Olympic Inn Kanda

Masayo at the front desk made a big difference. We found black mold in the bathroom and I was ready to give the room one star, but she kindly moved us to a clean room on a higher floor. She and the front desk staff greeted us with a smile and thanked us when we left, and they were willing to store our luggage before check-in. I appreciated that, so I gave the service four stars instead of two. The rooms are basic, with the essentials, a mirror, and a kettle. There are free drinks in the first-floor lobby machine, though I wouldn't recommend the salty corn soup. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the station with luggage, even though Google Maps says under eight minutes. I'd have liked tea bags or instant coffee in the room. There are no laundry machines here. My stay was decent overall.

For the affordable price, I couldn't really ask for more. The room was spacious compared with other Tokyo hotels at the same price, and they supplied towels and pajamas, along with a good range of free drinks. Staff spoke only basic English, but they were helpful and tried to assist. The location was so-so, and seemed to be near a lot of office buildings. A couple of things to keep in mind: the room is quite old, and even though I know they tried hard to get rid of the smell, the smoking room still smelled smoky. I also couldn't reach the hotel through Agoda or email, and got no reply.

There's a vending machine with free drinks, which was a plus. The room looked old and was just sufficient for one night. Both the room and bed felt small compared with other Tokyo rooms I've stayed in, even with a double bed, so I wouldn't recommend one room for three or four people. It's about a 12-minute walk from Kanda Station, with hardly any convenience stores nearby. The streets on the walk back can feel dark and quiet at night.

Our twin room was huge by Tokyo standards, a welcome change after staying in tiny hotels. We booked it because it was the only room available, and got a great price. The bathroom is still tiny, but manageable. Staff were warm and friendly. The lobby has a free drink machine with soft drinks, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. In-room WiFi was the fastest we'd had in Japan, and there were free on-demand movies, though only one was in English. Other hotels charged for those. It's an older hotel near Tokyo Station, with a good location and plenty of restaurants within walking distance in Kanda and farther out. There's no laundry here, but we found one a few minutes away, as mentioned in other reviews. I noticed some dust in the air conditioning and heating vents, but it wasn't a big deal to me. I'd definitely stay here again if I came back to Tokyo.