The Beehive Otaru

We left less than half an hour after arriving, and I’d advise booking here only at your own discretion. The back door was standing open, there were no insect screens, a wasp was inside, and a huge swarm of flies greeted us. There was bug spray by the front door, which made it seem the owner knew pests were a problem. The cleaning fee alone was $230. The open door also made us worry about security: anyone might have entered before check-in and taken things that could later be blamed on us. We also worried someone could enter and install spy-cams in the bedrooms or bathrooms, something that is not unheard of in Japan. We asked to cancel and get a full refund. The host rejected the request and asked us to send evidence through the booking.com app, but its chatbot would not accept images. We called booking.com straight away. They agreed the situation was unacceptable and said they’d give the owner a chance to respond, then step in if the cancellation was rejected. After the owner rejected it, booking.com said they’d follow up by email within 48 hours and told us to arrange other accommodation. We later noticed the owner had asked us in the chatbot to email photos, but we missed that message while speaking to booking.com and didn’t check back because we’d been told to wait for their email. No update came within 48 hours. When we contacted booking.com again, they said they needed us to contact the host ourselves and get a written message before they could proceed. The host then argued that we hadn’t sent evidence during the stay, so a refund could not be made. Even after we sent it and the host acknowledged the bugs and safety issues, they still refused, saying we had missed the investigation window and evidence had to be submitted during the stay. They also claimed we hadn’t made clear that we intended to leave and that the booking had been kept for us, despite our cancellation request and contact with booking.com. The host now refuses to refund any of the payment and has stopped replying to our emails. booking.com says it cannot refund the full amount without the accommodation’s approval.

We walked out within 30 minutes, so book at your own discretion. The owner charged a $230 cleaning fee, but the house had a huge swarm of flies, a wasp, and a back door left wide open with no insect screens. Bug spray by the front entrance suggested the owner knew about the pest problem. With the door open, anyone could have entered before we checked in and taken things that might later be blamed on us. We were also concerned someone might have entered to install spy-cams in the bedrooms or bathrooms, which is not unheard of in Japan. We requested cancellation and a full refund, but the host rejected it and asked for evidence through the booking.com app. Its chatbot wouldn’t accept images. We called booking.com immediately; they said the situation was unacceptable and told us they would allow the owner to respond, then step in if the owner rejected cancellation. After the host rejected it, booking.com said to expect a follow-up email within 48 hours and to book somewhere else. The owner had also asked us through the chatbot to email the photos, but we missed that while on the call and didn’t check again because booking.com had told us to wait for their email. We heard nothing after 48 hours. On contacting booking.com again, we were told to get a written message from the host ourselves before they could proceed. The host argued that we hadn’t provided evidence during the stay and therefore couldn’t get a refund. We later sent the evidence, and the host acknowledged the bugs and safety issues, but still refused, saying the investigation window had passed and evidence needed to be submitted during the stay. They claimed we had not shown we intended to leave and had kept the booking for us, although we had requested cancellation and contacted booking.com. The host refuses to return any of the payment and no longer replies to our emails. booking.com says it cannot issue a full refund without the accommodation’s approval.

We left after being inside for less than 30 minutes. At a place charging a $230 cleaning fee, we found a huge swarm of flies, a wasp, and the back door wide open without any insect screens. Bug spray was sitting by the front door, which suggested the owner knew about the pests. That open door also raised security worries: someone could have entered before our check-in, taken things, and left us to be blamed. We also worried about someone getting in to install spy-cams in the bedrooms or bathrooms, which is not unheard of in Japan. Book at your own discretion. We requested a full refund and cancellation. The host denied the request and asked for evidence through the booking.com app, but the chatbot didn’t support image uploads. We called booking.com right away; they agreed the situation was unacceptable and said they would give the property owner a chance to reply before stepping in if the request was rejected. After the rejection, booking.com said they would follow up by email in 48 hours and advised us to find new accommodation. We later saw the owner had asked for photos by email in the chatbot, but missed the message during our call and didn’t return to it because booking.com had told us to wait for their email. There was no update after 48 hours. When we contacted booking.com again, they told us to reach out to the host and get a written message before they could act. The host said we had failed to send evidence while staying there, so no refund was due. We did send evidence afterward, and the host acknowledged the bugs and safety problems, but refused anyway, saying we’d missed the investigation window and had to submit evidence during the stay. They also claimed we hadn’t indicated we would leave and that the booking had been held for us, despite our cancellation request and contacting booking.com. The host refuses to return any of the payment and has stopped answering our emails. booking.com says it cannot issue a full refund without approval from the accommodation.