COCOSHUKU Shinjuku-Hanazono

We’d stay here again. The layout is compact but efficient, and the location is handy, with loads of shops and restaurant choices in walking distance. Even though the area is busy, it was quiet at night. Our family of four had enough room to sleep and shower, and we didn’t spend much time there beyond that. We felt safe walking around at any hour. The neighborhood was surprisingly clean, although bins were hard to find and I sometimes had to carry rubbish in my pocket until we got back. The four-star description set expectations that didn’t quite fit. This is a very small hotel without on-site service, and I couldn’t reach anyone with questions before or during our stay. The website answered common questions, but on arrival we had a stressful mix-up. After an 11-hour flight and 22 hours awake, we reached the entrance late at night. I knew to enter my confirmation code on the tablet outside, but didn’t realize the door needed a separate code. The tablet’s “contact us” option didn’t work, we had no cell plan, and WhatsApp wasn’t an option. After about 20 minutes of panic, we found the door code in the confirmation email. Future guests should make sure to note it before arriving. There’s no pool, gym or similar extra. There is a small room with board games, some kitchen items and a vacuum to borrow, available first come, first served. Slippers and toiletries were by the door. It was still cold when we visited, but the duvet kept us very warm at night, even if getting out of bed in the morning was rough.

We stayed for one night and were happy with the clean, quiet, well-equipped room. Self check-in was easy enough, though we were briefly unsure which room number was ours. It eventually arrived by email.

The automated check-in was straightforward, and the place is well equipped and well located. The main problem was the initial cleanliness: there was a lot of dust, including inside the air conditioning, and I’d seen that mentioned before. You can hear water noises from other rooms, so the sound insulation is only okay. Given the limited services, it felt a little expensive for what you get.

This was the worst hotel experience I’ve had in 25 years of international travel across all continents. It’s staffless, and everything from check-in at the door was complicated. I had my eight-year-old son waiting outside in the cold while I tried to get someone on the phone to help with Japanese check-in. They provided only four hangers for four people, and the dryer didn’t work, so we left for the airport with wet clothes. With all our luggage, we had to walk down the street because they couldn’t even call us a taxi. I’ve never had a worse hotel stay. After finding this out before my trip, I tried to cancel, but they wouldn’t accept it.