APA Hotel Yokohama Tsurumi

We arrived after midnight, and somehow I’d booked a smoking room. When I asked for a non-smoking one, reception upgraded my daughter and me to a top-floor suite free of charge. We were exhausted and wanted somewhere comfortable for a short stay. The room was amazing: a huge Japanese-style tatami room, a big bed, a large shower room with a tub spa, and even a sauna room. It had extra tatami mats and a nice queen bed. The furniture was old, but everything was very clean. I enjoyed this hotel most. If you have the chance and the budget, the suite is worth it.

The hot bath onsen is for men only. Parking is limited, and cars taller than 1.5 m can’t be accommodated. The place is old, and reception staff have limited English. They’re friendly, but can’t send housekeeping staff to help. There are several restaurants within walking distance.

This was an awful experience, especially the customer service. I’ve been to Japan many times, and I’ve never had worse. You get just one key, and it has to stay in the wall for the AC or heat to work. If you’re traveling alone, you can’t leave the room cool after a hot summer day, and the AC took forever to kick in. If one person wants to head out while another naps, you can’t get a second key. If your companion falls asleep and doesn’t answer the door or phone, staff may refuse to let you back into your room unless it’s earlier. Explaining what you need to staff takes ages. They also got our booking wrong and wouldn’t honor the price we’d booked at to fix it. Please stay away. I’d rather sleep in an internet cafe chair than ever come back.

The Wi-Fi is very weak. When I reported it, they said the hotel was full, which makes it seem like everything was planned for an empty hotel. Reception wouldn’t let me have a small business meeting at a table I saw sitting completely unused. Most people can’t understand English. On the positive side, the breakfast service improved while I was staying there.