Tokyu Stay Nishi Shinjuku

The area has a nice local feel, with hidden izakayas and eateries around, plus a park close by. I liked being away from the bustle of Shibuya and Shinjuku without feeling too far from everything. Still, I wouldn’t stay here again. The rooms are tiny, really tiny. We had to get the table and chair taken out just to open our suitcases. The bathroom is huge, while the microwave, fridge and washing machine take up a lot of room. There’s nowhere to eat a meal, so the microwave didn’t feel useful. The washer helps, but a laundromat downstairs would make more sense. Lots of wasted space. The free coffee downstairs was absolutely terrible. There were thoughtful little travel freebies, though, like cleanser, moisturiser, toothbrushes and hair brushes.

The room had loads of storage for our bags, and even came with a washer and dryer, which was so useful. After a long flight, the staff’s kindness and hospitality were exactly what we needed. It’s a quiet, relaxing spot, near some great restaurants and a gorgeous park. The location is perfect, within walking distance of Shinjuku and right by two metro stops. I’d love to stay there again.

We picked Tokyu Stay Nishi-Shinjuku because we’d stayed at one in Kyoto, which was easily the best hotel I’d ever been to. This one was very good by comparison. The rooms are smaller, which makes sense in Tokyo, and the washer/dryer was fantastic, one of the main reasons I like this chain. They also left us a little honeymoon note after I mentioned it, a lovely touch. I did find a hair inside a bathroom cup, which was gross and made us question the room’s cleanliness. The location depends on what you’re after. We liked being near Shinjuku station for getting around, but didn’t want to be in the middle of Shinjuku, like Kabukicho. It’s quieter and presumably cleaner a bit further out. There’s a McDonald’s next door for a late night craving or an early coffee. Check-in was easy, but service varied depending on who was working. One staff member wasn’t much help when I asked about sending our luggage to Osaka, and told me I had to book through Airporter, which didn’t do cross region shipping. Luckily, I asked a girl on a later shift, and she arranged it for us without a problem. I’d recommend the hotel and stay again, but the details and staff support could be better.

I’m from the USA and used to much bigger rooms, so this one felt small to me, though it was still comfortable. It was very clean, the staff were so nice, and having a washer/dryer and fridge was lovely.