HOTEL LiVEMAX Hakataekimae

The hotel is quite close to Hakata Station, which makes getting around super convenient. There are tons of food options right downstairs. It's also near the police station. On the second floor, there's a coin laundry for 300 yen a wash, and you can buy detergent at the front desk for 50 yen a packet. The bathroom is purely Japanese style, and the shower pressure is fantastic. Even though the room is small, we could open two 24-inch suitcases simultaneously.

How should I describe this hotel? I can only say it's excellent! The location is fantastic, about a 10-minute walk from Hakata Station. The facilities are incredibly complete; it has everything you could possibly need. It really gives off that 'small but perfectly formed' vibe. There's a microwave, a fridge, and the air conditioning, which is from Daikin, works wonderfully. Just a heads up, check-in isn't on the ground floor; the ground floor is a coffee shop. Check-in is on the second floor. The front desk staff were South Asian, I think from India or Pakistan, and they were very friendly. Overall, I stayed in room 507, and the whole experience felt very secure and satisfying. It's definitely cheaper and offers better value for money than other hotels around Hakata Station. Plus, taking a bath there was super relaxing.

Centrally located in Kokusai Street, making it convenient to get anywhere. Downstairs is a shopping street, and we found a great local restaurant with a Sanshin performance, which was delightful. Highly recommend!

The biggest downside to this place is that they don't offer luggage storage service. You have to pay an additional 1600 yen to use a self-service locker, and there's a limited number of lockers available. So, it's quite possible you'll drag your luggage from Hakata Station, hoping to store it at the hotel and start sightseeing early, only to find all the lockers are full, forcing you to go all the way back to Hakata Station. Even putting that aside, the value for money is pretty mediocre. Compared to other hotels closer to Hakata JR Station, this one is indeed cheaper, but that comes at the cost of environment, cleanliness, and service attitude, among other things. Personally, I think if the price isn't significantly lower than other options when you're booking, you're better off choosing somewhere else.

Although the room was a bit small, it's acceptable considering it's Japan. The best part is the restaurant on the ground floor, which is super convenient for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The room location is great. Just one thing to note: we booked a deluxe double room on the top floor with cooking facilities. You'll need to bring your own cookware. We ended up buying a pan to grill some meat, but make sure it's IH-compatible, otherwise it won't work. Also, the hotel doesn't provide disposable slippers, so if that's an issue for you, bring your own.

The hygiene and environment were terrible, and the front desk staff had a really bad attitude. Plus, the location is quite out of the way.

It's genuinely small, but quite refined. You can spread out your belongings if you plan carefully. The location is great, just an 8-minute walk from Hakata Station. It gets a bit noisy at night, but it's manageable.