fav TOKYO RYOGOKU

A lovely hotel that I would stay at again. I booked the bunk bed, which my roommate and I felt really comfortable in. Staff were quite friendly and most understood/could speak English. It says self check-in on the booking page but there was someone present to help us through the check-in process. Note that there's an accommodation tax (900 yen per person) that needs to be paid on check-in. Since we stayed for more than five days, they did full housekeeping (changing bedsheets) for two out of the eight days. However, they also were able to provide fresh towels and clear trash daily (we just put their provided magnetic notice on the door and left the items at the entryway). Showers were small, but amazing. They provide a day's worth of toothpaste, a toothbrush, a hairdryer, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, an electric kettle, a microwave, plates, utensils, cups, scissors, detergent, and two pairs of room slippers. There was an HDTV (with an HDMI port) that we directly connected to Netflix (no need to logout) as well. This hotel is about an 8 minute walk away from Ryogoku station and 11 mins from Asakusa station. If you have a really physical day or have hefty luggage, then this might feel a bit far, but the area generally feels safe, and you get to cross the bridge over the Sumida river to/from Asakusa, which is nice. Other things to note: There is one shared washing machine for the whole hotel that's free to use, and it takes about 2H per wash and tumble dry cycle. There was no quick wash setting. We had to do ours in the wee hours because other guests were quicker to use them in the "prime" hours (7-9am and 8pm-12mn). A QR code and/or number code is used to unlock your door's digital lock. It's also used for checkout, so save the sheet of paper they issue. Otherwise, remember to take a picture as there's no service staff after a certain time and they will lock the doors to the entrance where the only way to get in is the issued code. Someone pressed the fire alarm accidentally one morning, which brought the fire department, ambulance and police to the hotel and the alert was deafening and heard neighbourhood-wide. Look carefully before you press/lean on a surface - there's no covering on the alarm button, but it is in the centre of a giant red circle. It was an eventful morning but we did not enjoy running down and climbing up 8-storeys worth of stairs (they shut the elevators in emergencies). Overall, a relaxing, cool vibe that feels clean and cozy.