joizy Posted 3 hours ago Posted 3 hours ago In a previous post, I recommended Hotel Shu, an Airbnb building that you can also find on Booking.com. I stayed there before I went to Nagoya. The unit was small, but the location was very convenient. I just returned to Tokyo after a few weeks in Nagoya and returned to Hotel Shu. They had me in a different unit. When I entered, there was a horrible smell - kind of like a wet dog/body odor/smelly feet. I opened the window and door and messaged them. We went back and forth - they told me to use the deoderizing spray and open the window. They said the smell was not coming from the unit because the cleaner was just there. Finally I said I was paying over $2,000 for two weeks and their answers were not acceptable. They sent the cleaner up. he confirmed that it smelled, gave me more deoderizing spray, which I sprayed, left the window open and went out to dinner. When I returned, the smell was still there. I messaged the host and asked if they had another unit. They didn’t. I requested a cancellation and contacted Airbnb support. Long story short, Airbnb support was great, but the host was a major asshole. They changed the reservation to one night and when I asked when I had to check out, they said 10 am. I said, I haven’t even found a new place yet, I think the least you could do would be to give me until 3. They said they would have new guests checking in. When I questioned this, they withdrew their offer to change the reservation and told me to contact Airbnb support. Airbnb support was great, and they got me the refund. But Hotel Shu is a no for me from now on. In a country where customer service is top notch, I was shocked at how rude and uncooperative they were. I am in a new place a few blocks away. Still a good location. A little bigger and it smells clean rather than like B.O. I love Tokyo but accommodation here can be really problematic. I loved the hotel in Nagoya - Ibis Styles - big bed, great view, wonderful front desk staff, and cheaper for 18 nights than 14 nights in a stinky Airbnb in Tokyo. Last year I liked the places I found, but they were a bit far from Shinjuku. If I come back, I guess I’m going to have to decide if comfort is more important than location. Quote
