The gym is basic, and my parking-garage view was thoroughly forgettable, but Globalists still get breakfast next door at the Hyatt Centric Kanazawa. It’s an easy hotel to recommend in a somewhat off-the-beaten-path yet picturesque destination in Japan.