Review: First Cabin Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)

Ben, could you please make a post on what seats are the best on planes and maybe which seats are the safest. I sure this would be a hit post!

YES!!! that would be such a fun post. Also, Ben, you know how you made a post on Turkish serving the most countries? What airline serves the most cities???

THESE ARE GREAT IDEAS!! Ben, you better start working on these posts before the comment section gets rowdy! 🙂

Apparently, it's sock puppet day at OMAAT!

Question for Ben, can you use the common room, and the laundry, if you're not staying at the hotel? Might be an option for a long daytime layover if I needed to do laundry,

Lucky clearly hasn't stayed in a hostel before

I fully agree with Ben. The first cabin was a friggin nightmare. I didn’t sleep a single wink in their highest class room. And it hurt my back a lot.

I am used to hostels.

Its hard to think of a scenario where this would be preferable to paying a few extra dollars for a low-frills (but still clean/safe/comfortable) proper hotel room, with locking door, private bathroom, and fairly quiet. Even for a shorter layover where you may not want to burn time traveling to/from an off-airport hotel, it seems like the value here is still limited because its located landside - so you still need to go through security again.

The hotel information card has a reference to vibration alarms being available for those who are anxious to wake up. My mother is deaf and has an alarm under her pillow that vibrates; I'm assuming this would be something similar. Presumably that's how one is meant to wake up for a flight?

I don't understand why they don't simply build better walls. I wonder if it's a tax or regulatory thing where having the flimsy shields means it is considered a lounge instead of a hotel.

Also the guidelines photos says they will loan you a vibrating alarm

Stayed at a First Cabin outpost in the city, and while I did manage to sleep OK with earplugs (and set a phone alarm because there was simply no way I was waking up otherwise; I made sure to turn it off immediately) — overall I still agree with your review. The not being able to fully close the “room” really ruined the concept. Otherwise it probably would have been fine.

Lucky, you must have missed the relevant paragraph in the cabin's usage rules, specifically in the paragraph on mobile devices:
"Vibration alarms are also available for those who are anxioous to wake up."
This struck me as obvious because that is how I wake up whenever I am sleeping somewhere a proper alarm could disturb other guests like in hostels, for instance, and it would have surprised me if this hotel had not provided that kind of service to its guests.

His husband doesn’t get asked to review any.

My take is that it will be amazing. It's like you are traveling in Economy and Business. The best bit is the plane spotting when I exited out of my room.

I think I could (maybe) see using this as a day room for a couple hours long nap. But being in a very warm environment is a huge "no" for me. Pretty cool concept though and I love the idea of a relaxing Japanese bath.

I don't get the point about the alarm clock. Can one not set a cellphone alarm, like any other day?

Exactly. Or put your phone alarm on Vibrate under your pillow.

Correct, because it doesn't have four solid floor-to-ceiling walls it's not classified as a separate room and thus the revenue is taxed differently.

Safest? They all all certified before they're installed (well, apparently except LH product)....? I think I'd rely on regulating authorities rather than a blog on any such matter...

I have no issue with this type of accommodation... and @Ben, I also share this having stayed at some of the world's top hotels, so it's about differentiating the produxt. For me, it's all about the convenience factor, and also the experience factor for me...I also started my early travel days backpacking, even sleeping on cardboard in rondavals in Africa...so I appreciate luxury, but I'm not fussy.

Stayed at the NRT pod hotel, it was different, but I just liked the new experience that I never had before.

As for airline terminal budget accommodation, I love SIN with its superb facilities and services, though no windows...and KUL (KLIA 1) which is nice and a very "local" experience, and the view staring directly into cockpits was both really cool but also felt weird staring àt the pilots while I was laying in bed knowing they could also see me...of course you can close the shades, but it's an AvGeeks dream...

Happy Holidays y'all!!

I have to say I agree about the slight smell in many of these places I've stayed. It's true, it often smells vaguely like old socks. I don't know why that is or why they can't clean that sufficiently. Everything else about it is generally spotless.

Also note that the welcome note/services notebook did say "vibration alarms are available for any guest anxious about waking up"

The noise issues are a total deal breaker. If you cannot sleep even a $10 room is bad value

All of the "rooms" are only separated by a curtain. So when 1 person sets an alarm, everyone else hears it too and wakes up!

There really is zero sound separation in these "rooms"... that's what Ben, the blogger, meant by mentioning how noisy it is

Yes, beds too hard.

Just "visualise yourself staying at The Ritz Carlton or Andaz or Grand Hyatt or something of that kind! ;)", as a name changing intellectual suggests.

Stayed at grand Fontaine in November with my son and loved the onsen. Really the main advantage of staying there. If you get another chance stay there and hit the spa!

Ironically if this was actually a “first class cabin in the sky” it would win an award for best hard product I assume. Yet on the ground it’s a horrible nights sleep!!

I don’t get people that never leave airports. I fly to Tokyo or Australia for a day I’m gonna go explore a bit. I’m halfway around the world. Makes no sense to just book airport hotels.

Most people book them for one night if arriving late or leaving early. Airplane bloggers are of course different, but most normal folk aren't flying long haul, staying at an airport hotel and then flying back.

The killer for me is the 'smell of dirty socks' - that doesn't feel very clean to me.

Did you pursue the SAS one million point promo challenge?

Bit of a side note, but I've been using my fitness tracker (Whoop, but Fitbit does the same) as an alarm. It vibrates on your wrist and is actually a MUCH nicer way to get awaken than a blaring phone alarm :).

Best for who? On which plane? Which airline? Geesh... Self, why am I replying to this comment?

Love it warm, can sleep through a war, happy to use a vibrating alarm. Love the review, good chance I’ll use this place one day. Munch appreciate the insight

I stayed at First Cabin Haneda in 2016. Unlike you, i absolutely loved it. My Delta flight arrived at 10:30 pm. I enjoyed the calm quiet of the premises. There was no noise in the sleeping area, just the background hum of the ventilation system. It was so calming. I've lived a long time in Japan, so i was used to the large on-sen bathing area which felt amazing after the long flight. I slept soundly and was reluctant to have to check out the next morning. The common room was great. Everything clean and nothing shabby. On my next trip to Japan i made it a point to stay at a first cabin Akihabara in 2019. It was okay, but the one at Haneda is awesome. Pleasant memories.

Since I always travel with my wife, this is not a good idea. We usually take the monorail a couple of stops away and get a double room with bathroom for the same price, breakfast included.

Yep, Ben complains about wake up alarms and doesn’t even read the card that says he could have borrowed a silent alarm…

I cancelled my reservation there after reading this review and it says I owe a small cancellation fee, but I can't figure out how I'm supposed to pay it. My reservation was to be paid at the hotel and I didn't give them any credit card information.

Should I be concerned about owing this? Or just ignore it. I don't want to get arrested over $25 next time I go to Japan.

The transit in Tokyo is good enough that if you're there for 1 day you can visit the city and still take the subway back to a hotel and sleep at the airport.