Hakata Tokyu REI Hotel

The rooms are clean and look modern, and the staff are friendly. There isn’t much usable desk space, though, and the wifi dropped out now and then. It costs a little more, but you get free bottled water and a bed that’s larger than is typical for hotels in this area. Great location, too.

The concept double room was a reasonable size: I could fit one large suitcase under the seating area and a medium one in the closet. The shower is in its own booth, the toilet is clean, and housekeeping comes daily. At set times each day, the lobby lounge offers free soda, coffee, tea and water, along with biscuits and candy. Some toiletries are available for self-service near the lift lobby. Getting around is easy. The subway is a two-minute walk away, with the bus terminal farther ahead, and a bridge connecting to KITTE OIOI mall and Hakata station for Shinkansen. The bus stop is within five minutes on foot, with services to most central areas and shrines. Highly recommended!

We stayed three nights, and the man at the front desk checked that in the system before even speaking with me. What followed was an upsetting exchange that didn’t feel like the kind Japanese hospitality we’re used to. We politely asked for help calling a restaurant in Takeo Onsen to book dinner for later in our trip. The staff said they would only help if we were staying at the hotel on the day of the reservation. That made no sense to us, since we couldn’t be staying in Hakata while having dinner in Takeo Onsen. The restaurant doesn’t take online bookings, and reservations in Japan need to be made at least a week ahead, which is why we asked for help as we don’t speak Japanese. I’d understand if they didn’t make reservation calls at all, rather than limiting help to “same day guests.” The rooms are standard Japanese size, clean, and come with fresh towels. If you request cleaning, complimentary bottles of mineral water are provided daily. The hotel is centrally located, but getting there with large suitcases is inconvenient at the moment: the nearest station exit with an elevator is closed for renovation, so you have to carry your luggage up two flights of stairs via Exit 6. We planned to stay here again when we returned to Fukuoka at the end of our trip, but chose another nearby hotel instead.

Tokyu Rei is in a handy location, especially if you’re starting or ending your activities at Hakata Station. Most bus services terminate just outside on the main road.