Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku Hotel

In my experience, the staff were proactive, friendly, and professional, and you can get to the hotel easily from the airport by limousine bus. We stayed at another four-star hotel in Akhibara, but Sunroute had far more amenities around reception. Compared with a four-star hotel we stayed at in Ginza, it was cleaner and better value. We've also stayed at other three-star hotels in Shinjuku, and I found Sunroute more spacious with better customer service. Even if you spend time in your room, it's spacious enough, clean, and comfortable. The location is practical for exploring, and in Tokyo you're likely to be out seeing the city most of the time anyway. For a three-star Shinjuku hotel, it's a very good option. I'd book again for the practicality and value. Thank you!

The limousine bus picks up right outside, which makes handling luggage easy. There's laundry you can monitor from your room, and microwaves on some floors. You can get clean pajamas daily from the cubby by the floor elevator. Lobby basics like toothbrushes and q-tips are great, though the facial packets aren't very good. The beds are comfortable, and the windows open for fresh air. The toilet doesn't have a heated seat. This is a basic three-star hotel, fine for the essentials if location matters most. There are Family Mart and 7/11 across the street and several places to eat. It's across from the many Shinjuku exits, with Yoyogi station a ten-minute walk away for a quieter way to board the metro or subway.

The lifts were slow when called, but that wasn't enough to take off a star. The hotel was great, with quick check-in and luggage delivery. As soon as I checked in, the staff had my shipped bag beside me. It has the basics, including a vending machine, ice, and a laundry room, plus collection points for old clothes and other things you want to get rid of to lighten your suitcase before going home. The airport bus drops off and picks up here, which is handy. It's close to the main transport hub but slightly off to the side, so it's never too busy or loud.

That location is hard to fault, but after five nights I can see why the glowing reviews surprised me. It felt barely like a three-star place. The room was compact and practical, and it was very clean, though the stained, dull carpet and a noticeable smell made it feel less clean than I’m used to in Japan. I could leave the window open during the day, which helped. The bed was hard, and the pillows were the least comfortable I’ve had across three trips to Japan and at least 50 nights in nine hotels. I asked for another mattress pad and it arrived quickly, but housekeeping didn’t put it on. The pad already on the bed had stains in three spots. The Smart TV was a welcome perk for relaxing with Netflix after days of walking 15,000-20,000 steps. I tried breakfast twice. There were lots of choices, but not much changed between days, and they couldn’t accommodate a request to cook some scrambled eggs a little firmer. The dining room was tight too, with two-person tables very close together. Most contact with staff was through self-service check-in and check-out. On day three, I was told to tell the front desk when I wanted the room cleaned, so I asked for 1 PM or later. Housekeeping still knocked at 11:30 AM and came in before I reached the door. Luckily, I was dressed. I didn’t have any other staff interactions.