Hotel Leon Hamamatsu

The people at Hotel Leon were professional and helpful, and I liked the location, price, and comfort. It's an easy walk from Hamamatsu station and close to shops and restaurants. The rooms and common areas were clean, comfortable, and pleasantly furnished. Still, I wouldn't return or recommend it because of several problems during my three-night stay. The biggest concern was the fridge. I carry prescription medication for a medical condition that must stay cold to remain usable. It's expensive and vital to my health, so I always book a room with a fridge. While I was out, the cleaner switched it off. I only noticed the next morning, so it had been off for almost 24 hours. This has never happened during over a year of travelling around Japan and staying in similar hotels. If I'd stayed another day and missed it again, my medication could have been ruined. Staff shouldn't turn off a fridge, and if they do, they should check that it's empty. I also slept badly each night. A clock built into the bed lit up the room all night, and I couldn't find a way to turn it off except covering it with a pillow. The window wouldn't open, and the AC only had low, medium, and high settings while the hotel controlled the temperature. Even with below-freezing temperatures outside and the AC off, the room was stuffy and too hot to sleep comfortably. The shower was frustrating too. Its apparently new showerhead pointed straight at the bath rim, and there was no way to adjust the angle unless I removed it or aimed it at the wall. Water spilled over the tub onto the floor unless my body blocked all of the spray. I managed to reduce the flooding over the three days, but it was still a nuisance. At least the shower area itself was a wet room.

We arrived late during Golden Week and got the last room, a lovely suite with fancy fittings. It even had a fresh filter on the AC vent. The hotel is near the train station and town centre, and there were refreshments in the lobby.

The hotel is convenient and otherwise fine, but be careful about selecting a non-smoking room through a third-party site. I booked through Agoda, whose customer service was terrible. Although the platforms label options as "Smoking" or "Non-Smoking," I'm told those labels only generate a note in the special requests field, which the hotel doesn't have to honor. Apparently guests who need a non-smoking room should contact the hotel directly beforehand, but that isn't clear, and the way the rooms are listed makes doing so seem unnecessary. My allergies will be acting up all night. Hopefully you can avoid that by steering clear of misleading listings and unhelpful customer service agents.

It's a little beat-up and only somewhat clean. The room carpets look like they haven't been cleaned in years, and the rooms have a strange smell. Parking was advertised as available, but this huge hotel has only 25 spots, and I think employees use many of them, leaving about 18 for guests. Everyone else has to pay to park elsewhere. I guess you get what you pay for, but I thought pride counted for something in Japan. I suppose times are changing everywhere.