Shinjuku City Hotel N.U.T.S Tokyo

This was by far the worst hotel experience I have ever had. The only positive thing about this hotel is its location. Everything else was disappointing, and some issues were serious enough to raise safety concerns. Please read until the end! When we arrived for check-in, we were informed for the first time that our room was not located in the main building, but in a separate annex building next door. This was never disclosed to us prior to arrival. The annex building was noticeably older and poorly maintained. To reach the first floor, guests must carry their luggage up a long flight of stairs because there is no ramp or accessible entrance available. The front desk service was also disappointing. Every day, we had to go to the reception desk to collect our drinking water because the hotel required guests to pick it up themselves rather than having housekeeping replenish it in the room. Despite this being the hotel’s own policy, the staff were consistently cold and unfriendly whenever we went to collect it. We never felt a basic sense of hospitality during our stay. The soundproofing was terrible. We could clearly hear people walking in the neighbouring rooms. During our first two nights, children in the room next door were running and jumping late at night and early in the morning, repeatedly waking us up. When we reported the issue to the front desk, the hotel offered no solution and showed little interest in helping. They did not appear willing to address the problem or speak with the neighbouring guests on our behalf. Cleanliness was another major issue. There were stains on the curtains that appeared to be dried blood. The duvet became detached from its cover after just one night of use. The bedsheet was loosely placed over the mattress with almost no effort to secure it. The towels were visibly yellowed, and on one night the air conditioning stopped working. The hotel wifi was the worst I’ve seen. Although we had booked a room for four guests, some basic amenities—such as drinking glasses and cups—were only provided for two or three people. However, all of these issues were overshadowed by what happened later during our stay. One day, heavy rain was forecast and local news warned that a typhoon could arrive later that evening. We stayed in our room to organize our luggage when two people knocked on our door. One appeared to be a hotel employee and the other seemed to be a maintenance worker. Due to the language barrier, we could not fully understand what they were explaining, but it was clear that they wanted to inspect the balcony area. Up until that moment, we had never opened the curtains and did not even realize the room had a balcony. When they pulled back the curtains, we were shocked to discover a massive crack running from the very top of the balcony glass door all the way down to the floor (see attached photo). The two men inspected the crack for several minutes and then left. No repairs were made, no protective measures were installed, and no safety warnings were provided. They left without providing any explanations. After they left, I examined the crack myself and found that it was deep enough to be clearly felt by touch. The most disturbing part is that this suggests the hotel was already aware of the damage. It appeared that they had knowingly continued renting out the room despite the cracked glass, only deciding to inspect it because a typhoon was approaching. If that is the case, it demonstrates a shocking disregard for guest safety. The balcony door was located directly above the head area of our tatami bed. Had strong winds caused the already cracked glass to shatter, the consequences could have been extremely serious. I rarely leave a negative review, but this experience was unacceptable. Beyond the poor service, noise issues, and lack of cleanliness, the apparent failure to address a potentially dangerous structural issue made us feel unsafe. I strongly recommend that future travellers think carefully before booking this hotel.