GARDENS CABIN — Hotel in Sapporo

First, the 2 dots for the great breakfast with the awesome coffee and yogurt, friendly cleaning and dining staff, and the baths in the basement.|I have complaints about the front desk, their ethics, and bait and switch pricing.| I reserved and paid for a 3 futon room at Gardens Cabin in Sapporo for 8/15-8/20|When I arrived, I was told by a woman at the front desk that I couldn't stay in the room because it is a capusule for a man, and that they were trying to get a hold of me. I tried to tell her in broken Japanese, that I didn't get any correspondence or email, she told me that I should have gotten messages from Agoda. I told her that I payed through booked.net, and not Agoda, and presented her the booking confirmation with a photo of the futon room, but she pushed my phone away and told me that I never responded to her messages. Then she told me that I have to pay extra to be accommodated, in a capsule room with 2 capsules. I all of this in a language I only have basic knowledge and skill in; they refused to speak English.|I tried again to show her my booking, but refused to look. She said that I had to pay 7,760 yen extra and sleep in a capsule.|I had been traveling for about 20 hours since I left my house, with getting to the airport, transferring at Haneda, and then getting there from Chitose, and I was exhausted and forced to speak in a language I am not used to, so I gave in and pay. I have a Japanese name, but am a USA national born here, and my passport, which she took a photocopy of , is USA.|I wanted to stay in a futon room because I travelled to Sapporo from NYC to take a 4 day dance intensive where we danced 6 hours a day, and wanted to stay in a futon room and not a capsule so I can at the beginning and end of the day before going to the studio and right before sleep.| I believe that I should have been given the room I paid for, and the woman said that It is not on Garden Cabins' end, but Agoda's end for this error, which I kept telling her that I payed on booked.net. She refused to look at the booking through bookded.net and pushed my phone away when I pulled it up to show her my booking. |I received a $7,760 refund for the extra that they charged, after months of Booked.net investigating this. Thank you Booked.net for being so thorough and professional. Still I initially paid $337 for five nights (for a futon room that I didn't stay in) More than $67 per night is steep for a capsule. Beware of the woman at the front desk and their...

I paid 3 TIMES the standard rate between 14 Nov and 17 Nov due to Arashi (嵐) Anniversary Tour.  I immediately booked the last capsule available however a minute later, a new inventory (5F initially catered for mens) opened with 9 capsules available for ladies, at a much lower rate (a difference of JPY1,500.00!)!  I am certainly not impressed by such sales tactics.

I had to check out by 1000hrs and re-check in at 1500hrs for the last night.  I eventually cancelled it and stayed at Dormy Inn Annex at SGD48.00 (!).  If I did not "demand" to stay in the same capsule, I might have to recheck out and recheck in 3 TIMES for a 5-night stay :(

4F, 5F and 6F comes with 57 capsules each, 4 wash basins and 3 washlets (have to queue!).  It was always noisy in the capsules, even at wee hours due to inconsideration and uncivilisation guests.

Heater was on and each capsules comes with a very thick and heat-generated blanket (when the heater was on?).  It was always very stuffy and hot, even at the wash area and I perspired even with a thin layer of pajamas..

Access (card) was denied not once but twice for the entire stay and the housekeeper even mistook the private towel which I have placed aside..

For improvement.. last check-in at 2200hrs.  Else assign late comers to a section with late comers' capsules. lights completely turn off at 2300hrs as guests love to pack at wee hours, even inside its capsules :(

The only reason that I'd revisit is the lovely hot spa at B1 (it comes with 2 private showers for the ladies, includes...

I had an extremely unpleasant experience at Garden Cabin Sapporo hostel, which left a bitter taste in my mouth on checkout day. The staff, especially a rude and unpleasant middle-aged woman with short wavy hair, made my stay uncomfortable. When I checked out and needed a place to rest due to a poor night’s sleep caused by noisy guests, she not only refused to store my luggage but even chased me away when I tried to rest on level 2. The front desk staff, including a long-haired woman in her 30s and the same middle-aged woman with short hair, were unhelpful and added to the frustration.

The baths smelled terrible, with a stench that was unbearable, and the hostel only had one private bathroom, which is honestly a joke for a place like this. The noisy Japanese guests made it impossible to get a good night’s sleep, with no regard for others as they packed their luggage loudly at all hours. It was disappointing to encounter such behaviour in Japan.

The lift was another source of irritation, as it always defaulted to stop at level 2, the reception area, even when I didn’t want to go there. While the proximity to Odori Station and shopping areas was convenient, it doesn’t make up for the overall negative experience.

There are better places to stay nearby, and saving a few bucks isn’t worth the nasty experience I had here. I definitely won’t be recommending this hostel to anyone—it’s...