Royal Hotel Shinokubo

The location is great; it is just a block away from a variety of food options and grocery stores. The front desk is English and Chinese speaking which is helpful. Room is dusty and toilet has a smell. But the room size is biggest I've seen in japan.

It’s worth the price but I decided to not come back and stay here as originally planned for one specific reason. First the pros: Large room, very extensive bathroom, comfortable bed, and every single staff person was extremely helpful and kind, especially when I forgot my computer a day later and found it safely held there. They seem to all speak adequate English for hotel stays. It is very centrally located and seems to be in high demand. Good for a late night or a first night in Tokyo, but probably no more. For me, the biggest con was despite there being a window that let in light, it was completely covered in plastic shrouding that allowed in only light, but no view. This is why I cancelled my planned reservation when returning. I know there are other rooms without this window “feature” but didn’t want to take the chance as it felt extremely claustrophobic to me. Even if the view was of a dirty alley I wanted to be able to see it. A minor con is also the weird system where you have to surrender your key to the front desk every time you leave. The decor of the rooms, neither pro nor con to me, is quaintly “1980s Japanese business hotel” and little besides the aircon and toilet have been updated since then, including the carpet.

The hotel is located at one station away from Shinjuku, which is quite convenient for tourists.

First of all the staff is really friendly and helpful but the wifi here doesn't work no matter how many times they claimed that they’ve reboot it. And the hotel is on 2nd floor no elevator.