APA Hotel Nihonbashi Hamacho Ekiminami

Wonderful staff, so helpful even if there was a language barrier at times. They were so patient with listening to my broken Japanese and were so kind. Very clean, and had a water kettle as well as instant packets of coffee. You have to walk a bit to the train station, but it's close to many conbini and local cafes which are great.

Our room was a bit small for two people and the AC wasn't quite strong enough.

Very good value for money and a short walk from Hamacho Subway Station. Facilities were clean and comfy. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Some of the staff speak English and that was handy. Breakfast menu is decente albeit limited.

This is one of the best hotel experiences I have had, if not THE best. The hotel responds quickly to any inquiries/online messaging and their staff was friendly and very accommodating. New towels including additional bathroom supplies were provided daily and the location is right off the Sumida-Gawa River with beautiful views and a close proximity to several dining options.

For an 11 floor hotel, it would have been nice if the laundry machines and microwave were on a middle floor (5 or 6 instead of 2). I was roomed on floor 11 so when using the laundry facility and microwave, there was a lot of up and down/elevator wait time.

This is a budget hotel that I suspect is mainly used by Japanese business people rather than choice for tourists and as such it does a good job. On the 11th floor I got a good view of the river - nothing special but it's not the Thames, the Rhine or the Seine! The hotel is close to several metro stations, the nearest about 5 minutes walk away the others perhaps ten. So logistically it's in a good position. The staff were friendly and helpful, though this isn't unusual in Japan! The room was functional but very compact. I booked a room on Bookings.com and changed the default number of persons to 1 from 2, so that may be why my room was very compact. Passing other rooms when cleaners left doors open I could see they were larger. I'd have not liked to share my room with anyone else, including (especially!) my wife - I think tempers would have frayed. :-) The ensuite is small but good enough. Typical Japanese heated and multi-functional toilet and a small tub that one could use as a compact bath but with a shower that was again, good enough. The free WiFi was good and stable. The hotel and neighbourhood quiet. I spent very little time in the room other than to sleep and if you look at my 'what I didn't like' responses you'll need to balance what you want and need, against what you can live with in the interests of saving some money. In short no bad complaints as such - but it's not a hotel you remember for the sumptuous surrounds, just an efficient bedding place! Small update - I stayed for one night on arrival in Tokyo, then returned at the end of my trip for 4 nights. I think the link for the review was for the first night - but these comments are equally pertinent to the two stays. I should also say there is a 7-11 not far away and also a Family Mart which is open 24x7. And there's a nice 'farm to fork' restaurant about an 7 minute walk with excellent western style cuisine.

The room was small - my suitcase folds opens into two halves and with it open on the floor there was barely any useable floor space. There was a desk and chair for doing any work but no armchair to relax in. As a solo traveller, it was bearable. I don't really watch TV when in hotels but I do like to have it on in the mornings for English language news - I found in both APA hotels I stayed in on this trip that they only had BBC World that wasn't a Japanese channel - normally that's fine, but in both hotels the commentary was dubbed into Japanese! Not just for native English language speakers but for other nationalities, it would be nice to have one channel that would convey more news from around the world in the international language. My worst gripe, though, is that there are no facilities other than a vending machine (apparently) on the 2nd floor to get anything to drink. A kettle in the room, but no tea or coffee or other beverages - for a hotel not to provide such basics is very poor in my view. There is a small restaurant with helpful staff, but only open briefly for breakfast and lunch - only served Asian style food - best I could get on the first day was two boiled eggs with some rice. The rest of my stay I ate elsewhere. I don't expect it to be 'like at home' - I've travelled regularly to over 70 countries in my life/career and am prepared to adapt to what the locals eat to a large extent, but for a hotel like this, to provide some options more appealing to a Western palate would be nice. A small lounge for those staying a few days even if no services are offered (like a bar) would also be nice, for those who want to relax but not lay on the bed. I would stay there again - but would ensure I was better prepared for the aspects lacking.