H2O Stay Namba Kuromon

The worst parts for me were the staff’s response and the lack of any apology or responsibility. One staff member kept saying the room had been cleaned, even after seeing the hair on the tatami. Later, another staff member was defensive and aggressive. She said that if she had been there earlier, she wouldn’t have changed the sheets for us, and kept insisting the room was clean despite what we’d found. She even claimed it was “illegal in Japan” to ask for an apology. I was speechless. The room itself was in a shocking state. There were unmistakable private hairs on the tatami, and yellow stains and small spots on the sheets, bed cover, and pillow. It looked as though the linens hadn’t been properly washed, or perhaps hadn’t been washed at all. I asked staff right away for clean sheets and a more thorough cleaning. I can put up with some dust or minor flaws, but not what felt like dishonesty along with aggressive, unprofessional behavior. I’ve included photos so people can see the condition for themselves. In my opinion, avoid this place. It was dirty, and the response was dishonest.

They enforce the check-in cutoff strictly, with no late arrival allowed after 10 p.m. and no late-arrival option like other places offer. You also can’t book the previous night for an early check-in, which seemed unusual. The service attitude was extremely poor, and came across as arrogant.

I was very unhappy with the experience and definitely wouldn’t recommend staying here. I understand that check-in is at 3 p.m., but if you arrive early, they won’t let you leave your luggage at the front counter. That should be made clear before booking. I also understand they may charge to hold luggage at the front desk. If I’d known, I would have cancelled my stay.

I booked three nights, but when I arrived outside the building at around 10:10 p.m., they wouldn’t let me check in. They told Agoda they had waited for me until 10:15 p.m., which wasn’t true. The attitude and service were bad. I came back the next day to check in, but they refused again and told me to leave. Even when I said I’d contact Agoda, they wouldn’t let me sit inside the hostel while I waited for a response. Such a bad experience.