The Knot Hiroshima (Review)
Beautiful Contemporary Hotel in the Historic City
The Knot Hiroshima is a 3-stars hotel located in the center of the Chugoku area’s capital, not far from the famous Peace Museum. The hotel was refurbished in 2020 to don a modern and elegant decoration to the delight of urban sightseers traveling in Hiroshima. Its main asset is its rooftop arranged in a lounge bar with panoramic views on the city and its mountains in the background.
In the historical downtown of Hiroshima, The Knot hotel 🏨 is standing on the Peace Boulevard (Heiwa Oodori). Its convenient location allows to reach within a few minutes:
- Walking: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Genbaku Dome, and Orizuru Tower’s observatory;
- By tramway: Hiroshima Castle, the city’s museums of arts and Shukkei-en garden.
The Knot brand also has 3 other hotels: in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward, in Yokohama and in Sapporo.
A concept keeping up with the times
The hotel’s interior design was renewed in 2020 and the result is convincing. The entrance hall displays paintings of a Hiroshima-born contemporary Japanese artist and introduces to an open, yet cozy space that gives the vibe of a European style bistro’s friendly atmosphere. As a matter of fact, the Italian restaurant Morethan (open to anyone) uses the building’s ground floor and the hotel lobby is actually at the last floor (14F). This access might be a bit confusing as one must go straight to the elevators, and sometimes wait in line when they are already busy.
In the guest rooms’ area, the atmosphere is more subdued with dimmed lights and gray walls enlivened by a touch of red. Voluntarily simple, the decoration is thought for convenience and the numbers of the 200 rooms are displayed in a simple and clear way. The same trend can be found in the rooms’ layout focusing on practical equipment, such as:
- A Western-style bedding;
- A small Japanese style bathroom 🛁;
- A Wi-Fi connection;
- Air conditioning; and,
- A TV set that also provides information on the hotel’s services.
More generally, the rooms also benefit from a good soundproofing. On a side note, 3 washing machines are available with no surcharge for customers. The price of the night varies according to the view offered by the room. When booking, it is therefore possible to chose a view on the Peace Boulevard with the Peace Museum in the background or on the Hiroshima tramway.
Panoramic bar on the roof-top
The Knot Hiroshima is however remarkable thanks to its bar "Kei", occupying the upper floor of the building and extending onto the rooftop. With a well-though lounge space, the rooftop provides beautiful panoramas on the surrounding constructions and the city, on the daytime and at nightfall. This view is a true asset as there are very few observatories on Hiroshima historical downtown.
Very bright, the bar looks comfortable, welcoming and elegant. The decoration includes wood, brass and an addition of plants bringing intimacy between spaces and a pleasing touch of nature.
Whether at the bar Kei or the restaurant Morethan, breakfast is served in the savory Western fashion: cooked eggs, bacon, sausages, soup, Italian bread focaccia, yogurt and salad, in a hearty meal to start your day of sightseeing in Hiroshima or Miyajima.
