Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve — Hotel in Niseko

While the location and hotel itself are beautiful the level of service was disappointing and consistently felt that there was a high level is disinterest in the guests. For the brand reputation and cost I would not return to this hotel, recommend to client or friend and not stay at another Ritz Carlton in the future. A few examples below to help illustrate how the experience was not the level that someone expects from a luxury hotel. Housekeeping was inconsistent, one day while we were out skiing we returned at 4pm ready to change and refresh for dinner to find housekeeping was only half way through cleaning our room. We had to wait in the hallway for ten minutes for them to finish. The next day we returned at 2pm and housekeeping hadn’t started at all. Both days we were out of the room at 8am and for a hotel with only 50 rooms housekeeping should have been completed while we were gone. There were also days where we didn’t have bottled water refreshed or we were missing a bath mat etc.

Ski Rentals: We completed a pre-reservation form for skis and boots, indicating the size and ski length needed. It was surprising that upon arrival they didn’t have the ski length I needed. I ended up having to downgrade from an advance rental to a basic and was told I still had to pay the advanced price. Only at check out when I argued this did they charge me the price of the ski level they actually gave me. With the many rental shops in the area and the caliber of a Ritz Carlton brand any guest that provides advance notice should have skis available in their size. Additionally my partners skis weren’t fit properly and they came off twice while skiing, once while on the ski lift and a second time while turning down a green run by the hotel.

The lounge area has great views but everyday we experienced many people working at the bar but we were ignored. At one point my partner and another guest had to go up to the bar and order and then return again to ask for another round of drinks. For a hotel that small and what always seemed to be a 1:1 staff to guest ratio the amount of times we were stared at and ignored was unacceptable.

On our last day we booked a private onsen only to arrive and see used towels, empty water bottles and used toothbrushes in the onsen they told us had a deep clean just before. Something so simple to check the cleanliness should never be missed at a hotel of any caliber let alone a 5 star.

Overall the hotel is beautiful and the rooms are spacious but it is one of the worst levels of service I have experienced in any level of a hotel and quite shocking compared to the other hotels we stayed at in Japan. With only 50 rooms and the high price tag, the service should have been personal, proactive, attentive and at the very least have gotten the basics of housekeeping and...

I had an absolutely phenomenal stay at Higashiyama RC Reserve. I booked 2 nights during late August, a shoulder season, to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday.

Before arriving I had read many negative reviews but I'm happy to report I didn't have any issues with my stay - quite to the contrary, I thought my stay was not only fabulous, but also great value.

I booked the "Reserve Story" rate through a STARS travel advisor and I thought this provided excellent value - daily breakfast, course dinner with wine pairing, afternoon tea, complimentary upgrade, and 100 USD credit. Though, since my booking, the property seems to have dropped the afternoon tea and wine pairing inclusion.

Before my stay I liased with the hotel to organise a birthday amenity and also to upgrade one of my included dinners to Sushi Nagi, the Omakase restaurant.

And what an amazing experience this Omakase was! I want to give a huge shoutout to Itamae Hamada-san and waiter Joko-san who made our stay really special. We were lucky that we were the only customers during that seating and we had a great chat and a really informative dinner. And of course, the food was phenomenal, whether it was the delicious chutoro and otoro, the juicy snow crab, or the melt in your mouth Yubari melon. Hamada-san even came to greet us the following night and obliged to a photo request. I think this service was the highpoint of our stay.

The room is beautiful, modern, very spacious, and has a really comfortable bed. Amenities are excellent, including a fully included drinks fridge with lots of good options. Our room also had a stunning view of Mount Yotei. The room is similar in structure, but actually significantly smaller, compared to the RC Nikko, which is not Reserve branded. That property has a separate living area even in the base room. There are also some odd things, like none of the light switches are labelled at all. So while I would have hoped the room should at least be as good as the RC Nikko, it's certainly not bad.

The onsen is fairly small, though given the small amount of rooms at this property, still sufficient, at least at the time I stayed. There is both an outdoor and indoor bath, as well as a sauna.

During winter the property has about 52 ski lockers and its own ski lift station, separate to the Niseko village stop.

Service was great though I think many staff don't have amazing English, it's generally still servicable.

The gym is quite small and feels like a bit of an afterthought, but I imagine most guests will be skiing and thus won't need the gym. But for summer guests there aren't really much exercise options.

Overall I loved my stay here and can wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a special stay...

I have stayed at Ritz-Carlton properties all over the world and have always been loyal to the brand because the Ritz consistently delivers an outstanding experience. To put it simply, this property is not a Ritz-Carlton. This was my first time staying at a Reserve property, which is supposed to be even more luxurious—but that was not the case here.

The pre-arrival process was a disaster. There was endless back-and-forth communication that accomplished very little. They eventually managed to book one dinner for us, but we gave up on the rest and ended up eating at a cheap ramen place off-property every night.

The arrival process was fine. The staff welcomed us and handled our check-in without issue.

The rooms were nice but small. The mattress was extremely firm—hard as a rock—and the pillows had no volume. As a result, we slept horribly every night.

There were only two small restaurants on the property. One served Western-style food for dinner, which was, in a word, awful. Our family was looking forward to enjoying Japanese cuisine during this trip, but the only option was the five-seat sushi restaurant.

My wife and I did eat at the sushi restaurant, and it was fantastic. It was a true five-star experience with the freshest fish we’ve ever had—the one highlight of the property.

The ski lockers and ski valet were disappointing. There was little assistance, and only one representative was available to help with skis. When I tried to book equipment in advance, I was told there was no need because they had plenty of skis and sizes. This turned out to be false—they didn’t have skis in my size. When I brought this up, I was told that the ski operation wasn’t part of the hotel.

The spa experience was equally poor. The treatment rooms were located just off the elevator hallway and lacked proper doors, so kids yelling in the hallway disrupted the massage. My wife received a facial and body wrap, and she found both treatments to be subpar.

While there were a considerable number of staff around it never seemed that anyone was in charge or taking charge. It was very strange.

In summary, be warned: this is not a luxury Ritz-Carlton experience. It felt more like a small, poorly run ski lodge. What a...