Hotel Wbf Grande Hakata

I stayed one night and really enjoyed the open-air onsen, which is a rare feature and very well kept. The lounge on the top floor was lovely too. Hakata station is an easy 8-minute walk away, and there's a great ramen place 4 minutes away. The airport is JPY1300 away. My only complaint is that the room was a bit small for two large suitcases.

The worn, stained sofa is the first thing you notice when you enter, and by then you realize you made a mistake booking here. At the front desk, the staff were very unfriendly and just pointed me to self check-in. The room and bathroom are both very, very small. There's no daily room service, though someone brings fresh towels in the morning. The bed was uncomfortable, and the beaded pillows felt like tiny rocks. I woke up with back pain and headaches. I don't recommend this place.

The location is okay, but I wouldn't recommend staying here. Taking the lift gave the hotel the feel of a low-end student hall. I found hair on the bed and pillow, and I'm sure they hadn't been changed after the previous guest. When I arrived at reception and smiled at the staff member, they looked at me without saying anything or even nodding, then walked away. The staff member was rude.

For one night, it was good value for money. Check-in was fine, and the staff were friendly, though the service wasn't anything special. The room was clean, and the bathtub was surprisingly large given the room size. It was by far the smallest room we've stayed in so far in Japan, though, so I probably wouldn't stay there again. We skipped breakfast because it cost more in the morning than it would have if we'd booked the night before, and was over 2000 yen per person.