Review: Nagasaki Marriott Hotel (Japan)
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Centralized Location | No swimming pool or onsen |
| Lots of suite types; better chances for upgrades | Rooms hallway can get too hot |
| Great elite guests treatment | |
| Premium Balcony King treated as standard room on award booking |
After a lukewarm stay at Roku Kyoto, I flew down to Nagasaki to begin my Kyushu-focused travel on my 3rd visit to Japan. Nagasaki has been on my list of places to go after my visit in Hiroshima last year.
I chose the brand new Marriott in Nagasaki, and I was impressed how this hotel managed to do very well despite opening just around 3 months during my visit, which I’ll write more about below.
Nagasaki Marriott- Booking
I booked a 3-night stay in Nagasaki Marriott with separate bookings of a 35K Free Night Certificate I got from my Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, plus cash rate of 25,600 Yen per night for the other two nights. Since I had my eye on this hotel since January, they had an opening promotion of adding extra 5000 points per night when booking a Premium Balcony King for at least 2 nights. Marriott points are hard to come by, so booking this rate added lots of value.
What’s neat about this hotel is that award bookings allow you to book a Premium Balcony Room with King Bed for the same price as the Standard Room. It’s a no-brainer pick unless you need 2 Double Beds. The Premium Balcony King is valid for free night certificate redemption as it’s treated as a standard room. But, a Premium Balcony with 2 Doubles counts as a premium room; thus won’t be eligible for a FNC redemption.
Nagasaki Marriott Hotel is a Category 4 hotel, so 35k FNC redemption is guaranteed (with top-offs necessary during the busier dates).
Nagasaki Marriott- Location
Nagasaki Marriott is built right next to JR Nagasaki Station, making it very convenient to get around the city as trains, trams, and buses are well-connected here. There’s also an Amu Plaza somewhat connected to the station and the Marriott for shopping needs.
If you’re coming from Nagasaki Airport (NGS), there’s a direct shuttle bus that will take you to Nagasaki Station, which then leads you to the hotel. The journey roughly takes 45 minutes.
Nagasaki Marriott- Check-in
I arrived to the hotel from NGS at around 3pm with the airport shuttle that stops at Nagasaki Station. The Marriott is easy to spot with its obvious sign at the entrance.
After entering the doors with the hotel sign, you’d need to take an elevator that will take you to the lobby at the 7th floor. Sometimes, staffs may be here and push the elevator buttons for you and bow as the elevator door closes. I’ve experienced the same at the Conrad Osaka and Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho.
The 7th floor lobby is expansive with wide-open space and simple design. It does come with a great view of Mt. Inasa in the background.
Check-in has an elite line for Marriott Platinum and up. A staff was bringing a tray of mikan (mandarin orange) flavored water for guests waiting in line. This Marriott made a very good first impression in terms of service!
I requested a suite upgrade after the chat function opened 2 days before check-in date. To my delight, they honored my request of getting upgraded to the Kamome Suite, this hotel’s Executive Suite. Check-in process was smooth, and I was given a gift bag with Fukusaya Castellas and welcome note inside. For the Welcome Gift, they apparently have their own tumbler, which I took instead of 1000 points. Breakfast is included.
I loved the castellas. Fukusaya is apparently the earliest founder of castellas in Nagasaki.
The tumbler is small, but makes for a nice keepsake. It’s surely worth more than 1000 Marriott points.
Nagasaki Marriott- Kamome Suite
The Kamome Suite is located in Room 950, located in a corner of the building. One minor complaint I have with the rooms hallway in this hotel is they turn up the heater too high, and it’s always hot whenever I walk in here.
The suite is named after the bullet train that runs through Nagasaki, and it makes sense when one of the main views the suite provides is the rail tracks that run through JR Nagasaki Station. Train enthusiasts may enjoy this suite compared to the rest.
Living Room
Kamome Suite is 79 sqm (839 sqft) in area. First things by the entrance, there’s a wall sculpture by the lighting controls to the left, and a half bathroom to the right.
The living room boasts a big sofa accompanied by a view of the city underneath the mountains. You can access the balcony from here.
Across the sofa are the wall-mounted TV, and additional tables and chairs.
Four bottles of water are complimentary and replenished daily, with minibar below the pantry counter.
The living room has their own controls for curtains and lights. The AC control affects the whole room.
Tracing back to the straight hall to the left of the entrance is the walk-in closet equipped with hangers with bathrobes set, and a very generous storage space. This closet hall cuts through to the bathroom, with partitions on both ends.
Underneath the storage space is where you can find the safe, one piece pajamas, and in-room slippers.
Bedroom
The master bedroom is located just behind the living room.
The king bed was quite comfortable. Balcony can also be accessed from the master bedroom.
TV and air purifier/humidifier unit are located across the bed, in-between large floor-to-ceiling windows. Curtains and lights in the bedroom can be controlled bedside. There’s USB-C and 3-prong power outlets on both ends of the bedside. The Philips alarm clock also functions as a Bluetooth player and wireless charging station.
Access to the bathroom is seamless, but there’s slid-able partition for privacy.
Bathroom
Bathroom comes with marble double vanity sinks. It comes with complete amenities, even including skincare sets.
The wet room has separated shower and tub behind the glass door. Shower pressure is good, and it comes with This Works bath amenities, a new Marriott Hotels standard.
A second toilet room is also in the bathroom area, minus the small sink.
The Kamome Suite comes with a vanity table as well, accompanied by a window with blackout curtain that you can manually set.
