Nagominoyado Hanagokoro — Hotel in Hakone

I wanted to share this review because I was worried about the low Google rating before our trip here in April but saw that there were higher rated reviews on Expedia so took a chance. Unfortunately, I feel our stay was more similar to the negative reviews that I'd read on here.

While the location and room were great, the customer experience was quite baffling especially for the price that you pay and the hospitality that you are typically shown in Japan.

Each room is assigned an attendant - ours was very friendly, and recommended that we call the front desk to book the rooftop onsen for that evening. In the afternoon, we called and we were told that there was no more availability for that day. This was understandable - afterwards, we decided we wanted to see if we could book for the following day so we called again in the evening and again, we were told we could not book it (they could not clearly give us a reason why). We brought this up to our attendant at dinner since it was originally her recommendation (we assumed that there would be coordination between the attendants and the front desk). However, she did not know why but neither did she offer to help us communicate to the front desk. We were quite baffled at why she recommended this to us in the first place and could not understand why there was no clear reason given for why we could not access this onsen.

Dinner was a multi-course meal. Each time, our attendant would place the course in front of us and explain what it was before she left. We would be 2 bites in before she came back with the next course. This happened quite a few times and she would even comment on it like "oh I am so sorry, you are still eating. I will try to slow down but can I bring the next course in?'. We felt stressed and rushed eating our meal but we could not understand why she was rushing us because there is no next party after us?! Or if you see that we are still eating, you can pause before you bring the next course in or if this has happened 2-3 times already, you can slow down the courses. We are not slow eaters so the speed of this was crazy to us!

While these examples may feel slightly nitpicky, the overall experience we had (from checking in, checking out, talking to the front desk) did not live up to our expectations and did not feel very warm, welcoming, or hospitable to be honest. I understand everyone is trying their best but I think that some level of customer experience training or expectations...

Mixed bag here- but the strong was so strong that I just couldnt go less than Very Good.||||Let's start with the weaknesses:||The decor is 1960's though everything is absolutely immaculate||There are only 8 rooms, so if you're looking for an ambiance, let alone a vibe- forget it- there is none BUT it's peaceful.||||The private baths are not 'in room' and require you to go down to another part of the Ryokan||While the rooms are very traditional Ryokan style, the overall architecture pulls you back into the 60's....which is particular.||||Wifi only in the lobby- free, but lobby only was not ideal.||||The owner is in her 70's and though we just loved her total commitment to making us happy, there were many moments where she just monopolized our meal and hijacked all the discussion as she was busy explaining each dish in our Kaiseiki meals- we simply could never get the flow our conversation going as she just kept interrupting!!||||This is due to the fact that we were the age of her kids/grandkids AND that several of us didnt speak Japanese (though one did)- she was just being affectionate and motherly. However, at $800USD a night, no matter what the reason, I expect to be left in peace to enjoy my meals. I can ask if I REALLY want to know what is every last dish- but again, what am I to do? Be unpleasant to this super nice lady? This really left a bit of a mark on our stay unfortunately.||||Now the advantages:||||Wonderful views of the area from the restaurant||OUTSTANDING Kaiseiki meals- really world class quality...such inventiveness and creativity blended with aesthetics was striking- all of us where floored.||||Wonderful private Onsen for each room with lovely different tubs in every private cabana- plus a 'sauna' room with a warm stone bed. Windows open wide into the valley and you really can take your bath in peace....just great.||||Peaceful and discreet ambiance- almost like a modern day monastery.||||Lovely color co-ordinated Yukata for him and her just added to the overal esthetic.||||Though 60's the architecture lends itself well to the multi level/discreet ambiance we found so relaxing.||||It cannot be overstated how charming everyone was at this Ryokan- really lovely people.||||Would recommend and for the meals & private onsen...

Mixed bag here- but the strong was so strong that I just couldnt go less than Very Good.||||Let's start with the weaknesses:||The decor is 1960's though everything is absolutely immaculate||There are only 8 rooms, so if you're looking for an ambiance, let alone a vibe- forget it- there is none BUT it's peaceful.||||The private baths are not 'in room' and require you to go down to another part of the Ryokan||While the rooms are very traditional Ryokan style, the overall architecture pulls you back into the 60's....which is particular.||||Wifi only in the lobby- free, but lobby only was not ideal.||||The owner is in her 70's and though we just loved her total commitment to making us happy, there were many moments where she just monopolized our meal and hijacked all the discussion as she was busy explaining each dish in our Kaiseiki meals- we simply could never get the flow our conversation going as she just kept interrupting!!||||This is due to the fact that we were the age of her kids/grandkids AND that several of us didnt speak Japanese (though one did)- she was just being affectionate and motherly. However, at $800USD a night, no matter what the reason, I expect to be left in peace to enjoy my meals. I can ask if I REALLY want to know what is every last dish- but again, what am I to do? Be unpleasant to this super nice lady? This really left a bit of a mark on our stay unfortunately.||||Now the advantages:||||Wonderful views of the area from the restaurant||OUTSTANDING Kaiseiki meals- really world class quality...such inventiveness and creativity blended with aesthetics was striking- all of us where floored.||||Wonderful private Onsen for each room with lovely different tubs in every private cabana- plus a 'sauna' room with a warm stone bed. Windows open wide into the valley and you really can take your bath in peace....just great.||||Peaceful and discreet ambiance- almost like a modern day monastery.||||Lovely color co-ordinated Yukata for him and her just added to the overal esthetic.||||Though 60's the architecture lends itself well to the multi level/discreet ambiance we found so relaxing.||||It cannot be overstated how charming everyone was at this Ryokan- really lovely people.||||Would recommend and for the meals & private onsen...