I’m on a boat!… Hotel?

Location – Kurume, Fukuoka

Temperature – 6

Located more centrally in Kurume, my third experience with Love Hotels has been the best of the three so far. Hotel R is part of the same chain as the previous hotel, so it shares many features. However, Hotel R is smaller, which means it provides a scale-down version of the full experience offered at the last hotel, which was one of their flagship locations.

The check-in process is consistent and handled electronically via a touch screen. This hotel is older and has more themed rooms. They offer both western-style and Asian-style accommodations, and the rates for each room are clearly displayed. Once you select a room, you receive a room card. This time, I chose to sleep in a room designed like a boat because boats are cool. The room I selected was one of their Asian-style options, featuring tatami flooring and low seating.

Upon entering, I noticed the same store concept where you can select bath scents and cosmetics to bring up to the room. I really appreciated this feature and made sure to pick up a bath bomb and some water scents during my stay.

The room itself was compact but thoughtfully laid out. The bed, designed like a boat, was comfortable; although it wasn't a queen size like the other hotel, it was still larger than the beds in the business hotels I've stayed at. The room's lighting was adjustable, and the boat-inspired front light had a delightful flicker effect. I do wish there were water sound effects available for a more immersive experience. The room was set to low lighting the whole stay as it just had a nicer vibe to it.

The room had lovely Asian-inspired design elements, including a unique window, lighting, tatami flooring, and decorative bamboo accents, which added a nice touch. However, the room was a bit cold, likely due to the hotel's older infrastructure and thinner walls, which made it take some time to warm up. The bathroom remained cold throughout my stay, but the warm bath provided some comfort when I finally decided to use it.

Again, the same freebies were on offer as the last and the ordering app was the same. The menu was similar but a reduced version of their full menu. But the same main dishes were on them. This time I didn’t order food as check in was later.  But being the same chain, I can imagine it’s the same as the other hotel. The bath was another power jet bath, but it was even smaller than the previous. So that snug fit with a partner becomes a very snug fit.

The hotel was older than the previous and some of the decoration was showing some age. But it was still a cleaner room than some stays in the UK would provide.

My overall enjoyment was still high, I liked the feel and the amenities and would consider this currently my favorite chain of hotels. I need to try a few more in the Sky range to solidify this, however.

So how does it compare and where does it rank?

So, to keep things the same I will use the same categories as last time.  Food wise it will be awarded 6 /10. Amenities wise 6 /10. Comfort and cleanliness 7/10. Location 8/10. I would give this chain a 9/10 for how easy it was to check in and out overall. Enjoyment 7/10 and the likelihood of rebooking this hotel for 5/10. For a score of 48/70.

Placing this hotel second on the list for now, however I need to give Sky Paradise a ranking still using this system.