When you think of old hotels, you might think of somewhere like The Plaza in New York, or one of the massive established hotel brands in London.
However, you’ll find the world’s oldest hotel in the Yamanashi prefecture in Japan.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is a hot spring hotel in the small town of Hawakawa, and was built 1316 years ago in 705AD - that's 300 years before the beginning of the royal family, and at least 500 years before humans were known to arrive in Aotearoa.
According to the Guinness World Records, the hotel has been run by 52 generations of the same family.
The healing qualities of the water from a nearby spring made the hotel a destination from day one, and in 2005, private free-flowing baths were added to every room in the hotel.
Packages begin at around NZ$675 per night, but for that you get a large room with amazing views and space to sleep upto seven people.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is about a three-hour drive from Tokyo, and the road has views of the historic Mt Fuji for at least the second half of the journey.
Click here for a Google Maps link to the location of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan.
