APA Higashi Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower (No. 323) — Hotel in Tokyo

TINY not even small but TINY rooms for even just one person. But this is not the most unacceptable part. The worst is their customer service. As mentioned in numerous reviews, this hotel has a big problem handling checkin and checkout. The point is not that there are too many customers, the issue is this hotel has an extremely rigid policy about checking in at 3pm and out at 10am! I came at 2:15pm and the lobby had no customers but the front desk refused to let me check in although it was only 45mins before the supposed checkin time. The front desk insisted to charge me extra for that 45mins or I would have to come back later - and they very "nicely" told me this hotel doesn't have any waiting area, meaning "please get the fuxxx out and wait outside in freezing temperature by your self - thank you for your understanding!".

I went out and had a coffee and came back at 2:55pm only to find a HUGE LINE - HUGE - in the lobby and this hotel still wouldn't check anybody in. They waited literally past 3pm to finally start checking people in. Seriously?! All the rooms were already ready and why would a hotel make everyone wait only to follow their so-called check in time? All hotels have a check in time policy but that only means your room is GUARANTEED after that time; it doesn't mean your room can only be Available after that time. If it's available before that time, any other hotel would happily check you in so that you are happy, the staff is happy, and other guests are also happy because a congested situation is avoided.

Fake politeness such as "sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding" doesn't help. Lit service as those written in the replies won't help. APA Hotel management should take a look at international hotel brands and experience it themselves to understand what really needs to change is YOUR mentality and pointless rigidity regarding check in and checkout time, which causes trouble for all guests and the staff and low ratings and low guest satisfaction.

"sorry for my honesty and thank you for your understanding! "

Also, while I was at the lobby, I witnessed two guests complaining to the front desk that their cash and property were stolen in the rooms. The front desk had a very passive aggressive attitude to them and offered no help whatsoever while denying any wrongdoing on their part. So if you still decide to stay at this hotel, LOCK UP all your valuables or take them with you because people steal in your room...

To put it simply, this is not a hotel I can recommend. From the outside, it appears to be a great place to stay, but the front desk staff made the entire experience far worse than it needed to be.||I arrived a couple of hours early, and while I understand there’s usually a fee, I was told it would be ¥2000 per hour for early check-in and also for luggage storage. That was fine, so I chose to wait and explore the city. I came back just an hour before check-in time, prepared to pay the fee. After a long trip to Tokyo, I was just happy to finally get into my room.||Unfortunately, the room itself was not clean. The chair had visible stains on the seat, and my sheets also had stains—honestly, I don’t even want to imagine what they were. I immediately called the front desk from the phone in my room to report the issue. Although the hotel claims to have English-speaking staff, communication was very difficult. The staff member said she couldn’t fully understand me and would come up to see, but after waiting 20 minutes, no one ever showed. I went downstairs and explained the problem again, showing photos of the stained furniture and sheets. One staff member seemed to understand, but another interrupted and took her away. After repeating myself for the third time, I was asked, “What do you want me to do about it?”—word for word. Dumbfounded, I requested new sheets and a replacement chair, which seemed like a basic request. She told me someone would bring them to my room, but I had to wait another 30 minutes before anything was done.||So not only did I pay to check into a dirty room, but the service was extremely unprofessional and dismissive.||Check-out was another ordeal. If you are even two minutes past 10 a.m., staff will call your room, knock aggressively on your door, and demand that you leave or pay another ¥2000. Even as I explained I was just finishing packing, they stood outside my door telling me I had “one minute.” I rushed downstairs, only to be told I would be charged the late fee anyway. At that point, I even asked for my key back if they were charging me, so I could at least use the room until the time I was supposedly paying for.||Overall, my stay here was unsatisfactory and stressful. As someone who works in hospitality as a front desk agent myself, I can confidently say that this level of service is below subpar. Instead of enhancing the hotel’s reputation, the staff’s behavior only...

The hotel is fairly easy to find especially since APA is a well-known hotel chain across Japan.

Staff are friendly and polite, though I was left standing around when I arrived early, unsure how to store my luggage. No one approached to assist until I walked up to the desk myself. I asked about early check-in (around 12pm), but was informed there would be an additional fee of about $60 AUD, so I declined and stored my luggage before heading out.

The location is a big plus—right in the heart of Shinjuku, surrounded by plenty of restaurants, bars, and nightlife options.

When I returned at 3pm, there was a long line for check-in, but things moved fairly quickly and I was checked in within about 10–15 minutes.

I booked a superior double room with a view in the West Building, Level 14. The room was small but clean and comfortable. A few issues to note: Noise travels easily from the hallway—soundproofing could be improved. The mini-fridge is quite loud when running, which can be distracting. The bathroom is very compact, and it felt a bit tight when sitting on the toilet. Pillows, like most hotels (under 5 stars) are very uncomfortable and rock hard. Again, for the price I paid, I'd liked to have some softer pillows.

That said, there were some good features: The bed was spacious and comfortable. The TV is a good size, but unfortunately it doesn’t have Netflix, YouTube, or streaming options, and the available movies were quite limited in variety. A universal PowerPoint is provided, which is handy for international travelers.

My biggest concern was the price vs value. I paid around $350 AUD per night, and for that price, I expected more in terms of amenities—like daily bottled water or just a bit more space and comfort. Also a checkout time of 10am is simply too early, it should be 11am or 12pm minimum.

The standout highlight of my stay was the teppanyaki dinner with Shinjiro Kanagawa. He was incredibly kind, entertaining, and talented. The food was outstanding, and I highly recommend this experience to anyone staying at the hotel—it was absolutely worth it.

Overall: 4/5 The location and dinner experience were great, but for the price, the room and amenities fell a little short of...