Finding a place to stay in a foreign country can be a time-consuming process. The language barrier alone means that if you don't speak or read the language, you're at the mercy of those of who do. This often can work out to be a fabulous thing, but you might also lose out on deals sometimes.
Living in Japan the past several years, we've dealt with the same issues. Before I (Ashley) could read any Japanese I had to rely solely on English websites, English travel booking sites or bilingual travel agents. And while these are great (even recommended by us) resources, I found more often that Japanese sites
have better deals and a greater selection.
Not to mention, many hotels or other places to stay in Japan have
no English website and aren't always listed on English travel sites.
This is where GoTabi comes in.
We will help you find a place to stay that best fits your travel needs, and that includes price, when and where possible. We've learned some of the best ways to save money on hotels in Japan and how to find accommodation off the beaten path -- places that English guidebooks don't always cover.
It's simple.
Tell us where you want to stay, when and any preferences you have and we'll do all the research for you. Looking to save money? We'll focus specifically on that. Want to travel off the beaten path? We'll help you look for places to stay. Just want some help finding a hotel? We've got you covered.
Not only that, but you can also choose to have on-call translation support during your stay if you don't speak Japanese and any communication problem arise with the hotel staff.
How it works
You fill out
this form, we'll look it over and get back to you with any questions or clarifications within two days. Once we know exactly what you want, we'll send you an invoice for US$50 via Paypal. After we receive the payment we'll do our research and send you a list of options within a week or two (or possibly longer if you have a longer time frame -- this might be advantageous when looking for the best deals.) We'll also shorten this timeframe to a few days if you need to find something sooner.
Once you receive the list of hotels we found just for you, let us know what you like and we will arrange booking. If you don't like any of the options or prefer to book the hotel yourself, we'll refund $30.
If you need to find a hotel within a week, we charge an extra (nonrefundable) $20 for rush service.
If you don't speak Japanese and the hotel you plan to stay at does not have English-speaking staff, we offer an on-call translation service for hotel staff communication
only. We will invoice you via Paypal before your trip. Fee is US$10/day or $40 if over 4 days.
Why should you use GoTabi?
We know what it's like to try to find decent accommodation in Japan without being able to read the language. It's frustrating to see that there are often better deals in Japanese than English, and sad that so many places in Japan are passed by simply because they can't cater to English-speakers. We've had greater success finding places to stay ourselves than going through travel agents (not that there aren't good ones, of course!) and so we want to help you find the same.
We're especially understanding of families (we have a one-year-old daughter) and sensitive non-smokers, as it can be difficult to find non-smoking rooms.
You deserve a nice place to stay. Something that best fits your needs, without draining your wallet (unless that's what you're going for).
