HOTEL LiVEMAX Higashi Ginza

We'd stayed at livemax on all four of our trips to japan over the last few years and had good experiences until this visit. This time, things went badly from check-in through checkout, and I regret ignoring the other reviews. We arrived 30-40 minutes before the 3pm check-in. The staff at the desk were chatting and didn't acknowledge us until I interrupted to introduce myself and ask to check in, apologizing for being early. The person who seemed to be the manager just said check-in was at 3pm, turned away, and carried on talking. When I asked if we could at least do the formalities and come back for the room later, they only checked that we had a booking. At least they let us leave our luggage. Later, I asked for an extra pillow because the ones in the room were too soft and not enough. They immediately refused, saying they don't provide extra pillows, with no apology or further explanation. We also waited at reception for quite a while, ringing the bell, before anyone came to help. They'd been napping in the staff room. The hotel was messy from the ground floor and foyer to the rooms. Cleaning equipment was left in open areas by reception, blocking guest access, and our room still had rubbish from previous guests and was very worn. I knew it wasn't going to be a five-star stay, but it felt like less than half a star. The staff were the main source of dissatisfaction. They were all foreigners, perhaps Nepalese or Bengali, and didn't show the welcoming Japanese hospitality we'd experienced at other hotels on this trip with Japanese staff. They seemed bothered by having to do their jobs, and weren't respectful, welcoming, or helpful. This was a really bad experience with both the hotel and staff. Take my advice and spend a bit more on somewhere better.