I am not one to leave a bad review but it’s important to share to protect other travelers like myself so they can avoid the scary situation I found myself in. I traveled from seattle, USA to Tokyo with my cat. This is a big journey and it’s difficult when your stay doesn’t go as planned.
When I was on my international flight (the day of my stay) they changed my room accommodations stating that the room wasn’t ready and that I could stay in a different hotel. I did not agree to another location. I specifically chose this location because it is near the airport as I need to fly to Okinawa the next day. Because I was traveling, I did not receive the email. The email was also in Japanese, which I previously requested English. I arrived to my stay and did not know that the room I paid for wasn’t available. I was stranded outside the hotel with 4 XL suitcases and my cat at night. My Japanese SIM was not yet working so I had to ask a stranger who passed by to call the host. Multiple attempts were made to reach the host and no response was received until hours later. I was scared and was afraid I would end up sleeping on the streets that night.
Luckily the angel who I stopped to call my host was very kindly invited me into her home and gave me and my pet a bed for the night. I was lucky to have found a good person but entering the home of a stranger is also scary. Without her rescue I don’t know what would have happened that night.
When the host returned my call he apologized and agreed to refund the room in full. He told me to wait to hear from Airbnb. Airbnb did not reach out, I suspect he never initiated the refund. I reached out to Airbnb and a full refund has now been issued but honestly it’s still not good enough considering the trauma it put me through that evening.
I would not recommend that anyone stay here, specially if you are a foreigner. Its important that we have a reliable stay and good communication when we are traveling somewhere new.