Via Inn Asakusa

The reception staff spoke enough English to answer all our questions. Our room was comfortable and was the biggest we'd had on the trip. The location was good, and the included buffet had plenty of good choices. The free internet was adequate for email and general browsing, though not especially fast.

Check-in was clean and efficient, and the room was what I expected. The complimentary phone, with data and free calls, was an added bonus. Breakfast was included, with a good selection and enough to eat as much as we needed. We'd recommend the hotel and stay again.

I liked the breakfast, which leaned Western but still had some Japanese options, and the room was a reasonable size with a great view of the Sensoji shrine. There are lots of places to eat nearby in the evening, since the hotel doesn't serve dinner. The stay was comfortable enough, although the metro isn't very convenient from here. For a hotel aimed at tourists, I expected a higher level of English from some staff, especially at reception.

The staff were wonderful and the hotel was clean, but the room felt a little worn, with cracks in the walls. The bed was hard and uncomfortable for me, and the pillow felt too flat. I asked the front desk for another pillow, and he happily brought one up. The Wi-Fi was pretty bad on the 10th floor where I stayed, cutting in and out enough that I mostly used my pocket Wi-Fi. One handy feature was the smartphone they provide for guests, though I never took it out with me. They also leave free tea and coffee bags, cotton buds, and body towels or scrubs on the main floor before the elevators.