Shinjuku Hostel

The rooms were extremely small, as they are in many hotels around here. With two large suitcases and a cabin-size one, it was hard to fit everything, and there was barely room to move. You could only get into the bed from one side. The duvet and pillows could be better given the hotel's overall style and quality. Cleanliness was good overall, though we found some hair in the shower drain. Room cleaning happens every three days, with daily towel changes available on request. There's a young, modern feel, and several common spaces for families, couples, or groups. The bakery inside was excellent, with plenty of breads, pastries, and sandwiches, and the espresso in the restaurant and bar area was exceptional. Breakfast is a buffet, adequate for the price, and staff everywhere were very friendly and helpful. They quickly arranged to send our luggage to another hotel. There are three washers and three dryers, reasonably priced, though more would help given the number of guests.

The room and bed were a good size, and service was great. They offered us a fan because the AC couldn't be adjusted. The bathroom was small, and each morning there was lots of condensation on the window, possibly because there's no bathroom fan. Amenities were somewhat limited compared with other budget hotels I've stayed in, toothbrush, towels, robe, drinks. There is a fitness center if that's important to you. The hotel was okay overall, but the location wasn't ideal. It's a long walk to the nearest station that connects to major tourist sites. The heart of Shinjuku and Shibuya are both about a 30-minute walk away. Aside from taxis, buses are the main transportation option.

The exterior looks nice and the location is great, but management and service felt incredibly cheap. I've traveled around East Asia for six weeks and stayed in 14 hotels, and this was by far the worst experience. For nearly $200 a night, the service was unacceptable. Housekeeping was nearly nonexistent. Unless it was the third night, they only brought fresh towels, and left the used ones even when I put them on the floor. They might take them if they were in the bathtub. I got no fresh mugs or glasses and had to make my own bed. I found a cockroach crawling up my luggage. When I told staff, they asked, “do you want us to send someone to kill it for you”. I wasn't given a room key, just a six-digit code to memorize. With such a busy lobby for the restaurant and bakery, it felt unsafe, since anyone could walk in and use the elevator. The basics took effort too: there was no ice bucket or cups in the room, and I had to track down staff just to get ice in a ZIPLOC bag. The gym door stays locked, so you need to find someone every time you want to go in. I called the front desk for extra water and was told no because I'd already received my “free bottle” for the day. Checkout is at 10:00 AM, ridiculously early compared with the 11:00 AM or 12:00 PM standard elsewhere in Japan. Save your money and stay somewhere that treats guests like guests.

The room was a decent size and comfortable, and the area was quiet. The hotel is well located, around a 30-minute walk to the city center. They also offer Yamato luggage delivery, which made travel much easier. The housekeeping policy was the only downside. The listing said daily cleaning, but when we arrived we were told it was every three days. During our five-day stay, the room was cleaned just once. That felt insufficient for the price and a higher-end hotel, and they should be upfront about the policy. Otherwise, everything else was great.