Richmond Hotel Tokyo Suidobashi lists three rooms of 18 m² (194 ft²), each with one 59-inch (150 cm) double bed. One is sold to one guest, one to two guests, and the third, with an extra bed, to three. The number doesn’t tell you who the room is for.
Last checked: October 3, 2026. The hotel pages below are in Japanese.
194 ft² and what it counts
18 m² is 194 ft², about a 10 by 19 foot rectangle. Sources differ on what a room size counts. Mews’s hotel blog says “Some properties include bathroom square footage in published dimensions; others report bedroom area,” and that “economy rooms run 160 to 230 sq ft, midscale rooms 230 to 350 sq ft”. As a rough frame, 194 ft² sits near the middle of the economy band.
As of October 2026, from Mews’s blog.
The 12 m² single in the 12㎡ article is 129 ft². Eighteen is half again as much floor, 65 ft² (6 m²) more, and the number alone doesn’t say how many people the room is for.
One size, three guest counts
The table has 15 rows from 10 hotels in seven cities, all rooms between 17.6 and 18.8 m² (189 to 202 ft²). It is not a census of Japan.
| Hotel | Room | Size | Bed | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Hotel Tokyo Suidobashi (in Japanese) | Moderate Single | 18 m² / 194 ft² | one 150 x 200 cm (59 x 79 in) | 1 |
| same page | Moderate Double | 18 m² / 194 ft² | one 150 x 200 cm | 2 |
| same page | Compact Twin | 18 m² / 194 ft² | 150 x 200 cm plus extra bed 85 x 200 cm (33 x 79 in) | 3 |
| Tokyu Stay Suidobashi (in Japanese) | Residential Double | 18 m² / 194 ft² | 160 cm (63 in) | 2 |
| Hotel Keihan Sapporo (in Japanese) | Superior Double | 18 m² / 194 ft² | one 180 x 200 cm (71 x 79 in) | 2 |
| same page | Casual Twin | 18 m² / 194 ft² | two 105 x 200 to 206 cm (41 in wide) | 2 |
| Oriental Hotel Universal City (in Japanese) | Moderate Double | 18.0 m² / 194 ft² | one 140 x 200 cm (55 x 79 in) | up to 2 |
| Hotel Oriental Express Fukuoka Tenjin (in Japanese) | Corner Double | 18 m² / 194 ft² | one 140 x 195 cm (55 x 77 in) | 2 |
| Route Inn Uozu (in Japanese) | Double | 18 m² / 194 ft² | one 160 x 196 cm (63 x 77 in) | 2 |
| same page | Deluxe Single | 18 m² / 194 ft² | one 120 x 196 cm (47 x 77 in) | 1 |
| Shinjuku Washington Hotel (in Japanese) | Standard Double | 18.0 m² / 194 ft² | 150 cm (59 in) | none printed |
| Dormy Inn Hiroshima (in Japanese) | Twin | 18.8 m² / 202 ft² | two 110 x 195 cm (43 x 77 in) | 2 |
| Hotel Vista Tokyo Tsukiji (in Japanese) | Moderate Double | about 17.6 m² / 189 ft² | one 160 cm (63 in) | 1 to 2 |
| same page | Moderate Twin B | about 18.8 m² / 202 ft² | two 98 cm (39 in) | 1 to 2 |
| Richmond Hotel Kagoshima Tenmonkan (in Japanese) | Single / Standard Double | 17.81 m² / 192 ft² | one 140 cm (55 in) | 1 |
Start with the three Richmond Suidobashi rows. The Moderate Single and the Moderate Double share one sentence, 「18m²のお部屋にダブルベッド(150x200cm)１台のお部屋です。」, roughly “a room of 18 m² with one double bed (150 x 200 cm)”, yet the single lists a capacity of 1 and the double 2. The Compact Twin is the same 18 m² with that 150 cm bed plus an 「エキストラベッド」, an extra bed at 85 x 200 cm, and its capacity is 3. The hotel itself calls this room “quite cramped”.
Read the capacity line first. Fourteen of the 15 rows print a guest count: three say 1, eight say 2 (Universal City says up to 2), two say 1 to 2, and one says 3. Shinjuku Washington prints none. So if a search for two returns an 18 m² room, the page still has to say 2. The 140 cm article shows the same looseness at another hotel, where one 16 m² room with a 140 cm bed is sold as both a single and a double.
