Nishitetsu Hotel Croom Hakata

Nishitetsu Hotel Croom Hakata is a vanilla (although orange outside) Japanese business hotel adjacent to the north end of the Hakata bus terminal. This is a good value option for the price and location which is close to the heart of Fukuoka's rail, metro, and bus transport hub. The journey from Fukuoka International Airport to the Hakata bus terminal using the airport bus service is thoroughly painless; buses depart outside the arrivals hall and terminate opposite the Hotel Croom, which is less than a run-out throw across the road. The hotel interior is a bright Scandinavian blonde-themed light brown. Rooms are "compact" with all the right amenities squeezed in; en suite bathroom (mind your head), desk, TV, A/C, dehumidifier, refrigerator. Hanging and suitcase storage space is limited. It seems designed for the light-travelling salaryman. Trouser presses are placed next to the lifts, and the imagined image of trouserless businessmen queuing to prep their pants for a day out is hard to shake. There is a ground floor (1/F) Onsen and a coin laundry on the 8th floor. A good value base to start exploring Kyushu. There are three "Crooms" in Fukuoka; best to double-check the name and location before booking.

What could be improved: Watch out for the breakfast arrangement. Two choices, a full buffet on the LB lobby (1/F) level and a set menu breakfast at the semi-hidden 1/F floor (Onsen/ground floor) level. Very confusing. Front desk check in staff cocked up our breakfast booking arrangement and we ended up with only one set menu meal, causing restaurant staff to get very flustered and confused.

I really liked using the hotel onsen, it was relatively spacious and invigorating to use. The hotel room was clean and it was comfortable. The shower facilities was excellent, by Japanese or Western standards. The customer service was warm and friendly (something some hotels in the West can learn from). The location was about a 10 minute walk from the trains, which was really convenient. Buffet breakfast was served in a restaurant linked to the hotel, which had a nice ambient feel.

What could be improved: The internet connection was erratic, cutting out at random - even though it did work well when I was in the hotel lobby. However, I am not sure if the issues were caused by my anti-virus software so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt on that one. The other minor matter is you can hear the underground trains but that is a small price to pay for being in a good location to the train station.

Excellent location, within 5 minutes of Hakata Station and right next to the Bus Terminal. Room was of a decent size and our room had a wonderful view of the Hakata JR station platforms where trains came and went. Despite the proximity, we hardly heard any noise. Clean and comfortable.

What could be improved: The hairdryer was not strong enough. Would have been great if that can be replaced. The windows had handprints on it. Would have been good if cleaning was done for that too.