The men working here are very polite as indeed are most of the staff. It is not their fault that this is an overpriced hotel. By the way their English is very good. The online site gives the impression it is an apartment hotel, but be careful when you choose a room on the net since it may be just a hotel room rather than the apartment you think you are choosing. For $200 per night at time of writing we really got an overpriced hotel room. The carpets are tired and the whole place needs a good going-over if they are going to keep charging this amount. The view of Tokyo is pretty good but hardly worth paying $200 per night for. It is attached to a convention centre and when you wind up by accident in lifts with businessmen, they may tell you that the layout of the building confuses them too. Just finding the entrance the first time was difficult as you have to lug your luggage around the building to the door. Returning to your room can be confusing as the signage is not all that clear. If you do your washing (it is free) it is a real maze just finding the laundry; we got lost repeatedly just trying to find the laundry again. And we did have to go back and forward many times because it took forever to dry the clothes in their listless driers (Washing machines with a dry switch). Put your clothes in there for 5 hours. But who wants to spend their precious time in Tokyo going back and forwards to the difficult-to-find laundry? We finally just put our clothes in for 5 hours and went all the way to Ginza for an outing. After getting back about three hours later our clothes were still damp. The apartment you think you are getting would cost heaps more than $200 if you decided to upgrade. Coming from Okubo Station look out for the tallest building. That is Hundred Stay. Their instructions on their site are not that clear. It seemed like some of the hotels in Bali and Vietnam that are used to foreigners just accepting rather poor conditions. I should have known by looking at Tripadvisor reviews, because the Japanese reviewers gave this place a hammering whilst the foreigners thought it was great- most of them are probably not that accustomed to Japan and expect Japan to be expensive etc. But this was one of many hotels we used all over Kyushu and Honshu and it was in comparison poor value. It was the most I have ever spent on a hotel room and I expected to be great. But I was disappointed to see that it was not only the most expensive we used but the worst. No reflection on the staff- the cleaners and receptionists do a good job. But it really is overpriced.

My partner and I decided last minute that we wanted to stay in Tokyo over New Years as opposed to having to take the train home very early in the morning on the 1st. As a Westerner in Japan who tends to want to stay at Western chains, in can be difficult to find a reasonably-priced hotel in Tokyo, especially the day before, or the day of, your stay. And this was the beginning of New Years weekend, so I was getting myself prepared for an even more arduous search. Hundred Stay, however, made the search quick and incredibly painless, and I couldn't have been happier with what we received.

The hotel is a very short walk from Okubo Station on the JR Sobu-Chuo line. This is pretty convenient if you know your way around Tokyo/Japan on the JR lines or on the Tokyo Metro. If you don't, however, you may find the need to change trains a little cumbersome as Okubo Station is only served by that one line. Regardless, Hundred Stay is just a stop away from Shinjuku, and only a few minutes by train or taxi from Shibuya, Harajuku, and the rest of the great Tokyo areas. So location is definitely a plus for this place.

The rooms are relatively spacious by Japanese standards, which is to say that they're almost on-par with what I'd expect at a Western-owned chain hotel. We stayed in the most basic room, too, so I was even more surprised. It had a flat screen TV, a Bose sound system and DVD player, an iHome for iPods and iPhones, and free wired Internet (no WiFi, though) which was great. All this was set upon the small-ish desk in the room, though, so that made the flat surfaces in the room, minimal as anything else like wallets, phones, jewelry, watches, suitcases etc had to be set on the night stands or on the floor. My partner and I don't have much "stuff", though, so this wasn't really a big deal. Plus, there were several closets for storing/hanging clothes, which came in very handy.

The bedding was ample and we were definitely kept warm throughout the night, even if we hadn't had the heater running. The mattress was on a bit on the firm side, as other reviewers have mentioned. I would have also like to have had a couple more pillows in the room, too, since hotel pillows tend towards the thinner side. To be honest, though, I had no trouble falling or staying asleep. So I guess the bed wasn't really that big of an issue.

The bathroom was very large by Japanese standards and had a normal (for North Americans) sink/counter, toilet, tub arrangement as opposed to the moulded plastic bathroom insert-like set-up common in most Japanese hotels. That is, the tub was a real tub, the toilet was a separate entity not attached to the counter/sink unit. I know this sounds odd, but it's nice to not feel like I'm bathing in a tiny train/airplane bathroom. The water pressure in the shower was amazing, the water very hot, and I love that they stocked Pola AromaEss bath products - a personal favorite of mine and only available in hotels or online. It's one of those little things that define a certain quality of hotel for me...like fitted sheets instead of flat sheets on the mattress.

