I was greeted at the front door of the hotel by a young woman who held the door open as she pronounced with a smile, “Welcome, Alison.” I hadn’t introduced myself; I wasn’t wearing a name tag; she just knew my name. Perhaps I was the only solo Western woman they expected to arrive that day; I didn’t care. They had me at hello.
Read MoreThe Hotel Granvia Hiroshima is not a cool hotel — the lobby looks like it should be filled with fussy grandmothers who insist you use a coaster — but it IS located within steps of the Hiroshima train station, which is a treat when — for example — you've landed in Japan about 24 hours earlier, have arrived (by bullet train) from Tokyo, and may not have what it takes to wheel (or lug) your suitcase much further than that. This is all about location.
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