Hotel Empire In Shinjuku

Hotel is small but clean. The bathrooms are similar to a lot of hotels in Japan where there is not a lot of room. We are happy, though that there is enough space for us to place our luggage and open our bags. Around the area are modest restaurants and convenience stores. It is about half km away from the Shin Okubo train station. We were not allowed to check in early even if we arrived at 9am and had to wait until 2pm for the actual check in time. The hotel had restrooms open for public but they did not have common shower rooms. Even if we did not have access to our rooms, we would have appreciated it if we had access to a shower as we arrived from Kyoto via overnight bus and were in need of a shower. The reception area is also very very small. It is easy to get lost trying to track the hotel the first time. Just look for the vending machines in front with the big trees.

Stayed here for 3 nights. 6/7 minute walk from Shinjuku station. Excellent value for the location. Room was clean and staff were helpful so no complaints. Like most rooms in Tokyo, the room was tiny but for the price it was perfect.

Hotel Empire is more in the Okubo district than what you'd strictly call 'Shinjuku' as a tourist, but its a really nice neighbourhood, very relaxed. The rooms are a bit tired and could maybe do with a bit more thought going into their layout to make best use of the available space but still clean, typical smaller size for Japan and the balcony was nice. Staff were friendly and overall was a decent place to stay on a budget.