My recent stay was extremely disappointing. Here are the details:
Hygiene Issues:
1. The spare toilet paper in the restroom was stored in a moldy basket (Photos 1-3).
* Despite complaining, we received no apology or promise of improvement from the staff, showing a complete lack of remorse.
2. Guests are required to remove their shoes upon entering. However, the shoe cabinet isn't right by the entrance, meaning we had to walk barefoot a significant distance on what appeared to be a very dirty floor. There was also no provision for disinfecting luggage wheels before bringing suitcases inside. To make matters worse, outdoor and indoor shoes were mixed together in the cabinet (Photos 4-6).
* When we complained, the guesthouse staff simply stated that removing shoes indoors is Japanese culture, without acknowledging any need for improvement.
* While I respect the custom of removing shoes as part of Japanese culture, its inherent purpose is surely to maintain indoor cleanliness. However, mixing outdoor and indoor shoes completely defeats this purpose.
* I have stayed in many Japanese hotels and guesthouses where shoe removal is required. Some guesthouses provide clearly sanitized slippers, distinguishing between used and unused ones, and even have labeled slots for used slippers by room number right at the entrance, eliminating the need to walk barefoot. In hotels requiring bare feet, the tatami floors were impeccably clean, and luggage wheels were always disinfected before entry. While I respect Japanese culture, this particular guesthouse shows no regard for guest hygiene, merely forcing guests to walk barefoot on visibly dirty floors.
3. Upon entering the property, there was a distinct smell of mold, which was also present in our room. It improved slightly with the air conditioning on, but without it, the odor was unbearable and irritating. As someone with allergic rhinitis, I had to keep the AC on constantly.
* Our complaint about this issue also received no response.
Service Attitude Issues:
Incident: The guesthouse is conveniently located near the beach (less than a 10-minute walk). After surfing, I came back to shower, not having brought my wallet, phone, or ID (all left in the room), nor a towel or change of clothes specifically for the beach. I walked straight into the guesthouse to get clothes and a towel, inevitably dripping some water on the floor. While my friends were showering, a staff member rudely *ordered* me and another friend (who wasn't showering) to clean up the floor. When we asked for a mop or towel, they told us to use our own. We had no objection to cleaning it, as we acknowledge we made the floor wet, but:
1. The staff member's attitude was hostile from the start, and they used a commanding tone when telling us to clean the floor.
2. The staff member deliberately made things difficult (part 1): They knew my friends were showering and I was in a wet swimsuit, yet they insisted we clean it *immediately* and stood there supervising us. Why couldn't they wait for my friends to finish showering so we could clean it together?
3. The staff member deliberately made things difficult (part 2): They expected guests to clean the floor but provided no cleaning tools. This was incredibly inconvenient. If I hadn't happened to buy a box of tissues for my rhinitis, would I have been expected to use my body towel to clean the floor?
* After complaining, we received no apology, and the guesthouse showed no remorse. I've visited Japan ten times, and my friends even more (one visited seven times just last year), and we have *never* encountered such an unaccommodating staff member.
(Photo 7 shows us cleaning the floor with tissues.)
4. We suspect the guesthouse staff treats Japanese-speaking guests differently from non-Japanese speakers. Below is our perspective on an incident, and I apologize if there's any misunderstanding.
* We personally witnessed two Japanese guests returning from surfing on another day (at the same time we finished our lesson). They entered the guesthouse (another building also labeled '134' next door) empty-handed, presumably without towels to dry themselves. We are unsure if they received any reprimand from the staff. If any guests who were there that day see this review, we would appreciate it if they could share their experience, if they don't mind.
* Again, I apologize in advance if there's any misunderstanding.
Poor Stay Experience:
1. This is not a budget guesthouse or hotel, yet essential toiletries like toothbrushes and towels incur an extra charge.
2. Cleaning responsibilities are shifted onto guests. For example, guests are required to clean the bathroom after use (Photos 8-9).
3. The room's trash bin was tiny. Despite staying for five days (split across two bookings), there was no daily trash collection, no trash bag replacement, and no extra trash bags provided. The public area bins were also small and frequently overflowing (Photos 10-12).
4. For a two-person room, the space was incredibly cramped. Once a suitcase was opened, there was no room left in the aisle, forcing us to step over things to move around.
5. Overall hygiene was poor, with many areas needing improvement, such as stained utensils and mold on several walls (Photos 13-15). The aforementioned points are just the worst examples. I developed a skin allergy during my stay (I have no prior history of allergies) (Photo 16 shows my hand after returning to Hong Kong, still not fully recovered, as I forgot to take a picture in Japan).
In summary: This guesthouse charges prices comparable to accommodations in central Tokyo, yet delivers a third-rate service experience. It clearly does not welcome tourists, especially surfing tourists, despite being located near the beach and a surf school.
All of these issues were reported to Trip.com. However, Trip.com stated they cannot interfere with the guesthouse's operations and could only offer a small internal cash compensation. This highlights Trip.com's inability to guarantee guest experience and hygiene, lacking any regulations to manage hotels/guesthouses. Such practices by this guesthouse, followed by mere internal compensation from Trip.com, mean the guesthouse faces no consequences, no need to apologize to guests, no pressure to improve hygiene, and no incentive to improve staff attitudes, while still being able to attract travelers on Trip.com.
Therefore, I sincerely urge everyone to think twice before booking this guesthouse. During our stay, we discovered many other hotels nearby with excellent locations (close to railway or beach) and more affordable prices, which simply aren't listed on Trip.com.
Original TextTranslation provided by Google
