the b hotels is a 15-hotel Japanese chain, mostly in Tokyo, that families quietly favor for one rule: a child of 11 or under sleeps free in your bed, and one under 6 eats breakfast free. Add a free lobby snack every day, a cancellation fee that is only 20 percent the day before, and rooms with a shower booth instead of a tub, and you have the chain in a sentence. The catches are a midnight no-show rule, a refusal to accept any parcel that is not your own suitcase, and breakfast prices that swing from 500 to 2,200 yen by hotel.
Everything below is from the official Japanese FAQ and the pages of eight hotels we opened. The chain has an English booking page, but its rules live on the Japanese site, so this page translates them. Room rates are not here; the published breakfast prices are.
the b hotels at a glance
| Item | Chain standard (official FAQ) |
|---|---|
| Check-in / check-out | 15:00 / 11:00. Packages and groups may differ. |
| No-show rule | Late without telling the hotel and past 24:00 = the booking may be treated as canceled. |
| Cancellation | Free until 2 days before; day before 20%; same day 100%; no-show 100%. Plans override. |
| Children | Age 11 and under free in an existing bed, one per bed. Under 6: breakfast free (exceptions below). |
| Free snack | “tottette”, one per guest, in the lobby; hours set per hotel. |
| Breakfast | Extra, four formats. 500 yen (Shimbashi) to 2,200 yen (Ginza). |
| Luggage | Held from the morning of check-in. Shop deliveries refused. |
| Cards | JCB, Visa, Amex, Diners, MasterCard, UC, UnionPay (not at Ginza). |
| Wi-Fi | Free in all rooms and lobbies. |
| Minors alone | Under 18 need written or phoned parental consent, unless the parent booked. |
Chain-wide rules from the official FAQ, read September 16, 2026. Breakfast, snack hours and baby equipment differ by hotel.
What is the b hotels, and where are they?
The brand belongs to Ishin Hotels Group and runs 15 hotels: ten in Tokyo (Asakusa, Ginza, Akasaka, Akasaka-Mitsuke, Shimbashi, Ochanomizu, Suidobashi, Ikebukuro, Sangenjaya, Hachioji) plus Sapporo, Kanazawa-Katamachi, Nagoya, Kobe and Hakata. They are compact city hotels with a lounge the chain treats as the main feature: a guests-only common space with Wi-Fi, power sockets and an espresso machine, used for breakfast in the morning and as a workspace by day. The site notes you can also book through APA’s direct channel.
What are the rooms like?
Small and shower-based. At the b asakusa a Standard Double is 17 square meters with a 140-centimeter bed, a Superior Double 18 square meters with a 160-centimeter queen, a Superior Twin 21 square meters with two 110-centimeter singles, and every one has a shower booth, not a bathtub. A three-person loft-bed room with a 65-inch smart TV opened in June 2025, and a four-person “Family 4” room is announced as coming soon. Other hotels differ; read the room list on each page.
How do I check in?
At the desk, or at Kanazawa-Katamachi on what the page calls a one-second check-in machine. Members of the chain’s corporate partner program book through a separate rate page; everyone else uses the official site, which the hotels say is the cheapest channel, or the English booking page.
What is in the building?
Asakusa lists free Wi-Fi, an espresso machine, a laundry room, an ice machine, vending machines, parking and a smoking area, and lends desk lamps and humidifier-purifiers. Kanazawa-Katamachi adds a public bath and sauna and a one-second check-in machine. Ginza has a bar, the b bar, open 18:00 to 23:00.
Check-in at 15:00, and the midnight rule
What time can I check in and out?
15:00 and 11:00. The FAQ reserves the right to set different times for the chain’s own packages and for groups, and asks you to ask about early check-in or late checkout rather than assume. The b asakusa sells a 24-hour stay plan with breakfast and a 13:00 check-in and checkout for people whose flights do not fit the usual clock.
What if I arrive late?
