Hakone Airu — Hotel in Hakone

I’ll begin by saying take a very long look at the many negative reviews for this establishment. I’ll also add: we are a family of traveller’s who have previously stayed at several Ryokan’s while holidaying in Japan over the years. The hotel Airu, Hakone, pretends to be traditional Ryokan Japanese hotel, the clear tradition here however is only in scamming, and swindling its customer’s.

If you are looking for an opportunity to be ignored, overlooked, mistreated, upset, and generally insulted by the management then this is absolutely the place to come. If however you are looking to enjoy the wonders of Hakone it would be difficult to find a more overpriced, waste of your valuable Japanese experience. I would not say that hotel 😭Airu😭, Hakone is Japan’s worst traditional Ryokan Japanese hotel, but it is definitely making a very solid effort at this title.

16/07/2024 Our riposte to miserable faux-Ryokan’s insults. You are hilarious.😂

Over a three week holiday in Japan: 5 nights in Osaka, a week in Kyoto, (with 2 overlong, unpleasant, depressing, frustrating, and lamentable nights at the faux-Ryokan hotel Airu, Hakone) and a week in Tokyo. We/my family and I, had a truly wonderful holiday, despite the best efforts of the profoundly unpleasant faux-Ryokan hotel Airu, and its equally nasty management.

Of course when I read this work of hilarious fiction, police?😂 A car chase.. A radioactive meteorite? A spider bite… super powers…🤣 Clearly their simple minded modus operandi (policy) when dealing with their many displeased, disappointed, discontented, and dissatisfied guests. Some time ago now, and while I did feel I should respond, I also kind of felt, the further away from that tiny little man, and his plastic plant riddled faux-Ryokan I got; the better.🥳

A peculiar, often arduous, at times jarringly oppressive, and unbearable, relentlessly wearisome and increasingly painful Balinese inspired (and not in a good way (plastic plants, and cheap low-end figures, art everywhere) faux-Ryokan😭Airu😭. Ran by a corrupt tiny little man, who either hates families/westerners/guests/reasonable requests or all of the above. Suffice to say once we arrived at Tokyo, and checked into our new hotel, the clouds parted, and the beauty of Japan washed away any and all this sad little man, and his sad little plastic plant riddled faux-Ryokan’s 😭Airu😭 negativity and bitterness.

Indeed this depressing little man, and his unpleasant little plastic plant riddled faux-Ryokan’s comment regarding me and my family's unsuitability and incompatibility with his negativity and bitterness was spot on, completely true, correct, and fact-based! Our friction, mismatch, indeed our complete polarity regarding how guests, clients, should not be treated as inmates, fair game, and babes in the woods stems from the fact guests pay upfront, and thus have little to no leverage regarding this sad little man’s plastic plant riddled faux-Ryokan’s 😭Airu's😭 ‘business model’.

I reiterate: If you are looking to enjoy the wonders of Hakone it would be difficult to find a more overpriced, waste of your valuable Japanese experience. And add that if you have no interactions with the establishments management, skip their 10 course nightmare journey into misrepresented, underwhelming, insipid, uninspired, and disappointing, fish flavoured passé cuisine. And pay 30-40% less per a night, then this plastic plant riddled, faux-Ryokan 😭Airu😭may not be an arduous, exorbitant, unhappy, holiday-ruining disappointment. And here good reader is where I will leave this cheerless interaction.

🏯Japan is a truly wondrous, and wonderful country, with so much to offer, and bestow, yet negative, undesirable experiences like this do exist, and must also be recognised, and avoided (steered clear of) when...

Best part of the hotel was definitely the room itself. Granted, we opted for the private hot spring bath - verified by a certificate in the washroom - on the balcony. In terms of cleanliness it was impeccable and the room was spacious and comfortable. Nice touches were the Toto bidet and its features. Big wide screen TV and climate controls in the room were appreciated. Tea and a kettle was included with the water warmed upon our arrival. Room had two vanities and washroom supplies ig. comb, toothbrush, etc. included. Nice assortment of bathing soaps and lotions and creams as well. Outdoor bath felt quite exposed to hotels across the way but there was a privacy screen the staff offered to close for you if you preferred.

