Hotel Forza Kanazawa — Hotel in Kanazawa

2 Stars - Frustrating Breakfast Dispute

My family's two-day stay at this hotel was unfortunately ruined by a frustrating and unnecessary dispute over breakfast.

I had booked a family room through Hotels.com, which clearly stated that breakfast was included for all guests.

However, upon arriving for breakfast on the 1st morning, the front desk insisted that breakfast was only included for adults and we would have to pay extra for our children. Despite showing our reservation confirmation clearly stating breakfast was included for all, they refused to honor it. After a 20-min negotiation, they begrudgingly provided food vouchers for the children for that day only. When we asked for vouchers for the 2nd day to avoid the same issue, the staff member, Ms. S. DAXXX, refused and said she would contact Hotels.com and resolve it the following day. This was incredibly inconvenient as we were on vacation and wanted to minimize delays.

The next morning, the same staff member, Ms. S. DAXXX, was on duty. She claimed Hs.com had confirmed we needed to pay for the children's breakfast. We explained that we had received no such communication from Hs.com. She gave "that's your biz" attitude. So we had to contact Hs.com via app with virtual agent but cannot solve the issue. Ms. S decided to call Hs.com herself, but it is not Hs.com offices hour yet. Instead of offering solutions, Ms. S asked us to wait until the Hs.com office opens an hour later! Not mentioned we had wasted 30min with her. This was completely unacceptable as we were eager to continue our journey. I even pointed out the absurdity of asking guests and children to wait hours for breakfast, but she was unmoved.

Throughout this entire ordeal, the hotel staff could not provide any documentation or policy stating that children's breakfast was not included in our booking. It was incredibly frustrating to be asked to prove the legitimacy of what we had already paid for. The staff's refusal to trust their guests and the significant waste of our vacation time was truly disappointing. While the hotel itself might have other positive aspects, this experience significantly impacted our stay and I would caution other families to be prepared for potential billing issues.

Fyi, later we confirmed with hotels. Com. we paid for all guests including...

Great hotel. Highly recommend if you are interested in doing anything in the area between the station and Tatemachi - which is to say, if you are visiting Kanazawa as a tourist. Mere minutes walk to the station or to Omicho market. Plenty of buses heading from both of those to the castle, the museum, Korinbo, etc.

Service at the hotel was excellent. Our room was clean and modern. The shower and ofuro were great.

One design flaw in our room involved the bathroom light - it comes on automagically when you open the bathroom door. But, the bathroom faces the bedroom and the light shines right onto the bed! So, if I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I had to enter the sink area, close that door, then open the bathroom door, so that my wife wouldn't get a spotlight in her face while she slept. I feel like they could have thought that one out a bit better. But, the fact that something this esoteric is my biggest complaint gives you an idea of how much we liked the hotel.

The morning breakfast is delicious, and I feel like they changed the menu just enough each day that you could have it a few mornings in a row without feeling like you were in a rut but also without feeling like you were at a different restaurant each day. (Just skip the coffee at breakfast - the complementary coffee in the lobby was better.)

I also like that the breakfast area doubles as a hang out / office / lounge area the rest of the day. We had jet lag and woke up at 3:00 AM many mornings - so we went down to the lounge area and worked at the tables there until they needed to get the area ready for breakfast. Evenings, also, there would be people relaxing there, maybe having some of the wine or sake that the hotel has available for a small charge (or just byob).

Note that the breakfast is a little expensive, but in line with, or cheaper than, what I saw at other hotels we stayed at. IIRC, it was 1,800 yen per person for breakfast. Worth it if you want to try several...

There are 3 good points. ||||1st, the location is very good, as it was walking distance from/to most of the places I wanted to visit. It's about a 10min walk from Kanazawa Station, so no hassle getting to the hotel when you arrive. It's about 10-15min walk to Kanazawa Castle (金沢城) and Kenrokuen (兼六園). The Omicho Market (近江町市場) is literally right across the street, so you can easily hop over there to either start or end your day with some sushi. For the more distant places, there are nearby bus stops to get to areas like the Higashi Chaya district (ひがし茶屋街) or the museums. (Though if you prefer walking, Higashi Chaya district is still walkable at about ~15-20mins).|||| 2nd, the room was quite spacious for a solo traveler, as compared to the typical business hotel. It has a unit-type toilet+bathroom, but it was spacious enough that you can change in there (I think it can even fit 2 people at once). The room was very clean and tidy, and since all rooms are non-smoking, the place doesn't smell funny. The room provides complete amenities like the hot water kettle, a ref, and enough sockets for charging your gear.||||3rd, the breakfast buffet was delicious. The selection of both western and local japanese dishes made it worth its price. There is unlimited coffee too, which is available even outside the buffet (great for people who can't go throughout the day without coffee).||||The staff speaks English well, so no worries if your Japanese skills aren't that great like me.||||All in all, would gladly stay here again if I find myself...