Hotel Marion

I wouldn’t stay here again, even though it’s cheap. The bed was comfortable and the sheets were clean, and the Japanese breakfast was delicious: a drink, warm rice, miso soup, seaweed, a small side dish, and a small but thick piece of salmon. Members also get a welcome beer and breakfast service from their first visit. The front desk staff were polite and helpful. There were some good points in the room, too. The sound system was good, the air conditioning seemed centrally controlled but comfortable, and there was free mineral water and a service refrigerator. I didn’t use the two-person sauna, but it was clean and nice. A lot of things needed fixing. The TV was broken, with a strange blue tint, and its remote receiver sat so low that the remote wouldn’t work from the bed. I thought the remote was broken and asked the front desk. The sign said a membership card was in the refrigerator, but it wasn’t there; they brought it when I asked. The sink drained slowly because hair was blocking it. I removed what I could see with a toothpick from the front desk, but muddy stuff farther down kept the water draining slowly. The tub faucet was broken as well, so it took so long to fill that the water cooled down. I ended up using the shower to fill the tub. There were no trousers with the room wear. I complained and they brought some. The electric massager’s cord only reached about 1 meter from the pillow, enough for a head massage while lying down. After I complained, they brought a plug-in one. In response to that complaint, they unlocked the room and left my belongings on a shelf by the entrance, with no lock on the door. Being half-naked in the room felt uncomfortable and left me uneasy. The cleaning seemed mostly fine, but opened, used cotton pads and swabs had been left behind as dirty garbage. A clogged sink is a serious problem when cleaning is part of the job. Wallpaper was peeling in parts of the toilet, and there were holes where equipment had been installed before. I worried insects might get in, and some of the holes looked like rats had made them. The air conditioning was comfortable, though I’m concerned about the summer heat and don’t know what it’ll be like during my stay.

I found this while searching Google for cheap hotels, and after reading the reviews I decided to try it. I was really happy with the stay. It was clean, with free food and drinks as well as breakfast. The amenities were great, and I liked being able to pick my own shampoo and other items. The service was so good for such a low price that I’d definitely come back. I recommend it to everyone.

The location worked well for me: it’s near the station, about a minute’s walk from Family Mart, and there are quite a few supermarkets and restaurants across the street. I found parking about 10 seconds from the hotel for 500 yen a day. I’d read that the hotel lot was small, and it seemed many people parked at the nearby Family Mart. I stayed in late March. As the reviews mentioned, the shower pressure was a little weak. I didn’t run hot water into the bathtub, so I can’t say how that pressure was. The air conditioning was centrally controlled, and the room felt a little hot even in March. I was disappointed that I couldn’t adjust the temperature.

Apart from one person, I’d rate this hotel five stars. I stay here for at least three nights each month, and it’s a very nice place. But there’s an elderly gentleman on staff who mishandled my extended stay. I regularly tell them in advance when I need the reservation switched to a longer stay in the evening. This time I contacted them when I arrived, they said they understood, and when I left in the evening they said they’d change it. When I got back and was about to take a bath, that gentleman called to say it hadn’t been switched, and I was charged an extension fee. I was charged 2000 yen for no reason, and I was extremely disappointed. I’d told them so many times, and that was what happened. I won’t say anything this time, but I’ve memorized his face and next time I’ll record a voice message as a precaution. For now, I’m leaving this review.