In terms of what could be improved, a few smaller things added up and one specific discrepancy was quite frustrating. We purchased the kaiseki dinner, which itself was great. The staff was kind and helpful though uninitiated. For the price of the dinner it was a bit of a surprise to learn that the only provided beverage was tap water. Alcoholic drinks and tea started at 700 yen with the irony being tea was provided free in our room. Much of the staff seemed to be in training which is understandable with the current economic climate but language may be a friction point as the trainees did not seem to be native to Japan. Upon arrival our bags were brought back to our room prior to check-in time at 3:00pm. When returning at 3:00pm we were processed at the front desk with a lengthy reading of rules and regulations. Understanding the clerk through a mask and plexiglass screening, over the sound of a water feature water fall was borderline frustrating as there was seemingly a lot to confirm and validate. Whether the clerk was proficient in communication without the barriers is otherwise hard to confirm but it lead to confusion when she pointed to our check-out time being adjusted - in red ink, over the printed document - to 9:00am. When we were settled in and I had verified my Expedia receipt check-out time listing 10:00am, I rang the front desk to confirm the check out time as there was no communication beyond my confirmation being check-out at 10:00am. After multiple messages from Hakone Airu to confirm our arrival and guest status prior it felt like a unprofessional and improper alteration to our booking with no forewarning as contact had been made prior and we could have been easily informed. Having booked a Shinkansen the day of check-out with our 10:00am check-out time in mind it was a disappointment to essentially to have to leave the hotel and essentially waste time waiting for our booked train at the station. Additionally losing an hour from what was expected in a very pricey room felt like a bit of a slap in the face as we genuinely enjoyed the room itself and wished we had more leisure time to enjoy the bath as it was a specific draw. Price to value ratio not quite there. I haven't stayed elsewhere in Hakone yet but with the premium paid and the experience I had, it would be hard to validate that the stay...

We recently stayed at the Balinese Onsen Ryokan, and while the overall experience was enjoyable, there were several areas that could use improvement.

To start with the positives: the location was serene, and the staff were exceptionally warm and welcoming. I appreciated how friendly everyone was throughout our stay. When we arrived, the staff kindly asked if we preferred to have the bed set up later in the evening. However, after a long and tiring journey, I requested for it to be done right away—and they accommodated that without hesitation. The futon and linens were soft and very comfortable. I also really liked the quality of the provided skincare products, shampoo, and conditioner.

That said, a few things detracted from the overall experience: Room Comfort Upon Arrival: When we were shown to our room, the air conditioning had not been turned on. The space felt hot and humid, which was uncomfortable after traveling. It would have been much more welcoming if the room had been pre-cooled to a comfortable temperature. Onsen Water Temperature: The onsen water was set to 40°C (104°F), which felt far too hot, especially during spring. Unfortunately, adjusting the temperature required calling the front desk, which was inconvenient. A slightly cooler setting would have made the experience more enjoyable. Dinner Service: While the dinner itself was tasty, a few things could have been better. There should be a basic drink included, such as tea or soda. I ordered a soda and asked for a refill, which resulted in two separate charges—this felt petty for a luxury ryokan. Also, while I appreciated that there was a printed menu, the font size was extremely small—some sections were nearly impossible to read without a magnifying glass. Lack of Dining Instructions: When the meat and vegetables were served, we were left unsure of what to do. Were we supposed to remove the paper underneath? Use the tongs to flip the food? Some simple guidance would have gone a long way in making the meal feel more relaxed. Sensor Light in the Room: At night, the motion-sensor light kept turning on with the slightest movement—even just shifting in bed. This continued throughout the night and disrupted our sleep. Sliding Door: It would be a nice touch if the hotel installed a screen door for the sliding glass door. This would allow guests to enjoy the sound of the onsen water without worrying about bugs. Breakfast Service: During breakfast, the call button at our table wasn’t working. I needed a water refill but no one checked in on us after delivering the food. Also, the soup came without any explanation, and I had to ask the server for instructions.

In summary, while the ambiance and hospitality were lovely, these small but numerous issues added up and affected our overall impression. Based on this experience, I would give the stay 3...