Tell the hotel in advance. The FAQ’s wording: if you have not told them and midnight passes, the reservation may be treated as canceled. That is the same cutoff as Super Hotel and later than Tokyu Stay’s 22:00 phone rule, but the safe move from Haneda or Narita is still a call before you board.
Can I get early check-in or late checkout?
Only by asking. The FAQ lists both as “please inquire”, and each hotel page repeats that you should contact the hotel in advance rather than turn up early; there is no published fee or member perk. If the hours matter, the Asakusa 24-hour plan is the only guaranteed version.
Is there parking?
It depends on the hotel, and the FAQ sends you to each hotel’s access page. Ikebukuro, for example, has no lot of its own and lists two nearby garages, one at 700 yen for the first hour and 400 yen per 30 minutes after, capped at 3,000 yen a day; Kanazawa-Katamachi sells a 1,200-yen ticket covering 15:00 to 11:00. Both pages warn the prices can change without notice.
Can a teenager check in alone?
Under 18, yes with a parent’s consent: a signed letter in any format handed to the hotel, or a phone call, fax or web-form message from the parent to that hotel. If the parent made the booking, no separate consent is needed.
Children: free to 11, breakfast free under 6
| Child | Rule (official FAQ) |
|---|---|
| Age 11 and under, sharing an existing bed with a parent | Room free. Say so when booking. One child per bed. |
| Under 6 | Breakfast free at most hotels. |
| the b akasaka-mitsuke | Free bed-share only for age 5 and under; bed-sharing children pay for breakfast. |
| the b shimbashi, the b sangenjaya | Bed-sharing children pay for breakfast. |
| the b kanazawa-katamachi | Child breakfast price for ages 3 to 6; under 2 free. |
| Baby equipment (under 6) | Crib and high chair (reserve), baby bath, water and warmer for formula, toy set, child yukata; varies by hotel. No cribs at Ginza or Sapporo. |
Official the b hotels child rules, read September 16, 2026.
Why does the age limit matter?
Most Japanese chains stop the free bed-share at preschool age (Dormy Inn charges from 3, Super Hotel and Tokyu Stay from elementary school). the b’s 11-and-under rule covers the whole of elementary school, which for a family of four with two children under 12 in a twin room can mean two free guests. The limit is one child per bed and the beds are narrow, so a twin with two 110-centimeter singles is the practical shape. Our family hotels in Tokyo guide puts the chains side by side.
Cancellation: 20 percent the day before
| When you cancel | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2 days before or earlier | None |
| Day before | 20% of the room rate |
| Same day | 100% |
| No-show without contact | 100% |
Official FAQ. A plan with its own cancellation terms takes precedence.
Is there a waiting list for full dates?
No. The FAQ says to phone the hotel and ask about vacancies from time to time. Bookings from abroad go through the English booking page or directly to the hotel.
Breakfast: four formats, 500 to 2,200 yen
| Hotel | Format and venue | Official price (tax included) | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asakusa | Buffet, 2F the b lounge | 1,650 yen; child 1,100; under 6 free | 7:00-10:00 (last entry 9:30) |
| Ginza | Buffet | 2,200 yen; child 1,210 | 7:00-10:00 (9:30) |
| Ikebukuro | Italian buffet, 2F Salvatore Cuomo & Bar | 1,980 yen; child 1,100 | 7:00-10:00 (9:30) |
| Hakata | Buffet with local dishes, 1F | 1,650 yen | 6:30-9:30 (9:00) |
| Kanazawa-Katamachi | Buffet at ALLY’s, APA Hotel Kanazawa-Chuo 1F | 1,850 yen in advance / 2,000 on the day; child 990; under 2 free | 6:30-9:30 |
| Sapporo | Light-meal buffet, 1F the b lounge | 1,100 yen; child 770 | 6:30-10:00 (9:45) |
| Akasaka-Mitsuke | Set of your choice, 1F Excelsior Caffe | 800 yen, same for under 6; ticket at the desk | 6:45-10:00 |
| Shimbashi | Green Spoon soup and bread, 1F dining area | 500 yen; book by 24:00 the day before | 6:45-9:00 |
Prices from each hotel’s official page, read September 16, 2026. The other seven hotels are on the chain’s breakfast page.
