I-BUILDING

If you’re a tourist who doesn’t know Japanese, don’t book a stay here. It’s self check-in, and there’s nobody to help. Getting into the hotel was the worst check-in experience I’ve had. There’s a phone number to call, but nobody answers, so you’re stuck if you need help. Do not stay here or make a reservation at this terrible hotel!

This was easily our worst lodging experience in Japan. “Failed experience” might be a better description. We booked two days at Hondori inn in Hiroshima through our tour operator LOGITRAVEL. When we arrived with all our luggage, we found out we needed a QR code and a pre-reservation code that was supposed to have been emailed beforehand. We never got that email from the owner until the day we arrived, after our tour operator requested it urgently. Even then, the owner didn’t send the pre-reservation code for the tablet, only another link, so we had no way to resolve the problem ourselves. We also couldn’t reach the owner directly because it required calling a Japanese emergency number. The reception was supposedly on the building’s fifth floor, but we couldn’t reach it through a contact button either. The tablet at the entrance had archived lots of messages from people who couldn’t get into Hondori inn, so this “ghost owner” reception problem seems to have happened several times before. We tried to get our tour operator to sort it out, but they weren’t any quicker. After hours of this, we had to find somewhere else to sleep so my family wouldn’t end up on the street, and pay for another hotel. We were denied access to the apartment room we’d booked and paid for. I can’t recommend this lodging, and I’d choose somewhere else in Hiroshima.

The location was great, though it was quite noisy. We stayed two nights, three people in total, with two double beds and a futon. None of them were particularly good, but they did the job. The shower and toilet are shared, which could be awkward if you’re in a hurry in the morning. Pretty nice overall.

It felt more like a cut-corner Airbnb than a hotel. The guest book skips any welcome and goes straight to a list of rules. I barely saw anyone around, with no cleaner and reception handled by self check-in, which made the place feel creepy. I wouldn't recommend it to women traveling alone. The walls are thin, there are no blackout curtains, and the hallways and shared bathrooms are freezing.