Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu — Hotel in Hakone

My family and I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights, 5 people and in adjacent rooms. Overall it’s a beautiful place to stay. There are little towns not far from the hotel that you can visit by bus or walk to, just be mindful of the bus schedules. The hotel can be quite busy at the lobby during check in times but otherwise you are able to enjoy the facilities provided in privacy. Do check out the beautiful garden at level 1. I will have to say our first night was slightly unfortunate. We returned from dinner around 8.30pm and excited to use the onsen facilities but returned to one of our rooms smelling like cigarette smoke. At first I couldn’t tell where it was coming from and called reception just to let them know. It subsided but the smoke smell got really bad again and had a feeling this was not going to stop. This time I managed to take a photo evidence of a guest directly below our room holding a cigarette. My husband and I went down to reception and show the staff the photo. The staff at the front desk was polite and apologetic but needed to talk to their manager about possibly changing rooms which may incur extra charge, but they wanted to check what was possible which is understandable so we were happy to wait at the lobby. Someone came to talk to us, they did not introduce their name or their role, only to find out they were the assistant manager at the end of the ordeal. They took a copy of the photo and said that they will talk to the perpetrators and let them know that they should not smoke (warning) or they have to pay a fine the next time they get caught. At this stage, the hotel should have just enforced their rules and request the guest to pay the fine straight up to ensure this behaviour stops immediately. When asked to change rooms, they stated it was fully booked and we needed to pay more to upgrade. So the perpetrators gets a warning but the affected guests has to fork out more money to enjoy their stay? What tipped this over from bad to unacceptable was that the assistant manager said that if the problem persists even after the guest was warned by hotel staff, I should either tell the staff again or I should just close my window. But the whole point of booking this hotel is to enjoy nature and make full use of the private onsen bath which is located on the balcony. As a paying guest, I should not be responsible to police how other guests continue to behave and report back any further misconduct to staff. Especially as I have already provided solid proof the first time. I expect to be provided a productive solution so that I can swiftly return to enjoying my stay, not further burdened with a responsibility to keep another guest in check. In general, the other staff here are polite, friendly and helpful but the way this specific manager handled this scenario was unfortunately not up to parWe do appreciate the subsequent efforts by other staff members to rectify the situation up until our check out which definitely salvage our memory...

I have previously stayed at a more traditional ryokan and by contrast Hakone Kowakien Tenyu was much more of a modern experience. It was nice to have a comparison of both styles. I am a fan of both classic and modern versions of a ryokan, but appreciated the more sleek design of Hakone Kowakien Tenyu.

Upon walking in you are greeted by a beautiful view overlooking pools of water in front of the entrance. The decor and design are very aesthetically pleasing combining a mix of modern and classic touches. The staff were warm during check in and gave a thorough explanation of the property. The staff member took us down to our rooms and explained how to use our private onsen and the many features of our room. She advised us about dinner and breakfast times and where to go. The experience already started out wonderfully. As they are connected to their sister property Hakone Kowakien Yunessen which is a more family friendly property with an indoor waterpark, we hurried over with the kids to as we had access to it as guests next door. The water park closed early, but we were able to get in an hour or two to use the various pools, and "wine," "matcha," "chocolate," and "coffee" onsen. It was a cute facility.

Afterwards we went back to our rooms to get ready for the buffet dinner. The buffet was bountiful with so much variety from traditional Japanese kaiseki items to more contemporary fare. There really was something for everyone. The next morning we had a breakfast buffet, and again, plenty of menu items to choose from with Japanese breakfast items (which are my favorite!) to continental fare. When I tell you we ate to our heart's content! You will definitely not leave Tenyu feeling hungry! Our kids had no problem finding something to eat. Additionally at check-in they give you tokens to use at their ice cream vending machines. You can keep asking for tokens too! Of course the kids enjoyed this feature!

We didn't use the public onsen and preferred the use of ours ensuite. But we did check out the space for women and it was very clean. The amenities were nice and fully stocked. We enjoyed our private onsen which would fill up within 15 mins with the touch of a button inside your room. The deck was nice and relaxing and the onsen was perfect. The design of the room was a mix of western and traditional with tatami mats. It was spacious with plenty of room for the two of us to stretch out and relax. Beds were comfy.

We loved our stay here and booked only one night as we were limited on time during this trip. But I would definitely stay here again for more than a night. There were plenty of couples, older and younger, as well as families with young children. It's definitely family friendly...

5-Star Rooms, 2-3 Star Service and Amenities

Starting with the best part—the rooms were excellent. Spacious, clean, and beautifully designed. The bathtub was a bit small for taller individuals, but still comfortable and fit our needs.

Unfortunately, that’s where the luxury experience ended. While this hotel is advertised as a 5-star resort, the service and amenities were more in line with a 2-3 star stay—and in many ways, worse. What stood out the most was the dismissive and borderline rude attitude of the staff. We were a younger group, and it was very clear we were treated differently, not sure why but perhaps because of our age as that’s the only difference we could blatantly see. We’ve stayed in multiple 2-3 star hotels across Japan during our trip, and the hospitality there far exceeded what we experienced here.

The front desk staff seemed uninterested in helping us, and instead came across as cold and eager to rush us through. We didn’t feel welcomed or valued as guests. This dismissiveness became especially problematic when we needed urgent help arranging transportation to Odawara Station to catch our train back to Tokyo. The hotel staff offered no assistance and told us there were no options available. Luckily we planned well and had more than enough time to deal with this setback but we were essentially left isolated and on our own, despite being at a remote and expensive resort. After about 30 minutes of persistent effort on our part, we were finally able to arrange two taxis ourselves—something the hotel could have easily helped with, but chose not to.

Another major letdown was the dining. We paid for a dinner that was underwhelming, and ended up switching to the buffet—which was equally disappointing. Breakfast was no better. These were, without exaggeration, the worst meals we had in all of Japan. Based on other reviews, this seems to be a consistent issue.

For future guests, be aware: there is no room service, lunch option ends early, and after that there are no food options available. With transportation being difficult and no restaurants nearby, this becomes a real inconvenience. There is also no gym—something you’d expect at a 5-star resort.

In short, the rooms were the only aspect that lived up to expectations. Everything else—from the dismissive treatment due to unknown reasons, to the lack of service, food quality, and basic amenities—fell far short of what a 5-star property...