In 2018, while on my yearly trip to Asia, I stayed in a few different hotels in Taiwan and Japan.
i hotel Zongli (Taoyuan, Taiwan)
The i hotel Zongli in Taoyuan, Taiwan (5f., No. 18, Sec. 1, Zhongmei Rd., Zhongli District, Taoyuan Taiwan) is marketed as a gaming hotel but known as an hourly hotel and used as a love hotel by some locals. It was an average of NT$1949.19 / night. We booked a single room with a double bed for 2 adults for 2 nights for a total of NT$4,502.70, or US$148.05. Check-in was 6 PM and check-out at noon. They were willing to allow us to leave our luggage in a small alcove but did not net it and further warned us to remove any valuables from our luggage. Each room has two gaming computers. Cleanliness was not great, and the first room was smoky. On Saturday, droves of children descended on the gaming computers in a competition set-up in the lobby. A longer set of remarks is here at The i hotel in Jhongli, Taiwan – Did I stumble into a love hotel disguised as a gaming hotel?
Motonago (Kyoto, Japan)
Motonago in Kyoto, Japan, (511 Washio-cho, Kodaiji-michi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto Japan) is a traditional ryokan. We paid a total of 66,960 JPY (~US$596.31) for 2 nights for 2 people with breakfast, or an average of ~US$298 / night. Breakfast was JPY 1620 (~USD 14.40) per person per day, and we could have opted out of it for a lower charge. Dinner would have been JP¥5,400 (~US$48.08) per person per night. The nightly room charges were split into ¥31,320 for October 13th and ¥29,160 for October 14th. They did not net our luggage, but it felt secure with them.
We had an 8 tatami mat room, which is roughly 14.5 metres squared. During the day, the staff will move a table to the certain of the room. In the evening, the staff will move the table to the side of the room and lay out the bedding. It is authentic, in this case meaning hard. In a separate area, there is a private toilet and sink but no bath. The room and bathroom are obviously aged, but they clean as well as they can.
To shower or bathe, the communal bath is reserved during check-in for an hour slot in the afternoon and evening or a half hour slot in the morning. There are four shower heads and faucets and one large bath in each of the two communal bath rooms. These are not gender separated; you get one communal bath room for your entire party. You cannot wear clothing in the bath.
They were unable to accommodate our dietary needs for dinner (My friend is vegetarian and I am allergic to onions, green onions, garlic, and shrimp.) but could for breakfast. I had their traditional breakfast, but vegetarians must choose the Western breakfast.
RELIEF PREMIUM Haneda by RELIEF (Tokyo, Japan)
The RELIEF PREMIUM Haneda by RELIEF in Tokyo, Japan (Ota-ku Minamikamata 1-25-13, Ota Ward, Tokyo, 144-0035 Japan) is a clean and simple modern hotel. We booked one night for 1 full bed and 2 adults for 8600 JPY or US$78. Check-in was at 3 PM and check-out was 11 AM. They were willing to take our luggage, net it in a corner of the dining area/lobby, and hand us a claim number at 10:30 AM. We signed up for the free hourly shuttle bus service to the Haneda Airport during check-in and had no issue. The room was very clean and the bathroom has a bathtub appropriate for soaking.