HOTEL LiVEMAX Kyoto Teramachidori

It was cozy and I had no problems during my stay. The station was within a 10-minute walk, and there was plenty to see and visit nearby. This hotel is very cheap. Other places cost more than 10,000 yen, but this one was cheaper and good enough for me as a solo guest. I'd definitely book here again.

The room was okay and the baths were good, but the walls were mouldy and the wallpaper was peeling. You could see the same mould and peeling wallpaper at the lift landing. It's the worst-maintained hotel we've seen in Japan, shocking given how clean and disciplined the Japanese are. I've never come across service this poor in Japan. Staff hid behind the curtains at the counter, and some couldn't speak English and wouldn't even try to listen to a simple question. There was a kettle and two mugs in the room, so I asked about tea bags, expecting some in the room or lobby. They just said no. It's the first hotel or accommodation we've stayed at in Japan without even a cheap two-cent tea bag. What are the kettle and mugs for, just hot water? Take your money elsewhere. There was also an unshaven guest or employee who smelled of cigarette smoke, hanging around the lobby and going in and out of the back rooms every day. In the morning, drunk guests yelled on the doorsteps and the staff did nothing to move them along.

I expected LiveMax to be better about this, but they won't hold your luggage after checkout. Another local hotel was much, much better. Hard to believe a hotel still does this nowadays.

Getting my bag from storage took a half hour of waiting in the lobby because the receptionists were never around. The sink also took an hour to drain, the shower curtain was filthy, and the window panels were dusty. Neither the air conditioning nor the TV remote worked. The room size was OK, and the hotel is near the train station and bus stop. This was a 2/5 experience. You get what you pay for.