UNPLAN Shinjuku – Hostel

Stayed in the women's dorm. Common area spaces (particularly the bathroom and showers) could be kept a little bit cleaner in my opinion, but everything else was spectacular. For the most part everyone was super kind and respectful - there was a moment where some Australian girls were arguing in the dorm past quiet hours lol but otherwise everyone was very quiet! The private bed area and linens were spotless and cozy. I had enough room to store my bookbag and duffel bag there during the duration of my stay, and also appreciated the little lockable drawer to stash away valuables whenever I went out. The bedding was incredibly comfy and I slept like a brick. I used my noise cancelling headphones to play some white noise while sleeping and I honestly couldn't hear a thing in the room, it felt like staying in my own private place! The breakfast was also sufficient enough to power me through my morning for lunch and helped to shave some food costs off my trip which was perfect. I wish the coffee wasn't instant coffee, but, again, this is just a nitpicky thing. I'll absolutely stay here again! Hopefully next time I won't be as busy and can actually socialize a bit. The common areas are always full of people hanging out and chatting and the bar also seemed very lively at night. Overall great value!

Clean room and bathrooms, and the free breakfast and luggage storage were great amenities as well. Would absolutely recommend for a short term stay in Shinjuku.

Friendly staff, friendly guests, very social. The beds could be better soundproofed because there’s a gap at the top, but otherwise great experience. Free breakfast was awesome as well.

For my November booking it was great but this December to January was terrible due to two staffs. They might be new since I didn’t see them back in November. The staffs back then (still there in January) were amazing. Here are my experiences with the two staffs. The staff during the new year countdown who was taking orders at the register was really rude to me. She put her palm up to my face and said WAIT while I was trying to order a drink. I only tried to tell my order once. Then she didn’t hand me my change properly, she just slapped it at the counter. Check-in was like a robot. No “welcome”, no “thank you”, no “please”. Told me to sign at the screen and filled out the form and that’s it. Didn’t explain the door code at the front or when it’s locked. Other staffs were really great though like Brian and the Filipina girl were both cheerful and willing to help. I liked this hostel on my first stay and met so many amazing travelers but this time, I left after just 2 nights. I had few more nights booked but I just left. When I mentioned that I was checking out, the lady at the front desk, just said “we don’t have process for the checkout”. I just left. I also mentioned to her on my 2nd day that it’s cold in the room and asked her if they have a bigger blanket. At first she just said she can’t help with that. So I asked if there’s one laying around and only then she asked for my room number and bed number. She said she’ll let me know if she finds one. I never heard from her.