Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk

Great location right next to the baseball stadium and a very nice view of the bay. Impressive building. Staying at this hotel was a solid experience - they delivered what I would expect from a hotel - the beds were good, the room was quiet and had everything you need to stay for a few nights. It was just not a good value for money - did not feel like a 5-star hotel after all.

First we got assigned a smoker room, although we had specifically requested non-smoking. After complaining we were moved to another room, which was better, but still had some strange smell. The furniture might have been up to standard 20 years ago, but it looked worn out, with some chipped edges here and there. Food and especially drinks in the restaurants were really overpriced for what you get (even already without the tax/service charge which is added on top). Breakfast and dinner buffett were okay-ish, but still too expensive and had some odd choices of food. On the second night we ordered some food for dinner in the bar at the top and it was labeled as "Main Course" on the menu - for about 5,000JPY each - however it was barely an appetizer and you could not even get rice on the side. Communication with the staff, apart from the few English speakers at the front desk, was notoriously difficult. I don't expect everyone in Japan to know English, but even when we tried what little Japanese phrases we had to order in the restaurant-bar (which had always worked fine in other places) they were notoriously annoyed and did not understand.