Hoshino Resorts KAI Ito — Hotel in Ito

I had the worst experience throughout my stay, very disappointing. Never had such a bad experience at cheaper ryokans or even hostels.

They had obvious mistakes on their end, but all they did was apologise. Didn't provide small refunds even for the service that I didn't receive because of their mistake. Like for the drink I paid, but didn't get to drink it because they made a mistake on the timings. Disappointing that even the manager of this place doesn't have the authority to make such small refunds.

When I put in a formal complaint and mentioned I will share with friends and also put in a google review, the manager actually made a threat to me saying their legal team will get involved if I write anything untrue. I have all this in email. Quite interesting he'd leave such a trail in writing. Also interesting that he didn't seem to make an effort to talk with the legal team about refunds that he should legally be making. He shouldn't be working in the service industry if he's not happy to make customers content especially after their mistakes.

Other staff were trying their best, but many were very young and obviously lacked experience.

Hoshino Resorts market to western countries in English, but they didn't have anyone who spoke English nor had pamphlets in English - only provided in Japanese. Luckily I speak Japanese, but they didn't even ask and just assumed I would translate everything to my Aussie family. It was quite a lot of work - while my purpose was to enjoy relaxing. They did get someone who spoke English for our meal though who was lovely. Still was a bit disappointing though, she didn't know what vegetarian was (she thought fish stock is okay) since she was serving my partner a vegetarian meal.

We had a few more bad experiences with the massage, meal itself, and the checking in process. The meal quality was really low - better cancel food here and go to a local restaurant instead.

If this was in Australia, I'd report it to the ACCC, but I couldn't't find anywhere I could report to in Japan unfortunately. Please let me know if you know any.

After I shared these experiences with friends, a few actually told me they knew Hoshino Resorts have a bad reputation. Their marketing is great, but the actual quality doesn't match. They should at least lower their prices to match their quality of services. Or use more money on experienced staff instead of marketing. If they have great service, people would recommend to family and friends -which would be the best marketing. I assumed they knew this ABC of marketing, but...

I stayed at KAI Ito for two nights for a long overdue and precious family reunion. It seems that a good chunk of their guests stay for just one night, but we stayed two, because we traveled far to get there. First night was fine (acceptable for what they charge), but the second day was disappointing. Beware. They are NOT geared for Renpaku (continuous stays)! |1. We declined room cleaning (e.g. no vacuuming) after the first night, but they said they would refresh amenities (new towels, etc.) We got fresh towels, but they left used tea cups and glasses uncleaned. We had to call to replenish toilet papers. I had to go to the front desk, because the fresh yukata (bath robes) they gave me was of wrong size. They didn't replenish drinking water. All in all, we had to call at least four times to get everything right for the second night. This would be okay for a basic business hotel, but we were staying in a fine resort.... |2. We followed a recommendation from our nakai-san (person assigned to take care of us) to take a bus to Mt. Ohmuro and take a lift up to the top for a "spectacular view of Izumo Peninsula." It turned out this lift had been shut down for at least a week for a two-week repair, and we learned about it at the bus station (there was a tiny sign in Japanese about the closure). I told a lady at the front desk about the closure, but the reaction I got was a curt "Oh, excuse us." I also mentioned we were able to find another nice place to visit, and she said, "That's nice." I wasn't sure if this lady would share the info with others, so they would stop giving wrong advice to more guests.... |3. Meals are highlights of a stay at a Japanese resort, but KAI didn't make an effort to serve a different menu on the second night. The meal was very similar to the first night with only minor variations. It was different from our experiences at other fine resorts in Japan (including another Hoshino resort.)|There was also a bunch of other things that made us wonder about this place (too minor to remember but bothersome in their entirety). By the checkout time, everyone in our party was just ready to go. Instead of enjoying hospitality, I felt I was being forced to accommodate the way they wanted to run their place. Again, okay for a basic hotel but way below expectations for a...

I stayed at KAI Ito for two nights for a long overdue and precious family reunion. It seems that a good chunk of their guests stay for just one night, but we stayed two, because we traveled far to get there. First night was fine (acceptable for what they charge), but the second day was disappointing. Beware. They are NOT geared for Renpaku (continuous stays)! |1. We declined room cleaning (e.g. no vacuuming) after the first night, but they said they would refresh amenities (new towels, etc.) We got fresh towels, but they left used tea cups and glasses uncleaned. We had to call to replenish toilet papers. I had to go to the front desk, because the fresh yukata (bath robes) they gave me was of wrong size. They didn't replenish drinking water. All in all, we had to call at least four times to get everything right for the second night. This would be okay for a basic business hotel, but we were staying in a fine resort.... |2. We followed a recommendation from our nakai-san (person assigned to take care of us) to take a bus to Mt. Ohmuro and take a lift up to the top for a "spectacular view of Izumo Peninsula." It turned out this lift had been shut down for at least a week for a two-week repair, and we learned about it at the bus station (there was a tiny sign in Japanese about the closure). I told a lady at the front desk about the closure, but the reaction I got was a curt "Oh, excuse us." I also mentioned we were able to find another nice place to visit, and she said, "That's nice." I wasn't sure if this lady would share the info with others, so they would stop giving wrong advice to more guests.... |3. Meals are highlights of a stay at a Japanese resort, but KAI didn't make an effort to serve a different menu on the second night. The meal was very similar to the first night with only minor variations. It was different from our experiences at other fine resorts in Japan (including another Hoshino resort.)|There was also a bunch of other things that made us wonder about this place (too minor to remember but bothersome in their entirety). By the checkout time, everyone in our party was just ready to go. Instead of enjoying hospitality, I felt I was being forced to accommodate the way they wanted to run their place. Again, okay for a basic hotel but way below expectations for a...