Hoshinoya Karuizawa — Hotel in Karuizawa

During our recent stay at The Hoshinoya Karuizawa, my family and I were disappointed with the overall services. As a luxury hotel under the Hoshino Resorts group, we had high expectations for an exceptional family getaway. However, our experience fell far short of what we had anticipated.

While the hotel was well-maintained, with a beautiful environment and excellent facilities, the quality of service overshadowed any positive aspects of the resort. Despite the website offering an English version, indicating foreigner-friendliness, we found that only a few staff members could communicate in English. This language barrier led to numerous misunderstandings and dissatisfaction with the service.

Upon arrival, the staff member who escorted us to our room failed to provide information about the activities and amenities available at the resort. We only stumbled upon some complimentary perks through perusing brochures, such as free drinks, snacks, and afternoon tea, which left us with a sense of missing out on the complete experience.

Furthermore, the morning stretch session we signed up for was conducted solely in Japanese. We couldn't understand the instructions given by the instructor, which was frustrating. Our disappointment continued during our dinner experience at the restaurant, where we had reserved a kaiseki meal. The dishes were served individually, resembling a fine dining experience. We expected detailed explanations of each dish, similar to how they were introduced to other Japanese customers. Unfortunately, the language barrier prevented us from having the same experience.

Additionally, when we asked for sparkling water with lime at the restaurant, we were told they only had sliced lemon. Despite seeing lime served with other dishes, our request for lime in our drink was denied and met with dismissiveness. It was disappointing that such a simple request couldn't be accommodated.

On another occasion, we sought to explore the old Ginza Street in Karuizawa and asked the front desk about transportation options. The staff, who had limited English proficiency, informed us about a shuttle bus that would take approximately 20 minutes or the option to arrange a taxi. Based on this information, we decided to take the shuttle bus, only to realise upon disembarking that we needed to walk for about 20 minutes from the bus stop to reach the destination. This miscommunication was frustrating, as we could have driven our own car.

When we called the front desk to request a setup for an in-room breakfast, we specifically asked if they could arrange a regular table and chairs on our patio. This was because our deck only had a low table and cushions, and one of our family members had difficulty kneeling or sitting on the floor. Initially, the front desk staff confirmed that the arrangement could be made. However, five minutes later, we received a call stating it was impossible. As we sought an explanation, we were transferred multiple times, encountering difficulty in finding a staff who could communicate in English. Finally, after the third transfer, we connected with an English-speaking staff who informed us they were out of table and chair sets. We accepted this reason and agreed to have breakfast using the Japanese-style table in our room.

However, the following morning, when the staff arrived to set up breakfast, one of the ladies inquired if we wanted to have breakfast on the patio, as her colleague had informed her of our request. Upon expressing our preference for a regular table and chairs, we were told it was impossible due to the furniture on the patio being fixed to the floor, which was a lie.

Overall, our experience at The Hoshinoya Karuizawa was marred by poor communication and a lack of attention to detail. The language barrier made us feel like second-class guests. As a luxury resort, we expected a higher level of service and a seamless experience. The management of The Hoshinoya Karuizawa must address these issues, particularly in terms of communication and understanding the needs of...

For a high end place, the service was severely lacking. I don't feel the front desk had a good handle of English because there was great confusion many times for our entire stay. Also completely stroller and wheelchair inaccessible. You'll need to call upon staff to help you down the various stairs. Or take the van in and out from your building to the front but then you won't get to enjoy the beautiful grounds within. It was beautiful there but the service was so lacking. The cleaning staff had arrived as I was departing and I changed my mind and told them I no longer needed amenities refreshment. It seemed to be a big ordeal, eventually there were 3 staff members there with confused looks. I asked for more water in the room please and that was also very confusing so I said nevermind.

There was also confusion about the dining and reservations. I called to make a reservation and was told in room dining 830 okay. Then I spoke to my friend in another room who said they couldn't do in room dining until 930 so I called back to verify. They could not do in room dining because one of her children is older and required a second meal while I only have a baby so I needed just one meal. However upon my calling back, she also inquired if I wanted Western or Japanese. Good thing I called back because she didn't ask initially. Then the morning of, they inquire about us being vegetarians. I'm vegan but my daughter is vegetarian so there were a lot of questions there. They think vegetarians can have fish and for the purpose of not starving myself or my daughter, I had to accept bonito and fish broth. It was very sad. I'm glad my daughter ate most of the breakfast, because I did not want to.

Upon our checkout, my taxi had arrived and they did not help to take my bags to the trunk. I have my baby I put in the car so I didn't want to leave her to grab the bags but I had to because no one was coming despite looking at me and confirming my taxi arrived. They helped once I started to grab my bags but too little too late.

My biggest issue is for such a nice place with foreign visitors, how are they unable to accommodate vegans. I just don't understand why they can't have a couple vegan options available. Some tofu and noodles, it's not asking for much. There are really no other options, there's no delivery services up here and the town is not very walkable with the stroller or wheelchair. You walk on the main road a lot which is unsafe with 3 young kids in tow.

The kids room was a pleasant surprise, it was sufficient for our 1, 2, and 6 year old. The rooms were spacious and the bath was very nice.

Overall, while there were many families with young kids here, I would not say it's family friendly. And certainly not...

After a great stay at the Hoshinoya Okinawa last year, we were looking forward to staying at the "main" resort, which did not disappoint. I love how Hoshinoya takes a completely different approach to luxury than a Four Seasons or an Aman. This is not about excess and opulence. This is about simplicity, discreteness, thoughtfulness and nature.||We stayed at one of the water-side villas, which appear to be worth the higher rate than the row of villas farther away. Check-in and reception were a breeze, except for the expected English language gap. There are a few staff members who speak very good English, but overall you can tell some of the staff will struggle.||The rooms are gorgeous. High ceilings. Turn on some music and it will echo wonderfully. There is some attention paid to lighting. The sleeping areas are darker. And quieter. The only sound filling the room is the rush of the water. The rooms are extremely clean and you will find yourself tidying up your own clothes just to not mess up the clean/zen vibe of your room. Being able to wear the yukata around the resort and even in nearby areas was great. Next time I will make sure to pack less clothes.||We ordered the kaiseki style breakfast and dinner. The breakfast was a bit too much on the veggie side but the dinner was excellent. Pricey, but worth it. More reasonably-priced dining options are available at the nearby Harunire Terrace, which is a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute ride with the resort's free car service.||The Meditation Bath facility in the resort was more than enough for me to enjoy the hot springs. It's open to very late and you can check via a web site as to whether the place is crowded or not. My wife ventured out to the larger Tonbo no yu onsen and thoroughly loved it.||It won't take you a lot of time but just walking around the resort grounds is amazingly relaxing. The layout does come across as a bit too manicured but still very pleasing both visually and aurally.||I didn't want to go too much into the details of the place because part of the wonder of this resort is discovering and marveling at it for the first time yourself. If you can shed the concept of excess and luxury and opulence and are open to a "very" different...