Hoshino Resorts KAI Sengokuhara — Hotel in Hakone

Sharing our experience in the hope others will find the information useful. We spent two nights here. Three key observations.

SERVICE Bluntly the service was nowhere near good enough. Throughout the stay. A number of staff were clearly trying their best but it felt like we were being looked after by trainees. Three examples: on arrival we waited for 25 minutes in reception, with no one else waiting, no check outs or other check ins, with almost zero information or updates. The only contact with the sole member of staff was when she came over to us and said 'you have booked dinner for 7.30, it will be very busy, we advise you to re-book at 5.30pm'. We said no thanks, not least as it didn't suit us but also as we'd booked 7.30 many weeks before (as it turned out it was almost eerily quiet at 7.30 ... one wonders whether they were trying to get all guests seated in that single early sitting). She then returned 10 minutes later to ask if we were sure whether we wanted fresh towels every day (bear in mind we hadn't even checked in at this point). We asked to book a cab to the local (Odawara) station on departure. We were told it was 'very hard'. We were subsequently told it was taken care of, but then - over the following 6 hours, including twice at dinner that evening by two different hotel employees - we were asked, 'do you need a cab, today? tomorrow?'. These are the simple things, the small things that should be automatically removed from guests' list of worries. But they were elevated into enormous concerns, because we ended up having zero faith in their ability to do these basics.

It's fascinating to read other comments of previous guests and see exactly the same conversations were had at check in - 'dinner will be very busy, we advise you to eat much earlier'; this wasn't a one off issue, it's a strange and unsettling policy that the hotel clearly embraces.

FOOD Again, to speak plainly, the food was not nearly good enough. The fixed menu provided zero flexibility, and while it purported to be 'gourmet' it was in fact largely inedible. We're not saying this as 'westerners, with delicate palates'. We're used to eating local food, wherever we go. We love that experience of the unknown. But here simple things were not right - rice that was totally dried out, fish that didn't taste fresh, soggy tempura. The food was over fussy and under flavoured. Fancy looking but not tasty. On top of that we requested no beef or pork for one of our party but were told changes to the menu needed to be made at least 5 days in advance. This is not good enough. It's the basics, not the hard stuff. The breakfast on day one was so bleak (and inflexible) that we opted to forego it on day two (whilst paying for it, which seemed fair). The seated experience in the restaurant was somewhat ghoulish and unsettling, positioned in single tables in semi-isolation, served by hesitant staff who one felt were not huge fans of the food they were serving either. The wine list was beyond primitive, one local undrinkable white and red by the glass - you have more choice in a Travelodge in the UK.

VIBE Overall the feel of the place was odd. The rooms were fantastic, beautifully done, serenely quiet. The views were wonderful. The private onsen was excellent. But that aside there was a sense of welcome and a spirit of warmth missing. The only communal area was the lobby. No bar. No coffee or tea shop. Only Nespresso-style coffee on offer in reception. Plenty of expensive looking marble, but a distinct lack of hospitality or genuine customer service.

Three final points. One, to stress, many of the staff seemed to be doing their best, acting as they were instructed. But the overall experience was poor, and nowhere near befitting a £600+ per night property. Two, this review might seem like a whinge, it's not - it is both our right as guests paying thousands of pounds to stay somewhere, and our duty to our fellow travelers. Three, Hakone is stunning and we will be back. Just not at KAI...

We stayed at Hoshinoya Tokyo previously and had a remarkable time, so we expected Sengokuhara to deliver a somewhat similar experience. Unfortunately, it fell far short.||From the start, the check-in process was terrible. When we arrived, there was no one at the front entrance to greet us, we weren’t even sure if the hotel was open. To reach the main lobby, you need to take a long set of escalators that feel more industrial than welcoming. With no staff to assist, we had to haul our luggage, stroller, and bags ourselves. Since there are no elevators leading up to the lobby, this location is not friendly for families with small children or anyone with mobility challenges.||Check-in itself was unnecessarily long, which set the tone for the rest of our stay. The resort felt oddly empty, we only saw about 5–6 other guests the entire time, making the atmosphere more minimal and borderline eerie. And because the resort is small, there simply weren’t enough staff to properly accommodate guests. For example, our group of 8 had booked three rooms and wanted to schedule massages, but only three of us could be accommodated.||The onsen was the biggest disappointment. We came to Hakone expecting a private onsen experience, but what we found were just two bathtubs side by side and a small outdoor tub. If you’re seeking a memorable onsen experience, this is not the place.||Dining was another letdown. Both breakfast and dinner were the least enjoyable meals of our trip in Japan, uninspired and lacking the quality we had expected from a Hoshino property.||On the positive side, the rooms were comfortable and well stocked with amenities. The hotel thoughtfully provided a traditional Japanese outfit for our toddler, which was a nice touch.||Overall, while the rooms were decent, the lack of hospitality, disappointing onsen, limited services, and poor dining left us with an underwhelming impression. Compared to Hoshinoya Tokyo, KAI Sengokuhara was a major disappointment and not an experience...

This hotel was by far a luxurious stay and we completely recommend visiting. You could easily get a bus from Hakone Yumoto Station which basically drops you there.

The staff were super helpful aiding us to navigate around Hakone and printing us information. The dining staff were just as fantastic explaining every detail of the meals we were eating in English which we really appreciated. We even were able to drop off our suitcase earlier in the morning so we could travel around Hakone.

The room was fantastic and came with it's own private onsen with mountain view, it was slightly hot at first but your body soon gets used to it. It had everything we needed in the room, WiFi, comfy beds and plenty of plug sockets and a sofa that could sit about 30 people!!!

The restaurant was a luxurious experience being put into our own booth room and personal waiter/server. We got complimentary home brewed sake which was super tasty and again was nice having it explained to us. If you're looking for a Japanese cuisine then this is certainly one way to experience it for both dinner and breakfast.

They had even had an activity which you could book when checking in to create your own Tenugui which was fun, relaxing and allowed us to mingle with other guests. It gave us time to appreciate the aesthetics of the lobby and make use of the free tea and coffees and look at the shop.

The only thing I would change is because of where it is located (at the top of a very steep hill) having some sort of shuttle service that takes you from the bottom to the top. We're fairly young and mostly in shape but it certainly made us huff and puff a bit! Who knows maybe we're lazy, maybe it's because we had suitcases and the road surface wasn't the best, for the price it could be a consideration.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience and we thoroughly recommend it if you are wanting to spend slightly more for a super high...