HOTEL LiVEMAX Akabane-Ekimae

Friendly staff, a clean place, and a convenient location near the station, restaurants, and shops.

I often stay at Hotel Livemax locations across Japan when traveling with my dog, so I booked this one because it offered pet-friendly rooms. It was my first time using a Hotel Livemax in Tokyo. The day before my stay, I called to confirm check-in and was told that dog-friendly rooms had been discontinued several months earlier. I explained that I’d booked through the page listing them. Staff confirmed the website still showed pet-friendly options, apologized, and offered to waive the cancellation fee. I accepted the cancellation, but my trip with my dog was already planned, so I had to find another hotel urgently. I asked about alternatives at a sister hotel, but was told there were no vacancies and wasn’t offered further help. I had to rearrange everything myself, which was very inconvenient. I also found that some sister hotels allow pets but aren’t listed on the Dog×Stay page. The pet-friendly hotel list doesn’t match what’s actually available, which makes it confusing to choose. Since there are so few hotels that take pets, it’s especially disappointing this happened after I booked well in advance. I hope they review the accuracy of their listings and how they manage them, improve the information, and take steps to stop this happening again.

I picked this hotel along with another nearby one while sorting through my late family member’s belongings at my parents’ house. The old house had become a place where mice were living. Aside from being right by the station and close to the nightlife area, it’s an ordinary hotel. The one thing that may be good about its location is that there isn’t a wall immediately outside the window, like there is at some hotels of this kind. On the other hand, noise from people making a racket in the early morning could be an issue.

There’s a coin laundry, and check-in was easy with the automated machine. The room was clean, and the hotel was comfortable, if unremarkable. I’d recommend it if you’re after an affordable place in the city center.