APA Hotel Kokura Ekimae

There's no concierge, and the room is small, clean, and pretty basic. The check-in and check-out process is fairly streamlined. Like McDonald's, you get an efficient, standard service and room, but it's minimalist.

I chose a non-smoking room on agoda but was assigned a smoking room. The secondhand smoke was hazardous, the smell was horrible, and I got sick the next day. I can't tell whether sleeping on a smoke-filled hotel floor contributed to it, but it may have. I'm surprised the hotel can put guests in smoking rooms without notice, especially when many countries prohibit smoking throughout hotels and public spaces. Shouldn't the listing say the room is for smoking so guests can choose? I don't see how forcing someone to stay in one is legally acceptable.

At least the station is within walking distance. The room was standard enough, but it was really hot because there was no air-conditioning, even with the windows open. There was only a fairly loud fan that blew air, and the room wasn't the cleanest. The sound insulation was poor too, since I could hear my neighbors' TV through the walls.

The staff were nice and helpful, and the hotel is conveniently close to the train station. The central air-conditioning temperature couldn't be adjusted. Cleaning needs improvement, and the facilities need maintenance.