The beds vary as much. Among the eight rooms with “double” in the name, the one bed is 55 in (140 cm) at two hotels, 59 in (150 cm) at two, 63 in (160 cm) at three and 71 in (180 cm) at one. Japanese Hotel Rooms Decoded goes through why the name doesn’t give you the width.
Floor left after the bed
What remains after the bed is everything else: the bath, the entry, the desk, the closet, the walkway and the guests. The Keihan twin uses 200 cm, the shorter of the two lengths its page prints.
| Room | Size | Bed area | Share of room | Floor left | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Suidobashi Moderate Double | 194 ft² (18 m²) | 32 ft² (3.0 m²) | 17% | 161 ft² (15.0 m²) | 81 ft² (7.5 m²), 2 guests |
| Oriental Universal City Moderate Double | 194 ft² (18.0 m²) | 30 ft² (2.8 m²) | 16% | 164 ft² (15.2 m²) | 82 ft² (7.6 m²), 2 guests |
| Route Inn Uozu Double | 194 ft² (18 m²) | 34 ft² (3.14 m²) | 17% | 160 ft² (14.9 m²) | 80 ft² (7.4 m²), 2 guests |
| Keihan Sapporo Superior Double | 194 ft² (18 m²) | 39 ft² (3.6 m²) | 20% | 155 ft² (14.4 m²) | 78 ft² (7.2 m²), 2 guests |
| Dormy Hiroshima Twin | 202 ft² (18.8 m²) | 46 ft² (4.29 m²) | 23% | 156 ft² (14.5 m²) | 78 ft² (7.3 m²), 2 guests |
| Keihan Sapporo Casual Twin | 194 ft² (18 m²) | 45 ft² (4.2 m²) | 23% | 149 ft² (13.8 m²) | 74 ft² (6.9 m²), 2 guests |
| Richmond Suidobashi Compact Twin | 194 ft² (18 m²) | 51 ft² (4.7 m²) | 26% | 143 ft² (13.3 m²) | 48 ft² (4.4 m²), 3 guests |
| For comparison: Dormy Ikebukuro Economy Single | 129 ft² (12.0 m²) | 25 ft² (2.34 m²) | 20% | 104 ft² (9.7 m²) | 104 ft² (9.7 m²), 1 guest |
| For comparison: Keihan Sapporo Superior Twin | 280 ft² (26 m²) | 52 ft² (4.87 m²) | 19% | 227 ft² (21.1 m²) | 114 ft² (10.6 m²), 2 guests |
The Dormy Ikebukuro single comes from the 12㎡ article, and the Keihan superior twin is two 120 x 203 cm beds on the same Keihan page.
As of October 2026, from the hotel pages in the table above (in Japanese).
On the six rows listed for two, the bed takes 16 to 23 percent of the room, against 16 to 32 percent for the eight rooms in the 12㎡ article. The per-guest column is the one to read: two guests in an 18 m² double or twin have 74 to 82 ft² (6.9 to 7.6 m²) each, against 104 ft² (9.7 m²) for one guest in a 12 m² single, with the bath inside all of these figures.
The 26 m² twin gives each guest 114 ft² (10.6 m²), a little more than the 12 m² single gives one. Per person, then, 18 m² for two is tighter than either 12 m² for one or 26 m² for two. The three guests in the Compact Twin each get 48 ft² (4.4 m²).
Double, wide bed or twin
The hotels give sizes and beds, not floor plans.
One double bed, 55 to 59 in (140 to 150 cm). The bed covers 30 to 32 ft² (2.8 to 3.0 m²), 16 to 17 percent of the room. Some of the leftover floor goes to furniture the hotel chose. Hotel Oriental Express Fukuoka Tenjin has two versions of its 18 m² Corner Double with a 140 cm bed, and the hotel says of the sofa version 「備え付けのソファでゆっくり寛げます」, “you can relax on the built-in sofa”. The 140 cm article goes through whether that width is enough for two.
One wide bed, 63 to 71 in (160 to 180 cm). A wider bed costs little floor. Route Inn’s 160 x 196 cm bed covers about 4 ft² (0.34 m²) more than a 140 x 200 cm one, and Keihan’s 180 x 200 cm bed about 9 ft² (0.8 m²) more. When two rooms of about the same size are on the screen and one has the 160 cm bed, I take the wider bed for two people, even over a 140 cm bed with a built-in sofa.
Look at those two lines side by side. Both are 18 m² and both list two guests, and the twin spends about 6 ft² (0.6 m²) more floor on beds.
