I originally booked this hotel by mistake but was pleasantly surprised by some aspects of my stay. Tthe location was quite far from Fukuoka, where I had intended to stay for a concert.
I arrived at the hotel around 11:30 AM–12 PM after an early morning flight, unaware that check-in wasn’t until 3 PM. When I approached the front desk, the receptionist—a young girl—gave me a strange look before informing me of the check-in time. The lack of warmth in her greeting was disappointing, especially compared to my experiences at other hotels in Japan.
The weather on February 6, the day of my arrival, was harsh—it was very windy as it was cold, and I had to walk from Seto bus stop to the hotel with two suitcases in freezing conditions. Exhausted from my flight and journey to Munakata, I had hoped for a more welcoming atmosphere. Instead, after a brief trip to a nearby Lawson to grab food, I returned to the hotel and waited in the lobby, as it was too cold to explore.
By 2 PM, fatigue took over, and I lay down on the lobby couch to rest. Despite dozing off in the cold lobby, no staff member approached me. The heating system inside the hotel was weak, and I kept waking up from the biting cold. At 2:30 PM, I heard guests checking in, which surprised me—no one had informed me that I could start checking in earlier.
When I lined up at the front desk, the same receptionist from earlier recognized me but seemed to push her colleague forward to assist me, which I found rude and unprofessional for a staff member at a four-star hotel. However, her colleague was kind and attentive. Since I speak Japanese, the check-in process went smoothly.
There was an error on my part regarding my booking—I had mistakenly reserved my stay until February 10 instead of February 9. I explained this at the front desk, and the staff member tried to help but apologized, as the booking was made through a third-party site and couldn’t be refunded. I understood this and simply wanted to inform them of my earlier departure.
The hotel itself is old but well-maintained. I stayed in a Japanese-style room, which, despite its age, was clean and comfortable. The air-conditioning unit was quite old, but amenities were available on the first floor. The hotel seems to be popular with families or tour groups. There are a lot of Korean guests as well. Even for a business hotel, customer service toward foreign solo travelers was severly lacking. It's embarassing to think that was the kind of training they gave their employees at a four star hotel. I'm writing this review while staying at Comfort Hotel, a cheaper chain of hotel but the omotenashi I received here is on another level.
There isn’t much to do nearby Mercure Munakata. The closest kaisendon restaurant was about a 30-minute walk away. Unfortunately, the weather during my stay was terrible—windy and snowy—so I didn’t explore much. There was a church (?) next to the hotel, but nothing else of note.
One of the highlights of the stay was the hot spring, which had both indoor and outdoor baths. I didn’t eat at the hotel restaurant, as the prices seemed high.
A free shuttle bus is available to Togo Station, but you need to inform the front desk of your preferred departure time in advance.
I didn’t take many photos of the hotel itself—there wasn’t much worth capturing besides the bath, where phones aren’t allowed.
Would I stay here again? No.
Would I recommend this hotel? No, especially not for solo foreign travelers.
