I actually had high hopes and was really looking forward to our stay at the Kobe Bay Sheraton on Rikko Island. I was debating between Marriott properties in Osaka vs. Kobe, but chose Kobe because i thought it would be a better choice with all the amenities i have read about in the forum & website. After staying there 3 nights, i totally regret my decision for the following reasons.
1) biggest letdown was the wifi, or the lack of. The wifi coverage is weak to say the least. It was sooo bad that i tried to test the wifi speed using my PC, it wouldn't even register any speed due to the poor connectivity from not just in the room, but everywhere in the public space (lobby, conference room area, and even when connected via LAN Ethernet cord). I called down to the front desk who kindly brought up a portable wifi, but this was 2G speed. Could not connect to wifi anywhere in the hotel which prevented me from meeting certain work deadlines. Soooo frustrating and upsetting. I found a McDonalds & Tully coffee near the tram line which offered good wifi. McDonalds opened at 7am and sometimes i camped outside of the McD just to get wifi access (they limit it to 1 hour use at a time). Sheraton needs to invest money to upgrade their Wifi because I will NEVER choose to stay here in the...I actually had high hopes and was really looking forward to our stay at the Kobe Bay Sheraton on Rikko Island. I was debating between Marriott properties in Osaka vs. Kobe, but chose Kobe because i thought it would be a better choice with all the amenities i have read about in the forum & website. After staying there 3 nights, i totally regret my decision for the following reasons.
1) biggest letdown was the wifi, or the lack of. The wifi coverage is weak to say the least. It was sooo bad that i tried to test the wifi speed using my PC, it wouldn't even register any speed due to the poor connectivity from not just in the room, but everywhere in the public space (lobby, conference room area, and even when connected via LAN Ethernet cord). I called down to the front desk who kindly brought up a portable wifi, but this was 2G speed. Could not connect to wifi anywhere in the hotel which prevented me from meeting certain work deadlines. Soooo frustrating and upsetting. I found a McDonalds & Tully coffee near the tram line which offered good wifi. McDonalds opened at 7am and sometimes i camped outside of the McD just to get wifi access (they limit it to 1 hour use at a time). Sheraton needs to invest money to upgrade their Wifi because I will NEVER choose to stay here in the future if this is not resolved.
2) Poor offerings in the club lounge. This is the smallest club lounge that i have stayed at any Sheraton property in Asia. The food offering is extremely limited and you are now allowed to take anything to your room (even water or coffee).
3) far from everything. there is direct city bus that will take you from hotel to Sannomiya station which is where all the restaurants & department stores are located every 15 mins but will cost you around 400 yen each way. Getting to Osaka takes ~1 hour and to Kyoto ~1.5-2 hours and cost around $10-$15 USD each way. I think Osaka would be a better base if you plan to travel the area.
4) service is a hit/miss at the property. Just does not compare to a typical Sheraton hotel level of service in Asia.
My advise is to anyone looking to find accommodation in Kobe is to look elsewhere. I got a great deal on the hotel rate, but still felt like it was a big letdown.More
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