Hotel Grand Palace (Tokyo, Japan)

The front-of-house staff are perpetually praised for their dilligence and professionalism. Multilingual, and always with the sincerest of smiles, checking in and out is an effortless experience. Kind and knowledgeable, they are also on hand to make restaurant reservations, arrange taxis and give directions to points of interest.

An overwhelming number of guests are quick to point out how reasonable the room rates are. Although not the flashiest establishment in downtown Tokyo, it is, by all accounts, one of the fairest in terms of cost, representing excellent value for money for business travellers and tourists alike.

Guests landing at Narita or Haneda airport can take advantage of the hotel's limousine transfer. Whether you're coming off the back of a long flight, have small children or are just carrying lots of luggage, the reasonably-priced service can get your trip off to a seamless start.

While rooms are spotlessly kept by hardworking housekeepers, they are, according to some, outmoded and in need of updating. Barely functioning AC units and windows that don't open conspire to overheat some guests, while others note that the rooms and bathrooms are exceptionally small, even by Japanese standards.

A handful of reviewers are less then enamoured with the hotel's location. While transport links are conveniently close, the area itself is very business-orientated, and, as such, tends to slow down considerably of an evening, disappointing some travellers who'd hoped for more vibrancy.