Balcony
Most rooms in Nagasaki Marriott comes with private balconies, but suites have more of that. The balconies from Kamome Suite boasts view of the city, Amu Plaza, and myriad of train tracks of Nagasaki Station.
The Amu Plaza view allows you to see the normies below you from your mighty suite. The Amu Plaza rooftop garden is particularly busy on weekends. Unfortunately, I saw a tragic sight of a big Doraemon plush left abandoned in one of the roofs of Amu Plaza. How on earth did it get there in the first place? I hope someone can rescue the poor fella. He definitely needs a home and a loving family.
The city and train track views give an industrial feel, which makes for a somewhat strange juxtaposition when I was standing from a fancy suite’s balcony.
The train tracks view makes the name Kamome make sense. But, chairs and tables set on the balcony are not there, unlike the pictures from the hotel’s site. It would’ve been nice to lounge on your balcony and see trains come and go.
Understandably, some people may prefer the harbor view instead, which the Harbor View Suite provides. A little smaller, but is one category below the Kamome Suite.
Below is a short video that shows the extent of Kamome Suite’s private balcony.
Overall, the Kamome Suite is lovely and very modern. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here for 3 nights, and it’s definitely one of the best suite upgrades I’ve got from recent memory.
Nagasaki Marriott- Breakfast
Breakfast runs daily from 7 to 10am at the Harbella Restaurant on lobby floor. It’s packed everyday, but I didn’t have issues with long wait before I get seated.
Harbella has a stylish sea motif. I noticed the color blue gets used a lot at this hotel.
The buffet offers variety of pickings like fruits, salad, cold cuts, rice, and noodles.
The noodles served here alternate between sara-udon and yakisoba. Shumai’s also served here as there’s heavy Chinese influence in Nagasaki cuisine.
The buffet has a small Nagasaki specialty section. I particularly liked the hatoshi, which is a fish cake wrapped in crispy toast. Another one I liked was the sara udon kanboko, or deep fried fishcake mixed with crispy noodles.
There’s also a croffle and egg station for more specialized dishes.
You can also order coffee or tea once you’re seated. Fruit juice are self-served, and there are plenty of options. You’re also given a card to notify the staff if you’re still working on your breakfast or leaving the restaurant.
Overall, the breakfast is enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the pastries here, and appreciated some of the local items as well.
Nagasaki Marriott- M Club Lounge
Nagasaki Marriott’s M Club Lounge opens 24/7, and comes with offerings starting at 4pm daily. You can gain access by being Marriott Platinum or higher, or by booking a room with M Club Lounge access.
I got to check out the lounge in the morning, which understandably, is empty due to the lack of food and beverage services.
The lounge offer plush seats by the windows that overlook the city.
Outside of the main hours, you can help yourself to hot drinks on the counter, and soft drinks in the fridge.
They also have interesting snacks, Nagasaki champon and toruko rice-flavored chips. You can help yourself to some candies and nuts, too.
Cocktails & Desserts
I checked out the main offerings of the M Club Lounge at 6:30pm, which is the time when they’re about to end their cocktail hours. I wasn’t in the mood to drink, so I only helped myself to a glass of beer.
There’s a bunch of canapes you can help yourself with. I got myself some fried chicken and braised pork belly buns.
The lounge was packed when I arrived, especially the seats by the windows. Guests are limited by 60 minutes during these hours.
Nagasaki Marriott- Teppanyaki De jima
I reserved dinner at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Dejima, on my final night in Nagasaki. De jima offers both sushi and teppanyaki. I was in the mood for teppanyaki as I was saving my sushi cravings for Tenzushi Kyomachi and Sushi Sakai in a couple of days after, in Fukuoka.
I reserved dinner at 5:30pm to make time for the night view from Mt. Inasa. I was there alone, so it made for a somewhat awkward experience due to the language barrier I had with the chef. Reservations can be made through TableCheck, and I selected the Ajisai (cheapest dinner course) for 15,000 Yen.
Ajisai course include 8 items plus coffee or tea at the end. I elected the Nagasaki Wagyu for 4000 Yen extra.
The teppanyaki course was good, but nothing memorable. The one in Conrad Osaka was better, but I found the one here to be better than the one in Conrad Tokyo. The price is also too high, I feel. Though lunch time offer cheaper menu, which could provide better value if you mostly care about the steak.
I also had an issue of the dining charge not being counted after my stay has posted, but was fixed after contacting Marriott customer service.
Nagasaki Marriott- Fitness Center
The hotel’s gym is located on the 8th floor that’s open for 24/7. It’s equipped with both cardio and weight machines. Unfortunately, there’s no pool or onsen, which would be a missed opportunity to beat out the hotel’s direct competitor Hilton Nagasaki.
Nagasaki Marriott- Other Facilities
Other facilities that I didn’t explore much were The Azurite Bar, the main bar located just after Harbella’s reception.
There’s also the Grab & Go section where you can buy sweets and drink containers like mugs and the tumbler I received as a welcome gift.
There’s a currency exchange inside the hotel too, but the rates are not as favorable as withdrawing from an ATM with a Charles Schwab debit.
Conclusion
I am wholly impressed by Nagasaki Marriott. I didn’t experience much of a teething issue despite it being a new hotel. The staff appears to be enthusiastic and happy to be working there. It’s a huge plus that you can secure a balcony room with award booking. Elite members should have little issues in at least getting upgraded to them either since most rooms do have private balconies.
The rates here are also very reasonable for the quality of rooms, and I felt I had a great value out of my purchase. Though I wish this hotel has an onsen facility.
Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the best hotel in Nagasaki and I would definitely come back here should I be back in this city.