Arietta Hotel Hakata

The staff were nice, and the hotel is very close to the station. The free minibar and unlimited beer, coffee, and whiskey were generous perks. But our first room was really dirty, even though they did move us to a cleaner one. The 4pm check-in and 550yen storage charge per bag felt like a total rip-off, and I haven't run into that elsewhere in Japan. It was also disappointing that ZONK permanently closed its nice fitness room.

After five nights here, this was the worst hotel I've stayed in in Japan. The furniture was falling apart, and although the rooms are small, as you'd expect in Japan, there was no housekeeping at all. You can't get fresh sheets, and you have to carry your own rubbish down to the lobby. For clean towels, take the used ones to the check-in counter first. They offer free alcohol, but coffee is the only non-alcoholic drink, and there's no tea. You only get two small bottles of water for the whole stay, and extra water costs money. Maybe it's okay for a single night, but for longer stays, it isn't worth the money or the hassle. Stay away.

You can pour yourself a beer for free in the lobby whenever you want, even with friends, and the price is great for what you get. That big lobby sofa really needs replacing, though.

Good vibe, plus they give you free beer and snacks. The room itself was small but clean. Since the corridors on every floor are unenclosed, I'd pick a lower floor if you're staying with children or pets. They're nice spots to get a little time to yourself, but up high they could be risky for kids or animals.