Houshi-kaikan Hotel — Hotel in Tokyo

Avoid this hotel like that horribly unpleasant relative no one wants to go near at holidays. The actual condition of the hotel is far different from what is advertised on the booking site (Agoda).

It’s located on the 5th floor of a run down department store, and when the shops are closed, it has eerie vibes. The pictures online show slightly dated, but well-kept rooms. That couldn’t be further from reality- the walls were scuffed with marks, wallpaper was peeling in places, and the mirror was cracked.

Furthermore, the heating was broken. When I talked to the staff about this, I was told it wasn’t their fault and that nothing could be done about it, and was then handed a blanket. I was not moved to a different room. Needless to say, the blanket did nothing. It was incredibly cold- inexcusable for the dead of winter. In addition, the light on the heating was blinking, which indicates it needs to be cleaned. I don’t even want to know when the last time it was cleaned.

On top of that, the shower room was a disgrace. Black mold was growing on the tiles, the bathtub was peeling and moldy, and there was a terrible smell. Not even the Japanese toilet dwelling ghost, Hanako, would haunt this place!

I asked the hotel for a refund, because I paid for the room with the expectation that I would be given the bare minimum of working heat and a clean shower room. However, the hotel refused. I contacted the booking site while I was staying at the hotel, asking for help, even sending them pictures of the conditions. They contacted the hotel, but by the time they got back to me a few days later, I had already checked out. I was given the impression that booking site was going to help my case, so I waited to complain again to the hotel. Had I known nothing would be done, I would have complained over and over again to the staff.

There were cheaper hostels of better quality I could have gone with. I thought based on the slightly higher price and good advertising online, this would have been a good experience, but it was not. The conditions were so unsanitary and cold, I was stressed and had difficulty sleeping for most of my trip.

When I arrived home, I contacted the booking company again, conveying my dissatisfaction and distrust of their service, and asking them to help me seek a refund from the hotel. They contacted the hotel, but the hotel refused. When I asked the booking site to do something about the outdated photos on their site, nothing was done.

It was absolutely unfair that I was misled both by the booking site and the hotel and that no amends were made. So, please, please, don’t make the same mistake I made by booking here. Unless you like moldy, smelly showers, and freezing cold rooms in the dead of winter, in which case,...

Avoid this hotel like the plague. The actual condition of the hotel is far different from what is advertised on the booking site (Agoda). It’s located on the 5th floor of a run down department store, and when the shops are closed, it’s a very creepy environment. The pictures online show slightly dated, but tidy rooms. In reality, the walls were scuffed with marks, wallpaper was peeling in places, and the mirror was cracked. Furthermore, the heating was broken. When I talked to the staff about this, I was told it wasn’t their fault and that nothing could be done about it, and was then handed a blanket. I was not moved to a different room. Needless to say, the blanket did nothing. It was very, very cold- inexcusable for the dead of winter. In addition, the light on the heating was blinking, which indicates it needs to be clean. I don’t even want to know when the last time it was cleaned. On top of that, the shower room was horrible. Black mold was growing on the tiles, the bathtub was peeling and moldy, and there was a terrible smell. Not even a toilet dwelling ghost would haunt this place! I asked the hotel for a refund, because I paid for the room with the expectation that I would be given the bare minimum of working heat and a clean shower room. However, the hotel refused. I contacted the booking site while I was staying at the hotel, asking for help, even sending them pictures of the conditions. They contacted the hotel, but by the time they got back to me a few days later, I had already checked out. I was given the impression that booking site was going to help my case, so I waited to complain again to the hotel. Had I known nothing would be done, I would have complained over and over again to the staff. There were cheaper hostels of better quality I could have gone with. I thought based on the slightly higher price and advertising on Agoda, this would have been a good experience, but it was not. The conditions were so unsanitary and cold, I was stressed and had difficulty sleeping for most of my trip. When I arrived home, I contacted the booking company again, conveying my dissatisfaction and distrust of their service, and asking them to help me seek a refund from the hotel. They contacted the hotel, but the hotel refused. When I asked them to do something about the outdated photos on their site, nothing was done. It was absolutely unfair that I was misled both by the booking site and the hotel and that no amends were made. So, please, please, don’t make the same mistake I made by booking here. Unless you like mold and freezing cold rooms in the dead of winter, in which case, this is the perfect...

To start with you have to understand this hotel , it sits on the top floor of an old shopping mall that they converted from a mall to a hotel/ guesthouse. The first 4 floors of this building are still in use as a shopping mall mainly for clothing wholesale. The conversion has been done with the very basic of building materials and can best be described as amateur hobby building and it looks like it was done 30 years ago . The rooms have no toilet or showers and these facilities are provided just next to the lobby . The men’s toilet facilities has 2 toilet stalls and 4 urinals . The shower room has 6 shower heads and no separation stalls. The rooms are small but adequate and have a TV and air conditioning and a sofa . You get free coffee and tea facilities at the lobby. The hotel is run by a Japanese owner and it shows in the cleanliness of the rooms . The sheets are clean and there is no bad smell you can sense that the rooms are clean . Don’t get me wrong the rooms, furniture , bed etc are old but clean . The location of the hotel is perfect . Subway station is 3 mins walk. Plenty of restaurants and you can walk to Tokyo station and Ginza neighbourhood. As a traveler on a budget it’s not a bad place to stay at all for these prices . I stayed here 2 nights and the other guests were mostly Japanese men and woman , there was no noise at night . I can recommend this hotel if you know...