Fuji Lake Hotel says on its website that they are a "people-friendly" hotel but they were anything but that, when we visited the hotel one day during our 3-day stay at Lake Kawaguchi in Fujikawaguchiku Japan. |My sisters visited the hotel in the pre-pandemic days of 2017 and had a memorable and enjoyable afternoon having tea and cakes in the hotel's dining area. I had a desire for cakes one afternoon during our stay, and we took a bus from Kawaguchiko station specifically to this hotel hoping to partake their afternoon sweet delights.|There were six of us, five sisters ad a brother-in-law. we arrived outside the hotel, which showed a huge poster promoting le Pain de Daniel showing danish pastries. So we were hopeful as we entered the lobby. We wanted to go into the lounge filled with sofas when two staff members - a man and a woman stopped us. The man asked if we were staying guests at the hotel and we said no but that we were there to have tea/coffee and cakes. He said cakes could be had across the street (there were no shops opened selling pastries). Then a second lady joined them and took charge, looking very determined to "handle us". |Frowning very heavily and looking very stern, she asked again if we were staying at the hotel. I said we weren't but my sisters had a great time they visited to have tea in 2017 and we were here to do the same. I glanced towards the sofa area to ascerrain if there was a display of desserts, but she immediately stretched out her hands and very rudely told us, no tea no cakes. |basically, she wanted us to get out of the hotel. Her whole stance was - "you lot, get out of my hotel". I've never in all my travels come across such an ill-mannered and disrespectful hotel staff as her. |she was rude, discourteous and arrogant. Even if we were not hotel guests, there was no ground for such a hostile and rude approach. she could have very politely explained that the hotel is simply not opened to outside guests - although that was clearly contradicted by that huge poster outside advertising pastries. |We could have been potential hotel guests in the future - my sisters love visiting Japan and has been many times. But her total attitude tells me and my family that this hotel is not welcoming in any way. I've been all over the world from camping on the frozen Arctic Ocean to the US, to the heart of Africa, to the southern reaches of New Zealand and Australia and reaches of China, but I would never ever step into a hotel like Fuji Lake Hotel again. |