Sugamo Winco Residence

Sigh...😮‍💨 We were locked out of our room late at night after a long day out in Japan. My friend and I had just gone out quickly to buy water, and when we returned, the lock was broken and the door wouldn't open. We called all six hotel numbers more than ten times each, but nobody answered. We had to ask the police for help. They also called the hotel several times and left a voicemail without getting a response. It was 3 degrees outside. We had only long sleeves, and our money and passports were inside the room. Two young women were left shivering in the cold with nowhere to go. My friend got so cold she threw up on the street. We stayed at the police station until 2 AM, then had to leave and find somewhere else to wait. We ended up at a 24-hour McDonald's and stayed there until 8:30 AM, calling the hotel every hour. We barely slept. At 9 AM a staff member finally got in touch and came to open our door. She said she hadn't received our calls, and that the hotel owner missed the police call because she was showering. She also claimed she called us back, but we were with the police until 2am and nobody called. After I reviewed the hotel on Booking.com, they responded. They said they would've understood if we were dissatisfied without compensation, but regretted that we were still so unhappy despite receiving compensation. Seriously? They did discount the total and give us one free night, but that doesn't undo what happened. We both got sick, lost a whole night, missed a pre-booked tour, and were put in danger because of their negligence. The sheets were dirty too, with different hair inside them, and a paper bag of rubbish left by the previous guests. The cleaner must've missed it. The location was the only good part. For the price, it just wasn't worth it... :(

We stayed at Sugamo Winco resident Tokyo for ten nights. On our second night, around 11 pm, we went out for Japanese snacks and to throw away rubbish, expecting to return to a warm room. Instead, the passcode lock had randomly stopped working. It was January, about 3 degrees outside and expected to drop to one overnight. We had our phones and some change, but our passports and warmer clothes were inside. There were six emergency numbers on the wall, along with WeChat QR codes and other contact forms. We called all six, but no one picked up, and some calls wouldn't even connect. I kept calling every hour from 1 am to 8 am. The police tried the numbers too and left long messages. We sat at the police station in front of the phone from midnight until 3 am, but got no help. They let us stay only until my iPhone was charged to 50%. The residence lobby was freezing, and we didn't have enough clothes, so we went to a 24-hour McDonald's. We couldn't use the nearby capsule hotel because we had no ID. The next morning, the owner said the police had called her around 1 am and told her to wait for them to call again. She said she waited until 2 am and then went to rest. She knew, or at least had a police voicemail telling her, that two girls without passports or puffer jackets might be left outside in that weather. How could she sleep after that? She also said a resident staff member hadn't received any calls. At 9 am, someone came and unlocked the door and apologized, but by then we were cold, exhausted, sleep-deprived, upset, and sick. Being foreigners in Tokyo for the first time, it was frightening. Our plans in Japan were ruined because we had to attend a non-refundable booking appointment in the next few hours. I don't understand the point of those emergency numbers if nobody answers. It felt like there was no customer support or care, and that Sugamo Winco residents only cared about money, not people. I wouldn't recommend staying here. Don't risk your safety and money.

The staff were helpful and gave us plenty of information. We also found the location really convenient, close to several stations, supermarkets, and restaurants. The rooms were spacious and clean, so it felt worth the price.

The location was good, but the room felt cramped. They only gave us one pillow, and it wasn't very nice.