Which hotels serve a full buffet?
Asakusa, Ginza, Akasaka, Ikebukuro, Hachioji, Kanazawa-Katamachi, Nagoya, Kobe and Hakata. Sapporo, Ochanomizu, Suidobashi and Sangenjaya serve a lighter buffet; Akasaka-Mitsuke a plate; Shimbashi a soup-and-bread set. Asakusa’s page notes its Chinese rice porridge is popular with overseas guests.
What is tottette?
A free snack the chain hands out in the lobby, one per guest while the day’s stock lasts: mini beignets and muffins were added in October 2024, and Kanazawa has offered a strawberry daifuku. The hours are the odd part. Asakusa and Akasaka-Mitsuke serve it 20:00 to 22:00, Ikebukuro and Hakata 15:00 to 19:00, Sapporo 14:30 to 19:00, while Ginza (6:30 to 9:00) and Shimbashi (6:45 to 9:00) hand it out at breakfast time. Check the hotel page so you do not miss it.
Luggage: one rule that surprises shoppers
Can I send a suitcase ahead?
Yes, for the day you arrive: address it to the hotel for delivery on the check-in date, with the stay date and guest name written on it, and the desk holds it from that morning. The hotel does not hold bags from days earlier.
Can I have online orders delivered to the hotel?
No. The FAQ is unusually firm: to keep control of what enters the building, the hotels will not receive or store any parcel from an online shop or other purchase. Have Amazon Japan or a department store ship to the airport or a convenience store instead.
Can I leave bags after checkout?
The FAQ covers holding luggage from the morning of check-in and says nothing about storage after checkout, so ask the desk on the day rather than plan around it. Outbound shipping is likewise not described on the group page; the hotel can tell you whether it sells boxes.
The bath question, and Kanazawa’s free onsen
The Tokyo hotels we opened have shower booths in the rooms and no public bath. The exception is the b kanazawa-katamachi, which lists a bath and sauna and gives its guests free use of the natural hot spring on the 14th floor of APA Hotel Kanazawa-Chuo, a one-minute walk diagonally across the street, from 6:00 to 24:00; take your room key, room towels, the laundry bag, toothbrush and razor. That hotel also charges 1,200 yen for parking from 15:00 to 11:00.
Who the b hotels is for
Families with school-age children, who pay for two adults and nothing else; solo travelers who want a lounge to work in; anyone who values a 20-percent day-before fee over a strict ladder. It is not for bath lovers in Tokyo, for people who ship purchases to their hotel, or for anyone who cannot phone ahead when a flight runs late. Where the Tokyo branches sit is in our where to stay in Tokyo guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are children free at the b hotels?
What time is check-in and check-out?
What is the cancellation fee?
What is the free snack?
How much is breakfast?
Can I send my suitcase ahead?
Which cards are accepted?
Do any the b hotels have a bath?
Bottom line (2026). Children 11 and under stay free in your bed and under 6 eat free at most hotels; cancel two days out for nothing, the day before for 20 percent; check in from 15:00 and phone if you will pass midnight; budget 500 to 2,200 yen for breakfast; collect the free tottette snack; and never ship a shopping parcel to the hotel.
Sources
Rules and figures are from the b hotels’ official site (theb-hotels.com): the group FAQ (theb-hotels.com/faq), the breakfast page, and the hotel pages of the b asakusa, ginza, akasaka-mitsuke, shimbashi, ikebukuro, sapporo, hakata and kanazawa-katamachi, all in Japanese, read on September 16, 2026. Hotel names are given as the chain writes them.
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