Bird Hotel

Being so close to the beach and train station made getting around easy, and we’d gladly stay again. The BIRD HOTEL was amazing: spacious rooms, a delicious course dinner and a great breakfast. The private onsen, which guests can book for a reserved time, was the best part, along with the staff’s wonderful hospitality. I’d recommend it.

The rooms were huge and, I’d say, very clean. The building itself was lovely and had a great vibe, with a bath that guests could reserve for free. It’s in a residential area near the beach, which makes the location ideal if that’s the part of town you want to visit. Still, the experience left a sour taste. We were booked for two nights, 8 and 9 Feb. On the 8th, widespread air mass across Japan closed the highways, and we couldn’t get to the hotel. While stranded in Mishima, I asked staff at Toyoko Inn to call Bird Hotel and explain that severe weather meant we wouldn’t arrive. They told us Bird Hotel had promised a 100% full refund. When I checked in on the 9th, I asked the staff member about it and she confirmed that we’d get the refund. On checkout day I wanted to confirm again, since a friend who’d also booked a room and couldn’t stay had asked me to check his booking too. The same staff member seemed confused and denied the promise. An older staff member called Kei explained that we wouldn’t be refunded because the booking was through booking.com. Kei gave us an email address and said they’d handle it directly with booking.com, but the address didn’t exist. We also tried contacting them through booking.com without success. Booking.com told us they had received no request from Bird Hotel to cancel the booking. Other parts of our exchanges with the staff also left a poor impression. Their lack of accountability and replies, along with the clearly incorrect email address, made the place feel quite dishonest. We can only try to claim the loss through insurance now. Maybe you’ll have a good stay if you’re not as unlucky as we were, but Bird Hotel spoiled my visit. Kamakura is such a beautiful town and I really wanted to enjoy it. PS, my boyfriend posted a bad review a week ago, and somehow it can’t be found anymore.

The way these problems were handled seriously affected our stay. For severe weather, we couldn’t reach the hotel on the first day and were told we’d get that night refunded. At checkout we were charged for it and told it had been a “miscommunication.” Breakfast was another mix-up. At check-in we agreed to pay extra to add it. The next morning, though, we were told nothing had been prepared because breakfast “wasn’t included.” We explained what we’d agreed to, but the staff member denied that conversation. There was no apology, help, effort to make breakfast or attempt to put things right, just a flat rejection. Most of our interactions were with one front desk staff member who didn’t speak English and was handling important details of our stay. The language barrier itself wasn’t the whole issue. It led to information being miscommunicated and then denied, and when we tried to clear things up, nobody took responsibility or made a real effort to resolve it professionally. The attitude felt dismissive and unhelpful, with no hospitality. We were told to sort out the dispute by email instead, but the address they gave us didn’t exist. We’re still trying to work it out through Booking.com. For a hotel listed on major international booking platforms, I’d expect clearer communication and a more professional, hospitable approach.

The place feels cozy, though a little old. It was quiet and close to the train station, and they had warmed up the room for us. The staff were very friendly, even if their English wasn't the best.