Mitsui Garden Hotel Gotanda — Hotel in Tokyo

This is not my first visit. My review only pertains to my stay with them in September 2023. I was sorely disappointed! I had decided to stay here again because I really like their outdoor onsen.

However, to my horror.... WITHOUT any ADVANCE NOTICE, upon arriving on 03 Sept, I was told at the front desk that their outdoor 'onsen' (bath) is closed for maintenance. I clarified. They told me the outdoor 'onsen' is closed not just for a day but at least 2 days. I don't think this is acceptable for patrons like me who decided to stay here for the outdoor onsen.

The hotel ought to have put out advanced notice online (official site/booking platforms) to warn patrons about when they are going to carry out scheduled maintenance if it is going to take more than a few hours/a day. What happens to patrons who miss out on the experience while they are there. If it was an accident/urgency which made it necessary to close the outdoor 'onsen' (bath) for maintenance, then some form of compensation/appeasement offer ought to be made! I find the situation and the management's handling of this situation unacceptable! It has ruined my trip/stay with them in Sept 2023.

At first, there was also no attempt to make amends or compensation, besides posting on Google Maps, I was upset enough to also email them. I wrote that if not for their outdoor 'onsen', I could stay in 2-3 other hotels within the Gotanda, or in other districts in Tokyo. Many other hotels cost less and offer the same services/facilities and what distinguished Mitsui Garden Gotanda is really just their outdoor 'onsen' (bath).

Eventually, they return me a small amount which they claim is the price of 1 night stay. It is not the same as what I paid on Agoda so I am assuming that either Agoda makes a cut or that they returned the value of one night stay, excluding taxes. I appreciate the gesture, but I was there for 4 nights and would rather have their facilities to be in full operation rather than to miss out on outdoor 'onsen' experience - which is my priority.

Since this post is one about their AFIs (Area for Improvement), I would list some other aspects of this hotel that contributed to my disappointment with them.

Laundry - This is a big hotel, there are only TWO washing machines. It was very challenging to get to use them. I managed to use it once during my multiple nights stay in June.

Staff - generally they are nice and most speak English relatively fluently. It depends on who u happen to encounter and what assistance you require. (a) In June, I found that they are not well-trained in handling luggage forwarding. They kept asking one another and making phone calls to verify information (which I already knew just by looking up information online), thus dragging out what could have been a less than 10mins process to 25-30mins! (I know what I am talking about because I use Yamato Transport often and had used it to send my suitcase to Mitsui Garden Gotanda from Kyoto!)

(b) Younger female staff member who arranged/booked a taxi for me in Sept 2023 insisted on helping me with my bags (I suppose it's part of their SOP), but throughout the process of 'escorting' me to the pick up point and seeing that I board the taxi, she did not smile and avoided eye contact. There was no reaction from her even when I thanked her and made the effort to wave goodbye to her. I don't know if it was because she lacks confidence in speaking English or it was contempt for me because I am a tourist of Asian origin. If it's the latter, she shouldn't work in the tourist industry.

(c) Breakfast It's really not that amazing and certainly not worth the price. I had it once in June. I can't even locate any photos! That proves how unimpressed I was by the set up and the food. Range of items available was comparatively smaller. It is an "Italian" eatery so don't expect Japanese breakfast options. One of their bread rolls had me going back for more but the other dishes really don't taste that good.

Considering the abovementioned, I am forced to actively sought out...

An average hotel in all ways. The location might seem great as it’s near the station, but even on the 9th floor, the trains could be heard loud and clear. (For the record, the rooms in the Tokyo Station Hotel are entirely quiet, so better soundproofing is definitely possible) Rooms are fine but a bit tired.

The onsen was not a good experience. First off, the amount of single use plastic is cringeworthy. There’s no slipper rack, so you’re expected to put your slipper in a plastic bag and keep it in your locker. There’s also no basket in the room, so a plastic bag is given to take back your dirty towels to your room. There’s no skincare in the male bath (men need lotion in this dry weather too please), so without the basket, it’s annoying to bring our own. It is also too crowded — there were 5 men in the small outdoor bath at one point, even though it was past midnight. Finally, the onsen closing at 9am means one can’t have a leisurely bath after breakfast without waking up very early.

The guests are also an absolute riff raff. There’s folks wearing slippers into the changing room and leaving plastic bags on the floor. Folks getting into the bath without bathing. Folks exfoliating their foot skin in the onsen (?!). Some guy was running down the corridor knocking on his friend’s door and shouting “housekeeping!” sarcastically. I saw a man come out of the bath sweating so much he looked like he just finished a marathon, with his clothes half unbuttoned because he was so hot. I’m not sure why, but the guests at similarly priced chains like Nono are so much more well behaved. The hotel seems to be trying, with lots of instructional material on how to behave, but ultimately they just seem to attract the wrong crowd through no fault of their own.

Breakfast was pleasant. It’s cheaper than many other hotels in their price bracket, but the variety is a little less. The live egg station and onion gratin soup were nice...

During the final leg of our trip to Japan, my partner and I really enjoyed our stay at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Gotanda!

We had previously forwarded our large luggage from the hotel we were staying at in Kyoto to this location, and upon check-in our luggage was waiting for us safe and sound in the reception office. The staff member that checked us in was incredibly kind and helpful! She even kindly offered to help escort us to our room with our luggage which I really appreciated.

The room itself it was rather spacious by Tokyo standards (we booked the Superior Double room). Modern amenities and a lovely shower booth that comfortably fit us, which is very important since my partner and I are both large people (he's 6'5" and I have a 50" waist). The window opened slightly in the room which was a first during our time in Japan. This helped air the room out and gave us some fresh air when we needed it.

The public bath on the top floor was excellent with an indoor and an open-air bath to choose from. The men's baths and change room were very clean and well taken care of. Compared to other hotels and ryokans we stayed at in Japan that had personal care products for use in the change room, it would have been nice if that was the case at this hotel. However, only hand wash was available in the change room when we stayed here. This in no way deterred us from enjoying our stay here, just some feedback to hopefully incorporate in the future.

The front desk staff also helped us forward our luggage along to Narita airport by helping us filling out the paperwork and processing our payment (It cost about ~ ¥ 5000 for two large suitcases). They were only able to accept cash for that payment which was no problem, just worth nothing for future travellers.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here and appreciated the hospitality offered by...