Two single beds, 39 to 43 in (98 to 110 cm). Two beds cover 45 to 46 ft² (4.2 to 4.3 m²), 15 to 16 ft² (1.4 to 1.5 m²) more than one 140 cm bed, which leaves 149 to 156 ft² (13.8 to 14.5 m²) of floor.
Three guests. Richmond’s Compact Twin puts a 59-inch (150 cm) bed and a 33-inch (85 cm) extra bed in 18 m², which leaves 48 ft² (4.4 m²) of non-bed floor per guest. The hotel’s own description of the room reads 「ベッド部分の占める面積が広い為かなり手狭なお部屋となります。」, “quite cramped because the bed area is large.”
The bath is in there somewhere
At least four of the ten hotels state a bath type. Richmond Suidobashi’s Moderate Twin reads 「お風呂はユニットバスタイプでございます」, and its three 18 m² rooms are listed as unit bath type. Shinjuku Washington’s double rooms are listed with a unit bath, and Route Inn Uozu lists ユニットバス in an amenity list that covers its rooms. A unit bath is a prefabricated pod with tub, sink and toilet in one wet room.
Hotel Vista Tokyo Tsukiji describes a different arrangement at the same size. Its 17.6 m² (189 ft²) Moderate Double reads 「2点独立型（バス／トイレ・洗面）」 and its 18.8 m² (202 ft²) Moderate Twin B reads 「3点独立型（バス／トイレ／洗面）」. The parentheses show the grouping: bath | toilet and washbasin in the first, bath | toilet | washbasin in the second.
Bath type doesn’t follow size. Vista separates the bath at 17.6 m². Richmond Suidobashi keeps a unit bath at 24 m² (258 ft²), and its 27.4 m² (295 ft²) Superior Twin reads 「バス・トイレが分立しています」.
TOTO’s hotel unit baths come in the 1014 and 1216 sizes. The 1216 is 1,200 by 1,600 mm, about 21 ft² (1.92 m²), and the 1014, by the same code, is an estimated 1.0 by 1.4 m², about 15 ft² (1.4 m²). The hotels don’t say which size any of these hotels fitted. If a pod of 15 to 21 ft² is inside an 18 m² figure, it is 8 to 11 percent of it.
As of October 2026, from TOTO and a retailer (in Japanese): TOTO’s size guide, the 1014 unit bath and the 1216 unit bath.
No page in this sample says whether the bath is inside the listed size. One hotel does print a footnote on how area is counted. Mitsui Garden Hotel Prana Tokyo Bay reads 「本客室の面積はＰＳ（パイプスペース）を含む壁芯で計算し、小数点第２位以下を切り捨てた概算の表示です。」 That says the area is figured to the centers of the walls with the pipe space included, with figures from the second decimal place down dropped, and is approximate. A listed number can therefore run ahead of the floor you walk on at that hotel.
As of October 2026, from Mitsui Garden Hotels (in Japanese): Prana Tokyo Bay room page.
Every per-guest figure above has the bath still inside. Take a 15 to 21 ft² (1.4 to 1.92 m²) pod off the 12 m² single and off each 18 m² room, then divide the 18 m² floor between two guests, and the gap narrows from 22 to 29 percent to about 14 to 25 percent.
One open bag at a time
The luggage article works out about 8 ft² (0.75 m²) of clear floor for a 29-inch (74 cm) bag opened flat. A long-time Japan resident’s rough guess there is about 25 m² (269 ft²) to open one large bag comfortably and about 30 m² for two, a guess and not a rule.
Area alone isn’t the limit here. Two open bags would take about 16 ft² of the 143 to 164 ft² left after the bed in an 18 m² room. What decides it is whether a clear patch of about 29 by 40 inches (74 by 102 cm) exists, and the listing photo from the door shows that where the number doesn’t. In a small room I often open my bag in the entrance corridor, and a closed second bag goes there too. In a twin, each bed is also a surface to open a bag on, as the luggage article describes. If the price gap is small, I’ll pay for a bigger room.
Could two of you stay a few nights?
Eight of the 15 rows list their room for two, and two more list 1 to 2. The bed gives each of two guests 27.5 inches (70 cm) at 140 cm and 31.5 inches (80 cm) at 160 cm, and the 140 cm article covers that choice. The floor gives each guest 74 to 82 ft² (6.9 to 7.6 m²) with the bath still inside. The bags take 8 ft² each when open, which is why only one fits open at a time.
A second checked bag stays closed, and a day spent working in the room is spent on the same 74 to 82 ft². A twin or a 160 cm double changes the bed side of that arithmetic, and it costs 15 to 16 ft² (twin) or about 4 ft² (160 cm) of floor.
