Cut Your Luggage in Half: Hotels with Great Baby Gear Rentals
This site uses affiliate links; we may earn a commission on bookings.
The biggest source of stress on a family trip might not be choosing a hotel — it might be the luggage. A stash of diapers, changes of clothes, a stroller, a request for a crib, bath gear, a bib for mealtimes — the list never seems to end, and it can wear you out before you've even left home.
One thing I quietly prioritize when choosing a hotel is how much baby gear you can rent there. Half of what you'd pack for a family trip simply doesn't need to come along if the hotel already has it. If you can rent a stroller on site, you're freed from the ordeal of hauling a stroller onto the shinkansen (bullet train) while also holding your child's hand.
This matters even more on a longer trip involving a flight or the shinkansen.
What You Don't Need to Pack If the Hotel Has It to Rent
A lot of the items that make you think, "Do I really have to pack all this?" when preparing for a family trip can stay home if the hotel offers them for rent. Here's what I check before booking.
Check whether the hotel rents strollers, cribs, formula-prep supplies, and a humidifier.
1. Stroller
This is the biggest win. A hotel where you can rent a stroller for use during your stay means you don't have to transport one at all. Travel by shinkansen or plane instantly gets easier, and renting one on site lets you move light right up until check-in.
2. Crib or baby futon
A baby's bed obviously can't be packed, so checking whether one is available for rent is essential. Beyond a standard crib, some hotels also offer a baby futon, fall-prevention side guards, or a bassinet. These usually need to be requested in advance, so ask when you book.
3. Formula-prep and feeding supplies
If your baby is on formula, a hotel that lends you a hot water pot for mixing formula and a bottle-sterilizing kit means you don't have to bring a full set of sterilizing gear. Hotels that can warm up baby food are convenient too.
4. Humidifier, baby bath, and high chair
A humidifier for dry seasons, a baby bath for bath time, and a high chair for meals can all be crossed off your packing list if the hotel rents them. A hotel that has all of these on hand is also a good sign that it's experienced at welcoming families with young children.
Cut Down on Diaper-Related Luggage and Hassle
One thing that's surprisingly easy to overlook is everything related to diapers.
A hotel with an "unlimited diapers" plan or a dedicated diaper trash bin can dramatically cut down your diaper-related luggage.
Even for a one-night, two-day trip, you'll typically pack more than 10 diapers, plus bags for carrying used diapers home and odor-blocking bags. With a hotel offering an unlimited diapers plan, you don't need to bring any at all, and with a hotel that has a dedicated diaper trash bin, you don't need to carry used ones back with you. That alone can shrink your luggage by a whole shopping bag's worth.
For a short trip you can drive to, the amount of luggage isn't as big a deal. But on a longer trip, hauling a full-size stroller, a large stash of diapers, and something to serve as a crib is a real burden. Renting whatever you can is simply the smart move.
8 Recommended Hotels You Can Visit Nearly Empty-Handed
From here, I'll introduce hotels with excellent baby gear rentals. I've spread these from north to south across Japan, focusing on hotels that offer everything from stroller rentals to formula-prep supplies.
1. Yu no Mori Hotel Shidotaira (Hanamaki Onsen area, Iwate)
A hot-spring hotel with a full lineup of baby gear, including stroller rental plus a baby bath, high chair, humidifying air purifier, and baby soap. Rooms certified as "Welcome Baby" come with a humidifying air purifier as standard. With such thorough rentals, you can travel light and enjoy the Hanamaki hot springs.
2. Atsumi Onsen Tachibanaya (Atsumi Onsen, Yamagata)
A long-established hot-spring inn certified as "Welcome Baby." You can rent a baby futon set, a waterproof mattress pad, a humidifier, and an air purifier, and the hotel also offers a bottle-washing service and warming for instant baby food. Both the men's and women's communal baths have a crib installed, showing real attention to the practical needs of traveling with a baby.
3. Forest Resort Conifer Iwabitsu (Higashiagatsuma, Gunma)
This highland resort lends out a full "childcare gear" set — a stroller, an in-room crib, a bottle-sterilizing kit, a hot water pot for the kids, a humidifier, and an air purifier. Since pretty much everything you'd need is available to rent, you can enjoy a stay surrounded by nature while traveling almost empty-handed.
4. Kawaguchiko Onsen Fuji Lake Hotel (Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi)
A hot-spring hotel with a view of Mt. Fuji that offers a free stroller rental, plus a free temperature-controlled water pot and bottle-sterilizing kit. A baby bath, high chair, and baby soap round out the lineup, so you can leave your entire formula-prep kit at home. A great, light-luggage base for exploring the Fuji Five Lakes area.
5. Hotel Wellseason Hamanako (Lake Hamana, Shizuoka)
Beyond a standard crib, this hotel offers a Bumbo seat, a bassinet, and even a fall-prevention "snug bed." There's also a temperature-keeping pot for mixing formula and a bottle-sterilizing set, every room comes standard with a humidifying air purifier, and an additional humidifier is available to rent for free. The lineup is detailed enough to match your baby's exact age and stage.
6. Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa (Minamiboso, Chiba)
An all-inclusive resort by the sea. Rooms certified as "Welcome Baby" come with a formula-prep pot, and the hotel also offers a humidifier for rent, a dedicated diaper trash bin, and a baby bath, high chair, and baby soap. It's easy to reach from central Tokyo, making it a good fit for families who want to get to a seaside resort while traveling light.
7. Fukugi Terrace (Motobu, Okinawa)
This Okinawa hotel offers a free in-house stroller and crib for rent. A dedicated diaper trash bin, baby bath, high chair, and baby soap are all available too, so the bulky baby gear that's such a hassle on a flight can simply be rented on arrival. On a long-haul trip to Okinawa especially, a hotel with thorough rentals makes a huge difference to how much you have to pack.
8. Hotel Nishinagato Resort (Tsunoshima, Yamaguchi)
This scenic resort on Tsunoshima Island offers a free stroller and baby futon rental, along with a dedicated diaper trash bin, a baby bath, and a humidifier. With baby gear this thorough, you can travel light even on a longer trip and simply enjoy the famously blue waters of Tsunoshima without worrying about your luggage.
Conclusion: Rent What You Can, and Travel Light
You can cut your family trip's luggage dramatically just by taking advantage of a hotel's rental gear. Here's a final recap of what to check before you book.
Does the hotel rent strollers? (This changes how much of a burden travel is, dramatically.)
Does it rent cribs, formula-prep supplies, and a humidifier?
Is there an unlimited diapers plan or a dedicated diaper trash bin?
On a longer trip involving a flight or the shinkansen especially, how thorough a hotel's rentals are makes a huge difference to how much you pack. Each hotel page on Kids Stay lays out what baby gear is available to rent so you can compare at a glance.
For the bigger picture on choosing a family hotel, see our framework for choosing a hotel with kids. If you'd also like your child to be able to play inside the hotel, check out hotels with an in-house kids' space.
*This article contains advertising (links to hotel booking sites). Whether items are available to rent, their cost, and how to reserve them are current as of June 2026. Please confirm the latest details with each hotel at the time of booking.*