A friend of our was staying at the same hotel for roughly the same timeframe and happened to get lucky due to overbooking and was upgraded to a studio/suite. The room was huge! It was wonderfully appointed with couch and living area, as well as a small dining table/chairs, a small galley-style kitchen, washer/dryer, and a giant walk-in closet. And he only paid about ¥2,000 more than we did. And he had a great view of downtown Tokyo. I was kind of jealous, actually.

The front desk staff are gracious and helpful, but not all of them speak English. Fortunately I am pretty well understood and can get by so long as the conversation stays simple. However, I think tourists with no working knowledge of Japanese could have trouble if one of the less linguistically-inclined staff is working the front desk. However, I've always found that lots of pantomiming seems to help, too. So, if you don't speak Japanese, work on your charades skills.

The only real complaint I have is that there's a lot of security, which is generally a good thing though a bit unnecessary in Japan. However, this manifests itself with multiple keyed entries throughout the hotel. So, after 10pm you have to use your key to get into the lobby. Then once in the lobby you have to use your key to get to the elevators, then your key is necessary to get to your specific floor, then finally into your room. This is a small annoyance, but it's compounded a bit by the fact that the key cards have a very similar front and back, and the key card must be inserted a certain way. It's all just kind of an "ugh...c'mon!" moment, but if you just want to get back to your room (or you have to use the bathroom badly), it can be cumbersome.

Overall, this hotel was an excellent choice I just happened to stumble on via Agoda.com. Because I loathe that the trains stop at midnight, this hotel is going to be my go-to lodging in Tokyo if I plan on staying the weekend. I honestly can't rave about it enough. It's convenient, affordable, and an excellent stay all-around. Highly recommended, and have already recommended it to friends coming to Japan for a visit.

Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku was recommended by a colleague of mine and he rarely "raves" about anything so I thought I would give it a go. Anyone that has visited Tokyo knows that getting around this town can wear a person down (and the pocket book!) so it makes a difference where the hotel is located. This property is one stop away from Shinjuku station on the Yamanote (green) line (Shin-Okubo station) or the Chuo local (yellow) line (Okubo station) and just a leisurely 5 minute walk to the entrance. This is critical because, well Shinjuku station is a mad house and if you can leave there without going too far, relaxation will just come sooner. This also means that if you arrive by Shinkansen, you can take the Yamanote line and go one stop past Shinjuku to your hotel. Ahhh.

After the short walk, you arrive at the property and see this monstrous 23 story building, the tallest thing in the area and you actually have to walk the extra 90 seconds around to the front, but that is not really an issue because you are greeted with smiles and a staff waiting to assist you. Hundred Stay doubles as a long term hotel so they really prefer that you stay at the property at least a week, but in low season, if you contact the hotel and request a room, they may be able to accommodate you.

The room, though a bit small by Western standards, is spacious by Japanese hotel standards. The closets have a smooth wood grain finish and space for 5-6 suitcases, practically unheard of in Japan. I stayed on the 18th floor and the view was incredible because there are no other skyscrapers in the Okubo neighboorhood. This means lots of sunshine, if you want it or almost black out shades if you don't. The strong jets of the shower made me not want to get out and hot water on the body (either shower or deep, full length tub) makes for a happy man after walking the streets of Tokyo.

I particularly appreciated the simpleness of the hotel. Several cable channels and stations in English including CNN and BBC as well as FOX. I did not use room service and I am not even sure if they have it. That was fine by me though because there are several convenience stores 2-3 minutes away --door to door--and restaurants galore. In fact, I had Vietnamese food at a restaurant just minutes away and then coffee at a dainty little shop with my gf.

Plusses:
Alert but non-intrusive staff.
Location, location, location.
Room size and comfortable bed. Slept very well (too much!)
Off season Price. Less than 10,000 en
18th floor. (though there was an earthquake during my stay).
Good food near.
Good amenities (soap, shampoo, shaving, lovely towels)
AC.
Free LAN for connecting internet. Yep, FREE.
Leave hustle/bustle of Shinjuku and chill easily

Minuses:
Some have said the room is a bit small.
Can be pricey during peak season or unavailable.
No room service.
No Wifi in room (but there is a LAN cable and its FREE)


Had one small problem: TV kept losing the volume. They switched it out when I went out on the town and all was well upon my return. A very uneventful stay, just the way I like it.
jw

For those of us attempting to fly in and cope with the super-heroic Japanese yen, this hotel is just the ticket. The property has been well-reviewed by others, so I would only note that there were a couple of problems with my room on arrival and management was extremely responsive, with the booking agent making sure that things were dealt with on a weekend.