The step to 18 often buys a wider bed
Against the 12 m² single, 18 m² adds 65 ft² (6 m²). On these pages that mostly buys a wider bed or a different bed layout, and it doesn’t always buy more room per person.
| Hotel | Smaller room | The 18 m² room | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Oriental Express Fukuoka Tenjin | Standard Queen, 14.5 m² / 156 ft², 160 cm | Corner Double, 18 m² / 194 ft², 140 cm | +38 ft² (3.5 m²) and a bed 8 in (20 cm) narrower, with a sofa in one version |
| Route Inn Uozu | Semi-Double, 14 m² / 151 ft², 140 cm, 2 guests | Double, 18 m² / 194 ft², 160 cm, 2 guests | +43 ft² (4 m²) and a bed 8 in (20 cm) wider |
| Tokyu Stay Suidobashi | Moderate, 15 m² / 161 ft², 140 cm, 1 to 2 guests | Residential Double, 18 m² / 194 ft², 160 cm, 2 guests | +32 ft² (3 m²), a bed 8 in (20 cm) wider, and a mini kitchen the hotel lists |
| Hotel Keihan Sapporo | Double, 16 m² / 172 ft², 152 cm | Superior Double, 18 m² / 194 ft², 180 cm | +22 ft² (2 m²) and a bed 11 in (28 cm) wider |
| Shinjuku Washington Hotel | Casual Double, 13.0 m² / 140 ft², 140 cm | Standard Double, 18.0 m² / 194 ft², 150 cm | +54 ft² (5 m²) and a bed 4 in (10 cm) wider |
| Dormy Inn Hiroshima | Queen, 16.1 to 16.3 m² / 173 to 175 ft², 160 cm | Twin, 18.8 m² / 202 ft², two 110 cm | +27 to 29 ft² (2.5 to 2.7 m²), one wide bed becomes two narrow ones |
In four of the six pairs the bed got wider, in one it got narrower, and in one it became two beds. At Fukuoka the 14.5 m² queen has a wider bed than the 18 m² corner double.
Going up from 18 m², the rooms around 22 to 27 m² are mostly twins. Keihan’s 22 m² (237 ft²) Standard Twin has two 105 x 203 cm beds for 2 guests, and its 26 m² Superior Twin has two 120 x 203 cm beds for 2. The 23 m² twins are listed for more people. Dormy Inn Hiroshima’s Studio Twin (two 120 cm beds) and Tokyu Stay Suidobashi’s Superior Twin (120 cm beds) are listed for 3, and Fukuoka Tenjin’s Superior Twin (two 110 cm beds plus extra beds) for up to 4. Richmond Suidobashi’s 27.4 m² Superior Twin is listed for 2 to 3.
Take the Dormy Hiroshima Studio Twin: 23.0 m² with 4.68 m² of beds leaves 197 ft² (18.3 m²), or 66 ft² (6.1 m²) for each of three guests, less than the 80 ft² (7.4 m²) each in Route Inn’s 18 m² double for two. Past 22 m², check what the hotel did with the floor.
Before you book
Bed width and room size are among the things I check right before I press the book button, and for a room under 20 m² I always look at the bath type. At 18 m² there are four lines to read together:
- The guest count printed beside the size. The same 18 m² is sold for 1, 2 or 3.
- The bed count and width. A double at this size ranged from 55 to 71 in (140 to 180 cm), and a wider bed cost about 4 to 9 ft² (0.34 to 0.8 m²) of floor.
- The bath wording. 「ユニットバス」 is a pod, and 「バス・トイレ別」 or 「独立型」 means the rooms are apart. Where a page doesn’t say what its number counts, subtract a pod of 15 to 21 ft² (1.4 to 1.92 m²) before you decide.
- A photo from the door. Find the shot that shows the floor between the bed and the desk, and whether the entry and the bath door share a strip.
If you plan on two big bags, look at a twin in the 22 m² range or above, or accept one open bag and one closed.
The short version
An 18 m² room is 194 ft² and is sold for one, two or three guests, with bed widths from 39 to 71 inches (98 to 180 cm). With the bath inside the figure, two guests have 74 to 82 ft² of non-bed floor each. Read the guest count and bed width first, treat the bath as inside the number unless the hotel says otherwise, and plan on one open 29-inch bag at a time.
Cover photo: a twin room at Cross Hotel Osaka by J o, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. It shows a different hotel from the ones discussed.
