A location-allocation model for the hotel selection problem: a case study considering a travel along Japan with the Japan Rail Pass

In addition to the attractiveness due to the mix between history and modernity, the robust Japanese transport infrastructure permits a diverse and comprehensive travel along all country. In this context, the Japan Rail Pass arises as an important ally, as it permits the unlimited travel on all JR (Japan Railways) lines during a determined period. The objective of this work is to determine where to book hotels, making possible the visit by train to all main cities of Japan within a maximum travel time. We propose two mixed-integer linear programming models, solved using the Gurobi solver, in a framework constructed in Python. In experiments, we compare different maximum travel times, maximum number of hotels and flexibility of departure time. The results of our work are, besides the framework itself, an analysis of places to book a hotel in Japan, considering different personal conditions.