HOSHINOYA Tokyo — Hotel in Tokyo

If your dream vacation is to pay five-star prices for monk-level silence and a chorus of “Sorry, sir,” then Hoshinoya Tokyo is your spiritual home. For anyone else? Run.||||The idea of an onsen in the city sounded great, but the reality? Not so much. There are plenty of onsens within a short train ride that offer breathtaking views and actual hospitality. Here, the so-called “Zen” experience apparently also includes making you feel about as welcome as an uninvited guest at a private dinner.||I arrived after a long flight from the US in the morning on a business trip and was looking forward to my Hoshinoya experience. Little did I know that at Hoshinoya Tokyo, the door policy rivals Manhattan’s trendiest clubs. After a 14-hour flight from the U.S., I arrived early, which is common, and which most high-end hotels handle with a little grace. Not here. Instead, I wasn't even invited past the entrance hallway, and all I got after a lengthy confirmation process that I actually had a reservation was: “We can store your luggage. Please come back at 3 pm.” No invitation to the lobby, no refreshment, not even a bottle of water. Just a cheery “Sorry, sir, hotel policy.” Only after some persistence and basically ignoring the door staff, was I able to make my way to the lobby and actually speak to someone. Forget about even a sip of water or a wet towel for refreshment.||And by the way, “Sorry, sir” should really be printed on the business cards here. It’s their catchphrase. By the end of my stay, I found it hilarious. Ask for anything — literally anything — and you’ll get the same answer. “Sorry, sir.” Room early? “Sorry, sir.”, "Rooftop Kendo experience, "Sorry sir, booked. Can I bring a guest for breakfast? "Sorry, Sir, not possible. I checked with my manager. Do you know how to get to the Sumo arena? "Sorry, Sir". Ask for about anything and you'll hear “Sorry, sir.” Actual service? “Sorry, sir.” Even a half-hour early check-in, just in case the room would have been cleaned and ready, "Sorry, Sir." "Sir, we have to charge you extra, an early arrival fee, sorry, sir, hotel policy. "Even for half an hour?" Sorry, Sir, hotel policy, sorry, Sir".||For fun, I almost asked if they’d credit me for checking out early — you know, since I wasn’t allowed to check in even one minute early without paying extra. I didn’t, but the thought carried me through the jet lag.||The Stay: Monastery Vibes (But Not in a Good Way)||Rooms? Minimalistic, but gorgeous, yes. Slippers? Women’s size — for a grown man. Towels? Rationed like they’re a scarce national resource. Common spaces? Silent, barren, minimalistic, amenities are completely absent. Gym, next door, but "Sorry, Sir, need to pay extra". A bar, or anything similar, does not exist. Breakfast? A strictly timed 15-minute reservation window that feels more like reporting for military duty than a morning meal. And forget flexibility. Sleep in an extra 30 minutes? Nope, you signed up for 7:45. Want to actually enjoy breakfast? Too bad, it’s minimal, bland, and you’ll probably head to a nearby café afterward, like I did.||The “experiences” like Kendo sword training? Booked. The staff? Think of Google Translate with a smile. The concierge service was less of a “local expert” and more of a “let me Google that for you, sir.” I asked about my Sumo tickets that StubHub had shipped to the hotel — first answer: “Sorry, sir, nothing here.” I almost got on the phone to call and try to blame it on StubHub and ask for my money back, but I thought I would try another concierge staff. Second try with another staff member: “Oh yes, here’s your envelope, Sorry Sir.” Confidence inspiring, right?||The Onsen: A Square of Sky. Yes, there’s an onsen. No, it’s not special. Imagine sitting in a bath, staring up at a 4x4 square of Tokyo sky through a hole in the ceiling. No chairs, no lounge area, not even a bench to sit on. Just dip, dry, and leave. Weirdest setup I’ve ever seen. I think that throughout my entire 2-day stay, I spent most of my time in the room. I may have spoken fewer than 10 sentences (not conversations) with anyone, including the staff. I was ready to take some antidepressants at the end of my stay and even a subway ride felt like being alive again. ||Final Word: Unless You Crave “Sorry, Sir”. Unless your dream vacation is to pay luxury rates for a silent retreat where your main interaction is being told “sorry, sir” on repeat, skip this place. Tokyo has dozens of hotels that understand the basics: hospitality, flexibility, and making a guest feel welcome. And for onsens? Hop on a train and head to the mountains. You’ll thank yourself later.||By the way, I would give this place one star for the price, but a few of the staff members really tried and were...

Horrible. I don't write reviews unless something is exceptional or truly awful. Long story short if you have the money don't stay here, go to the Okura, FS, or Aman instead.

