It must have been about 25 years since I stayed at the Park Side Hotel while on business. In the interim, the hotel has been spruced up and remains an ideal place to stay. The hotel is about a 5-minute walk from the Ueno Keisei railway station and across Ueno Park. One downside of the hotel is the legacy left by decades of smokers. We were initially assigned a smoking room but the hotel staff was able, to their credit, move us immediately to a non-smoking room. Still, the smell of cigarette smoke lingers in the lobby and especially near the elevators. Our room, towards the back of the hotel, was quiet as long as the window was closed; otherwise the sounds from the street (red light district?) lasted until well after midnight. Buffet breakfast (both Western and Japanese) was included in the price of our room and was listed at ¥1385. The Western breakfast was adequate. At check in, we were asked at what time we wanted breakfast but it did not seem to matter when we showed up. In all, a pleasant place to stay.

Location
The location is convenient for the station but is not too busy. You have some nice city views from the room window. Some areas nearby are known for the maid cafes.

Room
This is where the hotel lets itself down. The room itself is very spacious and provides two chairs, a table, small wardrobe and a desk. The decor is quite dated and is probably due a refit. The bathroom is the biggest we have had in Japan with a separate wet room area for the bath and shower. As in the rest of Japan, some lovely toiletries were provided.

The main issue we had with the room was the stench of cigarette smoke in what should have been a non-smoking room. It was extremely strong and hit you every time you walked into the room. The walls had also been stained by the nicotine.

There was air conditioning but it did seem particularly effective as the temperature seemed to stay the same no matter what temperature was selected.

The beds were comfortable. Western guests should note that pillows in Japan are a bit different as they contain rice on one side to keep their shape and tend to be quite short so this is something to be aware of.

The hotel
The lobby is nice with some areas to wait and the staff were extremely helpful in providing umbrellas for us on wet days. Be careful when getting into the lifts as the doors will try to trap you in them given the chance! You'll probably think I'm being picky until you experience them for yourself.

Breakfast
The breakfast selection is quite good in comparison to other Japanese hotels. There is both a Western and Japanese selection as well as nice pastries and fruit.

This is an update. I stayed here five years' ago (and used to come here for breakfast regularly 25 years' ago!). It's a great location, clean and well maintained, but very old.

This time I booked 'cos it was even cheaper than the tiny modern business hotel I usually use close by. And what a nice surprise!

They've renovated the rooms on the third floor. So you have the room space you got when hotels were built 30-40 years ago, but a brand new room! The bathroom is fresh and modern, the room decor is exciting (cherry blossom mural on walls and ceiling!), there's a new set of furniture with a great work desk... really nicely done, and feels totally up to date.

The lobby is still a bit old-school, and the free wifi was borderline sketchy, but it's all perfectly workable and very good value. I didn't eat breakfast, but the cafe area has also been renovated and looks really nice.

Can't wait to stay here again on my next visit to Ueno!