THE KNOT FUKUOKA Tenjin

I wish we'd checked the reviews before booking, because these problems seem to be ongoing. The room carpet was dirty, so wear slippers, and there was a dead cockroach outside our room. We also saw a live cockroach on the floor. In the shared areas, there was a large pile of smelly rubbish inside the entrance and a big sick stain by the building entrance that stayed there our whole visit. On our floor, there was a large stain that might have been urine by the elevator, and nobody cleaned that either. Unbelievably unhygienic for somewhere presented as a hotel. It's more like an Air B&B.

The location was a real plus, close to plenty of good food places, shops, and coffee shops. The room itself was large by Japanese standards, but dated and musty when we first entered. I saw some other rooms while they were being cleaned, and those looked modern and nice. Ours needed an upgrade. For what I paid, and since it was advertised as a hotel, I expected hotel services and amenities. Instead, this is an Air-B&B setup much like one I booked in Osaka, with no front desk or room service. Check-in is by tablet near the elevator. Getting in was confusing. The building entrance is around the side, and hotel.com gave no clear instructions for the push-button keypad. Our room keypad battery was low and wouldn't let us in, so I had to go back downstairs and contact the help service at the check-in tablet. Towels need to be washed in the washer if you want fresh ones. There's no laundry soap or dryer. If all you need is somewhere to sleep, this might suit you. I wouldn't stay again, and anyone wanting more of a hotel experience should choose an actual hotel.

Room 504 was in a good location, clean, and not expensive. Still, the carpet had a stain and the cheap beds were literally coming apart. A screwdriver and a little work to tighten them would have made a difference. You get what you pay for, I suppose, but this place could be much better with very little effort.

The washer worked and the location was nice, with lots of stores nearby. The bed was comfortable, though the pillow was much too hard. Most of the rest was rough: the bathroom floor and carpets were filthy, the slippers were black so we couldn't tell if they were dirty or used, and the closet smelled awful. The warm light didn't work, and both the bed and the elevator creaked under the luggage, with the bed making noise all night. Service was poor, and we had to fill in information about ourselves. At night we heard stomping, and it felt like someone had opened the mailbox and was spying on us.