Service gets 0 stars. I booked two rooms for four people and had an extra guest join halfway through my trip. Hoshinoya refused to even roll out a futon. They told me that I needed to book a separate hotel for my extra guest, claimed fire occupancy limits won't allow for more people. Meanwhile McDonalds down the road has 800 people crammed into a 10'x10' space. To make this situation worse they do not allow other guests to visit the property. Not to say hello, not for dinner, not for anything. I understand Japan has different rules, but frankly this is silly for what is effectively a high end hotel chain. They lost my shoes and frantically dug through all the cabinets at checkout. They put my bags in the wrong room and I had to move them myself. Staff kind of felt like they were being held hostage. Minor language barrier issues. Service is overall sub par at this price point. Totally unacceptable. Absolute clown show. The place is filthy. The whole place. It absolutely does smell like stinky feet as other reviews mentioned. Tatami mats are disgusting. See images. Group area smelled like garbage when we arrived, but it got better day 2. Taking your shoes off is dumb and cumbersome. Amenities are terrible. In-room drinking water comes from a community faucet. I have to go out to the community room to refill my jug. Just give me bottles. You can grab a juice or a gummy snack in the community room but you're on your own after that. You will need to go to family mart down the road. The room itself. They put me on the 3rd floor right at street level. The woman checking me in openly laughed, said there was no view except for the office workers across the way. There was no serenity. Just road noise, sirens, and people laughing and yelling and eating at the public shops below. The walls are paper thin, so you will hear your neighbors shuffling about, their doors opening and closing in the hall. Also no blackout shades so you're going to be up when the sun comes out. For the same price, I stayed at the Four Seasons and had a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji and complete silence and darkness on the 37th floor. At check in, they told me to watch my belongings and not keep valuables in my luggage. I opted for no housekeeping after that, having seen a review where theft occurred. I don't think any theft would have happened had they cleaned. At check in they also had me fill out a bunch of informational paperwork and tried to upsell me on events and food. Really cheapened the experience. At least 6 other foreigners there during check in. Suspicious. No Japanese were seen during my stay. Makes me think this is a tourist trap, marketed to westerners. The onsen was mid-tier at best. Yes it's hot spring water but I have been to Dormy Inn's with better facilities. No sauna unless I missed it. Cheap feeling mattresses that you'll bottom out even if you're not heavy. I'm about 170lb. Cheap feeling bedding overall. I prefer a more crisp set of linens. I'm nit picking, but I just didn't get that 5 star hotel quality sleep here. Room key is some weird bulky wooden thing that 1000 people have touched. They got mad at me when I tried to take the card out of its case.

Overall a miserable stay. Not nearly enough value or service for the price. Very bare bones. You're probably reading the reviews looking for an interesting and uniquely Japanese experience. You're just not going to get that here. This is a hotel in a big city that masquerades as a Ryokan so they can shirk their duties of providing hotel quality service. Very lazy. Avoid at all costs. Just go to the...

TL;DR - A unique oasis in the heart of Tokyo. The Hoshinoya, has a calm and quiet ambience that's perfect for anyone looking to escape from the hectic bustle of the city. The unique experiences offered at this hotel are not to be missed, particularly the rooftop kenjutsu practice, which I guarantee is worth it for the view alone.

HIGHLIGHTS

Take advantage of the unique offerings of the Hoshinoya. Sign up well in advance for the kenjutsu class and be sure to check out the onsen. The lounge is also great for drinks and small individually packaged snacks. That said your personal mini-fridge comes stocked with complementary beer and juice, so you may find some lounge offerings less compelling.

ROOM

Quite spacious and definitely designed for relaxation and not work. If you plan on bringing your laptop, head to the lounge.

Bed was comfortable and on the firmer side, which was welcome.

Bathroom is again quite spacious. Fairly certain the water in the onsen is also being pumped through the showers. I did find that the water was quite hard and the temperature can be impacted if someone is using the sink.

Toilet is in it's own separate room that I found quite small and potentially claustrophobic. But the toilet seat opens automatically when you enter. I found the seat a tad too warm for me, but your mileage may vary. I did not find a way to adjust this setting.

The view I had wasn't particularly interesting. Just an office building. The blinds remained closed 90% of the time.

I did find the lighting in the room a tad dim. I do wish they could have been brighter, particularly in the bathroom. My wife had a difficult time with her makeup as a result.

STAFF

Polite, welcoming and professional.

Communication in English was serviceable.

Personally speaking we found the staff to be really friendly and accommodating. When we made our booking almost a year ago, the kenjutsu practice had been fully booked, but the staff were kind enough to let us know about a cancellation. Well worth it.

FOOD

While we did not indulge in a meal at the restaurant itself, we did order room service. This area is probably one of the weaker points of our stay. For the price, the food was underwhelming. I did order a very expensive fruit platter though, which was fine.

The complementary breakfast rice balls were nice, but again considering the cost of the stay, I do wish there was more being offered. They do of course have a morning bento at an additional charge, but we did not have the opportunity to try it this time around.

MISC

I liked taking off my shoes at the front. I liked knowing that everyone had to take off their shoes. The fact that I can walk around in socks or barefoot and not have to pretend the floor is lava like in other hotels was awesome.

If you're used to wearing your shoes inside your house, this will definitely feel odd, but give it a shot.

If you need an umbrella, the staff will gladly lend you one.

Prepare to eat a lot of bean snacks in the lounge. If you're not a fan of bean based snacks, there are also rice crackers and individually wrapped chocolate covered ice cream balls.

This was literally the quietest hotel I've ever stayed at, which...