APA Hotel Asakusa Kuramae Ekimae — Hotel in Tokyo

Experience - 5/5|Ambience - 5/5|Accommodation - 4/5|Accessibility - 5/5|Money Value - 5/5||TL;DR A solid choice for first timers in Japan, this hotel is close to the subway station so you don't miss out on hotspots all over Tokyo. ||[+] Pros||Access to Stations - There is an exit for Kuramae Station right across the street. I usually take this station and just transfer to get to places like Akihabara, Shibuya, and Shinjuku with ease. If you don't mind a 10-12 minute walk, you can also get to Asakusa Station which will give you more options for transit routes. It's just so easy to get around.||Comfortable, Convenient Location - Hard to accurately say this one in words, but the location is just "comfy" after a long day of activities. The area has less tourists since it's further away from Senso-ji Temple and there won't be crowds of people at night. If you want to unwind at night this is for you. There is a small grocery next door and a 7-11 down the road. But if you like night life you might want to look at other places like Shinjuku!||Amenities - In terms of essentials, this hotel passes the threshold in all departments. You can have luggage be held if you arrive early (though I'm not sure if they do luggage forwarding to airports, will check in on this when I leave Japan and update). There's 2 washers and 2 dryers, and if you need change you can ask staff. There's a small convenience "store" or self check out kiosk at the first floor which has some snacks (chips, protein bars, ramen, drinks..) essentials (brush, mouthwash, prepaid sim) and a microwave next to it. Oh, and umbrellas for borrowing if you go out. ||In terms of the rooms themselves, there's multiple plugs in the bed headboard (4 total) and a USB plug so you can charge multiple devices even when you're in bed. A mini fridge for keeping those convenience store foods cold, and all the bathroom essentials (shower cap, comb, razor, brush, towels..) Personally I never felt like I was "missing" anything. ||Heated Bathroom Mirror - Alright, when you take a shower, there's gonna be steam yeah? What's awesome is that a part of the bathroom mirror here is HEATED! So that it never fogs up from the steam. And if you're like me and need the mirror to shave or get ready, that's down right awesome. ||Hose Style Shower Head - The shower head can be hung up top so you can use it like a traditional shower. Or... you can detach it hose and all and use it to wash in specific areas. This is super flexible and I liked the system here. It's a small thing you can live without, but the quality of life you gain is nice.||[-] Cons||One Elevator - Though the hotel itself isn't busy in a way that elevators get crammed, I thought I should point out there's only one of them nonetheless. I don't think it's a major con, but if you're traveling in a group and you're all on different floors it might be less convenient to sync up. Make sure you message the hotel in advance if you want to be placed on the same/close floors.||No Closet - Ah this one was kind of a bummer. I was hoping that there'd be a little space/recessed part of the wall where I could hang clothes and put shoes. There is a place to hang clothes against the wall, but if you have multiple big coats it might be a little hard.||Felt Small Sometimes - Room itself has decent space but it's the bathroom that felt a little cramped. The toilet, sink, and bathtub are really close to each other. I personally didn't have problems with it (I'm on the shorter side) but just thought I'd mention it.||✧✧✧||Final Thoughts?||This hotel was all in all a solid choice. I stayed here for 37 nights total during my 1.5 month stay. If you're budget conscious but still want easy access to the fun spots in Tokyo then I recommend this hotel. And if you can't book this specific one, I would recommend Asakusa as a place to stay in general as a first...

This was a convenient and inexpensive location within walking distance to the tourist attractions in Asakusa, but away from the crowds. It is by far my choice location when staying in Tokyo. Arriving at Haneda Airport, you can take the light blue Keikyu Airport Line which becomes the rose-colored Toei Asakusa line and exit from the last train car at Kuramae Station, which leaves you directly across the street from the hotel entrance. The Toei Asakusa line is also convenient for transfers to other lines, and the station entrance has coin lockers. The hotel itself is sort of small with 14 floors, and 8-10 rooms per floor. I stayed on the 13th floor which had an open rooftop. It was cold in the early November mornings. There is also only one elevator, and it was frequently shared with hotel staff moving from floor to floor. You can expect to wait for it, and have it make stops between floors. The facilities were limited, with only two washers and two dryers. I had to hang dry my clothing in the bathroom one day because I couldn't wait an hour for a dryer to become available. There is no onsen, lounge, or restaurant. There is a small "konbini" on the first floor, but it's really just some snacks and drinks for sale off a few shelves. I never used it because there was a 7-Eleven down the street and Rico's, a small konbini-like "supermarket" next door to the hotel entrance. The staff were friendly and helpful. I didn't experience a high-end hotel stay, and I knew what I was paying for. The best part was the convenient location. I spent 9 nights and was able to get around Tokyo with ease. Asakusa & Akihabara are walking distance, and if you're really up for a stroll you can make it to Ueno Park. There are plenty of restaurants in the area that are much cheaper than those in the heart of Asakusa. There is also Square Cafe, which you will get coupons for if you get the inclusive breakfast. It's a decent breakfast, but I would skip it next time. There's also a small shop on the corner that sells some souvenirs for a fifth of what you'll pay in high-traffic tourist areas. The shopkeeper may also offer you a nice deal. I bought three windchimes which came to ¥2200, and he threw in a fourth for an additional ¥300. These same windchimes were sold near Sensoji Temple for ¥4000 each. Great place to stay for a place to rest your head in a...

This was my first time trying out an APA hotel chain for my 1 month solo trip in Tokyo; and was genuinely disappointed in contrast to the great rating it had on Google Reviews.

I requested for a room with a view - but when I got in my room after my arrival, it stank of mould and I couldn’t get the smell out even when I tried to air it out by opening the windows or using the anti odour spray they provided in the room. So I had to ask for a room change and this time around it did not smell that much, but I was faced with a slab of wall when I opened the windows. The toilet seat was also riddled with some stains, and I used the shower head to get them off. As I was too drained after the flight and route there, I decided to just let it go instead of going through another room change.

Housekeeping is abysmal. The room is perpetually dusty, I can literally see fibres floating around in the room the entire time by the naked eye; and my things would always be doused in black-ish looking micro fibres everyday. Mirrors were not cleaned and the carpet was also not vacuumed.

There would be some trash or tissue that was on the floor on many days at some area, and when I’m back from my trip outside, the same trash would be at the exact spot, untouched even when housekeeping is requested /the mandatory 3 day cleaning regulation.

My desk would also be messy on some days during the cleaning and I think it’s somehow due to the change of bedsheets because the room was so tiny - but that’s no excuse for lacking that meticulousness.

Wifi worked great on individual devices, but when I tried to use the screen share option from my iPad to the tv for live streams and some other videos on YouTube, the connection was either too clunky or cannot even stream at all, making this function redundant. I just used the TV to watch BBC News everyday and my iPad for my shows.

Customer service is lackluster and not proactive.

So what’s the catch? Location. Seriously, the location is stellar, considering there’s a few exits for you to choose from either sides.

But if you are a germaphobe like me and would like to preserve a little of your sanity despite some minor conveniences, perhaps this won’t be the...