Arks Inn Omori

I came here for work, and the room was cold the whole time. Turning up the air conditioner's temperature did nothing. When I cracked open the inspection cover, it was packed with dust and grime, which probably explains why it wasn't heating properly. There were other problems too. The remote for the TV was broken, and draining the bath made water back up with a sewage smell. I can accept some wear in an old building, but the slippers were toilet sandals. I wouldn't wear those in my own home.

The bathroom drain had a strong sewer smell, which really put me off. The Japanese-style room was freezing even with the air conditioning turned all the way up; I wished I'd brought a padded jacket. They take credit cards now, but the front desk man couldn't use the machine, so I ended up paying cash. It's a fairly cheap hotel in Ube, so I suppose that's how it goes. Just something to know.

I thought it was good value and had considered coming back, but after this, I won't. I stayed for a business trip and booked seven nights. I paid for five by credit card, then later paid for the remaining two. They gave me a 400 yen discount on the first five nights for staying consecutively, but said the last two didn't qualify because they weren't consecutive. Nobody had mentioned the discount beforehand. There was no Sunday dinner, yet I was still charged for it. They hadn't recorded how much I'd paid, so they asked me to tell them the amount. The explanations were hard to follow, with comments like they didn't remember or know, or that it was what they'd said. Make sure to check the amount carefully when you pay.

Parking is free, across the road from the entrance, but the WiFi is painfully slow. The setup felt more like a cheap boarding house than a hotel. The toilet and shower were in separate shared rooms, though I can't speak for the upper floors. I also think the price could be a little lower. There's no curfew, but check-in only runs until 10 PM, which doesn't work well if you're out in the evening. If you'll arrive later, apparently you need to contact them ahead of time and pay in advance through the booking site.