The Windsor Hotel TOYA, Vignette Collection — Hotel in Toyako

Absolutely disappointing and the worst 5 star I have ever been to. Here is why-

Staff is very unprofessional and untrained. Ask them a question and they just run to attend something else. They do not give any help and they don’t know anything either. We asked a female staff where we could book a shuttle service and she just ran away. It was almost comical.

Their restaurants are overly priced and not worth it. There is only course menu and no ala carte. There is absolutely NO vegetarian food available in any of there numerous on-site restaurants. Their breakfast options were really limited and very poor in taste. And that’s something because the only thing we could eat were eggs and they managed to get even those wrong. The coffee was very cold by the time it was served.

There is NO coffee if you reach post 5:30 pm. If you try any of their numerous other on-site restaurants they ask you to make a “reservation” just for having coffee. Their staff told us to make coffee in the room if we want it. Their room service also does not serve coffee. Best of all - their room service does not accept orders until 7:30 pm. Have you ever heard of room service being shut ?

Their onsen is not good and people follow absolutely no hygiene or onsen etiquette. For a region that’s known for its onsen, do not try Windsor onsen.

None of the staff speaks English enough to understand your problems or requests.

There was some random female staff making us all queue outside the hotel in the cold and snow thinking we are new guests. Well, we had no luggage or bags so it’s not very difficult to understand we have already checked in before and are just returning to hotel. Best of all she could have just asked us instead of making us queue up.

Their bar is very dull and there is no sake in the menu. We were really looking forward to having Japanese sake but it wasn’t anywhere to be found in menu but we made special request and were happy to get some. Do not have their champagne as it’s not good at all.

I give them 1 star only because their shuttle service to and fro from JR station is very good. The location of the hotel is so poor that you can only use this shuttle service to go around.

Overall - if you think you will get world class service here like other 5 stars then let me save you some money and disappointment and let you know it is NOT worth it.

I have been to better 3 star hotels in the region with amazing onsen and staff. Atleast they are good at what they...

The only thing that makes this hotel 5 stars is the high prices. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed in the service. The hotel is old and urgently needs renovation. It seems as if the last bit of money is being squeezed out of the old box. The owners obviously only think about maximizing profits and have no passion for the customer. In short, there is obviously a lack of staff. ||When we wanted to check in 2 minutes before 3 p.m., the room was not ready. We had to wait. We used this time to visit the toilet next to the reception, which was unhygienic and smelled bad. Next to the toilet bowl, there was paper with a used toothbrush on the floor. The toilet seat had urine stains. There was obviously not enough staff to fix this. When we then went to the room, we saw the cleaning crew running around on our floor. We felt so sorry for the ladies working under such stress. Now we knew why our room was ready too late. There is simply not enough staff. Such a stressful atmosphere does not belong in a 5-star hotel. ||The management should show more respect for its employees and customers and improve this untenable situation immediately. ||The breakfast was very modest and the plates were not cleared. The quality of the food has nothing to do with what we paid for. Terrible!||When we checked out, we were presented with a bill for almost 4 USD (600 yen) bathing fee, even though we did not bathe in this hotel for hygiene reasons. Such a ridiculous amount should be included in the room price of over 300 USD. The lady at the reception was unfriendly and had no understanding for our displeasure.||The price/performance ratio of this hotel is a disaster....

We were first time skiing and don’t speak Japanese. We did a 2 hour lesson with the hotel instructor. He spoke english not perfectly but could explain the moves and communicate well enough for us to understand. He was very patient and hands on to help correct mistakes. The price was a little over 30k yen for 2 hours and then an additional 16k for extra person. This is highly recommended if you’re a beginner because by the end of the two hours we had gone down (and back up via lift) the slopes several times and learned everything we needed to practice on our own. The lessons include the gear so you don’t need your own at all.

Front desk recommended three restaurants. We went with the Japanese restaurant which is course based and has a bit of everything. Can add wagyu for extra ~2000 yen, recommend this as I was still a little hungry at the end. Sets are 12000, 14,000 and 18,000. Food and service was good and would recommend this restaurant, potentially eating a little earlier might be a good move so you can enjoy lake view. We ate at 7 and it was pitch black but we did sit in front of the window.

Teppanyaki requires 1 day advance reservation. This is because the cooks are not there if they don’t have any reservations. We confirmed this because the restaurant wasn’t even open the day we were there.

Bloom spa also requires 1 day advance reservation. If you’re wanting massage there is a walk in massage next to the onsen with different menu than the spa. The price was 9000 yen for 60 minutes. Very relaxing and would recommend.

The onsen has an outdoor area which is only one gender and switches...