Richmond Hotel Matsumoto
by the TopOfHotel team
Richmond is a solid business hotel a 4-minute walk from Matsumoto Station — clean rooms, a soaking tub in every one, and a varied breakfast, ideal if your budget is tight but you still want everything close.
Richmond is a solid business hotel a 4-minute walk from Matsumoto Station — clean rooms, a soaking tub in every one, and a varied breakfast, ideal if your budget is tight but you still want everything close.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Richmond Hotel Matsumoto is part of the Richmond Hotels chain, known across Japan for quality and value. It opened in 2007 and sits in the Chuo district right by Matsumoto Station, with 153 rooms spanning Single (15 sqm), Twin (18-22 sqm), Double (18-20 sqm) and Triple. The look is modern, with warm tones drawn from wood and natural fabrics, good beds dressed in thick soft sheets, a work desk, and a reading light at a sensible brightness. Several real guest reviews agree the rooms are spotless, finished to a careful Japanese standard even at the business-hotel tier. What sets Richmond apart from rivals at the same level is a soaking tub in every bathroom rather than just a shower, so you can soak away a full day of walking. The bathroom is a reasonable size and stocked with the basics — toothpaste, soap, towels and a hairdryer.
Food and amenities
Breakfast is a buffet with both authentic Japanese and Western plates, served in the ground-floor dining room. The Japanese side runs to grilled salted fish, rolled egg, pickles, miso soup, steamed rice and congee; the Western side has homemade bread, bacon, sausage, made-to-order eggs, salad, fruit and cereal. Reviews praise the range and the quality of the ingredients, and it is worth the roughly $11 to $17 you pay on top. The rest of the amenities cover a traveler's needs well — there is a coin laundry on the lowest floor that is a real help on a multi-day trip, free and fast Wi-Fi in every room, and luggage storage before check-in and after check-out. There is no onsen in the hotel, and no gym or spa.
Location and getting there
Location is Richmond's main selling point — it sits in the Chuo district next to JR Matsumoto Station, a 4-minute walk from the station gates, the most convenient address on the list for train travelers. From the station you can take the Alpico bus to Kamikochi (1.5 hours) or Norikura Highland (1.5 hours), ride the JR Limited Express to Kiso Valley (1 hour), or connect by Shinkansen toward Nagoya and Tokyo. The Chuo area is close to restaurants, convenience stores, souvenir shops and 100-yen chains. Reaching Matsumoto Castle takes about a 17-minute walk (1.4 km) or a 5-minute ride on the Town Sneaker loop bus for ¥200 (about $1.40). Shinshu Matsumoto Airport is roughly 8 km away, an 18-minute drive.
Things to know before booking
First, the atmosphere is not traditionally Japanese — this is a modern business hotel with no onsen and no futon on tatami. If you want the full Japanese experience, pick an onsen ryokan in the Asama district instead. Second, it is a 17-minute walk to the castle, so if you are mainly here for the castle, the closer Marunouchi area may suit you better. Third, rooms follow the Japanese business scale: the 15 sqm Single is fairly small, so anyone wanting more space should ask for a Twin or Double.
Our take
Having read through the real reviews, Richmond Hotel Matsumoto is the best-value choice in Matsumoto for a tight budget. It trades on being a Richmond Hotels property you can trust, a 4-minute walk to the station, with clean rooms, a soaking tub in every one, and a varied breakfast buffet, starting around $80 a night. If your mental picture of the trip is stepping off the train at Matsumoto Station, wheeling your bag four minutes to a clean room, soaking in the tub, then having a buffet breakfast before catching the bus to Kamikochi, this answers the brief for convenience and value better than anything else in the city. It works for every kind of traveler — business, budget couples, families and solo — but if you want a genuinely Japanese atmosphere or a castle within walking distance, it is not the one. Overall we give it 8.6/10 for a value business hotel that is hard to match in this city.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The location in central Chuo puts you a 4-minute walk from JR Matsumoto Station — the most convenient address on the list for train travelers. You can head out fast to Kamikochi, Norikura Highland or Kiso Valley, or connect onward by Shinkansen toward Nagoya and Tokyo.
- It is part of the Richmond Hotels chain, known across Japan for quality and value, so the standard of cleanliness and service runs higher than a typical business hotel. Real guest reviews consistently say the rooms are genuinely spotless.
- Every bathroom has a soaking tub rather than just a shower, which lets you unwind after a full day of walking — a feature you rarely find in a Japanese business hotel at this level.
- The breakfast buffet covers both authentic Japanese and Western plates, and guests praise the range and quality. It is worth the small surcharge if you add it to your booking.
- Rooms start around $80 a night, the best value among the city's 3-star hotels, which makes it a fit for almost any traveler — business trips, budget-minded couples, families and solo travelers alike.
- This is a modern business hotel with no real Japanese atmosphere — no onsen, no futon on tatami. If you want the full Japanese experience, choose one of the onsen ryokan in the Asama district instead.
- It is about a 17-minute walk to Matsumoto Castle, farther than the hotels in the Marunouchi and Nawate area that reach it in 4 to 7 minutes. If the castle is your main focus, a closer district may suit you better.
- Rooms follow the Japanese business-hotel scale of 15-22 sqm, and the 15 sqm Single is on the small side. If you are traveling with children or large luggage, ask for a Twin or larger.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Matsumoto
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a high floor (9th or above) to escape the morning street noise around the station — and on clear days, some upper rooms catch a view of the Japan Alps.
- Use the coin laundry on the lowest floor — it is a real convenience on a multi-day trip and saves you hunting for a laundromat in town.
- Book the rate that includes breakfast — Richmond's buffet reviews better than other chains at the same level, and it is worth the roughly $11 to $17 difference.