[godwine]

I am starting this thread to help other travelers choose accomodation. Please feel free to add to this thread if you think your comment or review will help others. Scoring will be out of 10 for each category. Please also provide some descriptive justification for your score decision

Please keep in mind that this is PURELY a subjective view, individual expereience may differe

---------------------------
Hotel: Hotel Granvia Kyoto
Location: Kyoto
Overall Score: 8/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 10/10 - Right above the JR Kyoto Station
Staff Language Proficiency: 8/10 - Staff speaks fluent Japanese and Semi-Fluent English. Some staff speaks Mandarin and French.
Cleaniness:9/10 - Mainhalls, rooms and MOST facilities are extremely clean. Bathroom conditions are great, but do show signs of use.
Price: 7/10, solely judging from the $ figure and not from the perspective of "Bang for the buck". Rooms average at around USD$150 a night

Overall Comment
Great place to stay at if money is not a concern. Location is highly convenient, very clean hotel with polite and helpful staff. Highly recommended

---------------------------
Hotel: Hotel Sun Targas Ueno
Location: Tokyo - Ueno
Overall Score: 7/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 9/10 - About 5 minutes walk from the JR Ueno Station.
Staff Language Proficiency: 3/10 - Staff speaks fluent Japanese and very little English
Cleaniness: 8/10 - A smaller business hotel with very clean room and facility.
Price: 8/10, At about USD$40 per person per night, with very clean and comfortable accomodation.

Overall Comment
Room size are typical Japanese "BUsiness Hotel" sizes, a bit on the small side. Location wise, while the hotel is very close to a major JR station, it is quite hidden and its not easy to find it

---------------------------
Hotel: Heiwa Plaza Hotel
Location: Yokohama
Overall Score 6/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 9/10 - 10 minutes walk from JR Sakuragicho station
Staff language proficiency: 7/10 - Staff Speaks fluent Japanese, and was able to communicate in English
Cleaniness: 5/10 - Very small business hotel, rooms and facility shows heavy signs of usage. Rusty and corroded pipe were observed in bathroom and other areas of the room
Price: 6/10 - About USD$80 a night, I've epxected a bit more for that kind of price

Overall Comment
Hotel is overpriced whe comparig its facility with other business hotel of similar price

---------------------------
Hotel: Green Hotel Hakata
Location: Hakata
Overall Score 8/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 7/10 - 10 Minutes walk from Tenjin station. Tenjin station's exit is not something that can be easily accessed, carrying heavy luggage will be a pain to navigate around Tenjin
Staff language Proficiency: 8/10 - Staff speaks fluent Japanese and English
Cleaniness: 9/10 - Very clean hotel.
Price: 8/10 - USD$80 a night for 2 people.

Overall Comment
Very good hotel if you don't mind the navigating through Tenjin with your luggages

---------------------------
Hotel: Flex Hotel Hiroshima
Location: Hiroshima
Overall Score 8/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 8/10 - 10 minutes walk from JR Hiroshima Station.
Staff language proficiency: 7/10 - Fluent Japanese and conversational Englhish
Cleaniness: 9/10 - Very tidy and clean hotel. Bathroom and all other facilities shows little sign of usage
Price: 8/10 - USD$90 a night for 2 people

Overall comment
Great hotel, convenient location, and a great view if you are to dine at their outdoor patio.

---------------------------
Hotel: Himeji Castle Hotel
Location: Himeji
Overall Score: 7/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 7/10 - 15 Minutes walk from JR Himeji Station.
Staff Language Proficiency: 8/10 Fluent Japanese and english
Cleaniness: 8/10 - Not the best, but acceptable, I expected more from a hotel of this caliber
Price: 8/10 - USD$110 a night for 2 people

Overall comment
Ok hotel, right on the "Acceptable" level base on my standard

---------------------------
Hotel: Dotombori Hotel Osaka
Location: Namba (Osaka)
Overall Score: 8/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 9/10 - 3 minutes walk from Namba station
Staff Language proficiency: 8/10 Fluent Japanese and English
Cleaniness: 8/10 - Very clean room and equipment. Bathroom shows sign of usage, but well maintained
Price: 8/10 - USD$90 a night for 2 people

Overall Comment
Great hotel, highly recommended. Very conenienve location, right in the heart of Namba where all the action is

---------------------------
Hotel: Garden Hotel
Location: Kyoto
Overall Score: 7/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 7/10 - 3 minutes walk from Karasuma Oike station, but GETTING to Karasuma Oike can be a challenge, no escalator at exist, making it difficult if you are traveling with heavy luggage
Staff Language Proficiency: 8/10 Fluent Japanese and English
Cleaniness:7/10 - Rooms are clean, but do show an obvious sign of usage
Price:7/10 - USD$110 a night for 2 people

Overall Comment
Hotel is decent and acceptable, but a bit overpriced for what you get

---------------------------
Hotel: Royal Park Hotel
Location: Yokohama
overall Score: 9/10
---------------------------
Score
Location: 9/10 - 2 minutes walk from Sakuragicho Station, right within the Landmark Tower building
Staff Language Proficiency: 9/10, Fluent in Japanese and English, staff with other language proficiency available upon request
Cleaninesess: 10/10 - Rooms are spotless and its very big and comfortable.
Price: 9/10 - USD$180 a night for 2 people, a bit on the high side, but its well worth it

Overall Comment
Great hotel, the view itself (Looking down at Minato Mirai) is worth the money. Very very clean with amazing service. You should try their in room massages, very relaxing.

---------------------------
Hotel: Oak Hotel
Location: Ueno, Tokyo
Overall Score: 6/10
---------------------------
Score
location:7/10 - 10 minutes walk from JR Ueno Station
Staff language proficiency: 8/10, Fluent Japanese and English
Cleaniness: 4/10 - Totally unaccetable, there were dust in the room, all facility shows heavy sign of usage
Price:7/10 - USD$70 a night for 2 people.

Overall Comment
I guess this one is a matter of you get what you pay for. My experience with this hotel is sub-par, very noisy hotel with a lot of "Hippies" like rock-star wanna be crashing in at this hotel. My reservation was initially for 7 nights, I left after the first night and move to Tokyo Prince instead. Too many of these "Rock Star Wannabe" try to pick up the girls at the front desk.

---------------------------
Hotel: Tokyo Prince Hotel
Location: Hamamatsucho, Tokyo
Overall Score:7/10
---------------------------
Score
Location:7/10 - 10 Minutes walk from Hamamatsucho Station
Staff Language Proficiency:9/10, Fluent in Japanese and English. Other languages available upon request
Cleaniness: 7/10 - Clean rooms, but OLD facility
Price: 8/10 - USD$140 a night for 2 people

Overall Comment
A bit on the expensive side, but right in the heart of Tokyo. Location is rather convenient, with lots of good restaurant around the area. easy access to Ginza and Shinbashi (route to Odaiba)


============================
Thats it for today, I will put up another review for some other ones I stayed at 2 years ago