Fuji Marriott Hotel Lake Yamanaka — Hotel in Yamanakako

Despite keeping Platinum Elite status for 4 years already, our room wasn’t upgraded even for a short 2 night stay. The person at the counter told us they can’t upgrade “we booked too late” and “no better rooms were available” and this wasn’t true because I checked in the app and some better rooms were available.

Upon checking in, we were told that air conditioning wasn’t working in the entire building to cool down the temperature, only heating was available. So, to cool down the room we had to open the window … is it 21st century or what? Is is so hard to arrange air-conditioning system that cools or heats depending on paramters set in the room? We wouldn’t have booked this hotel knowing this upfront… most AirBnBs would be better options.

The stuff told us wrong information about open air onsen availability. We were told that women are allowed on the second day, but the reality was the opposite, so my wife could NOT use open onsen…

In the room, there was no outlets near the sofa in the room, so it wasn’t possible to conveniently working for extended amount of time. Again, how hard is it to make proper room design, so outlets are available where they potentially needed?

Noise isolation in the room from the corridor was super bad, we couldn’t enjoy our sleep in the morning due to early guests talking loudly in the corridor and their children running in the corridor.

Also it was difficult to sleep with open window due to car traffic nearby. We had to keep window open because there was no cooling ventilation.

The light in the bathroom was very dim.

The brightness of the light near the bed couldn’t be controlled. Again, what year is it? Why is it so difficult to install a light bulb with controllable brightness?

Shower gel and shampoo was attached to the walls at a considerable height, so using them conveniently was difficult. What purpose does this have? Who could have come up with this poor idea?

I couldn’t use my Netflix/Youtube accounts with TV in the room. Should I ask what year is it?

The “executive” lounge was 4 sofas + 4 standing tables. Is it a joke or what? There was no properly arranged space to enjoy a drink and a family company in private setting. Why there is no lounge pictures in Bonvoy app?

Overall, it’s been one of the most disappointing stays at Marriott. The cost of this hotel is comparable to the cost Westin Yokohama, but the the facilities / room quality was often not even close to Farfield.

I’d love to...

We had a lovely stay at this hotel. The room was spacious, clean and modern. The bed was extremely comfortable. He had a room with a Japanese onsen-style bath which was very nice. Hot water trickles into the bath 24/7, which may be a little noisy while sleeping, but you can contact the front desk to have them turn it off if it bothers you.

The staff were very friendly and even brought us a little cake since it was our wedding anniversary. Nice touch.

Apparently Yamanaka is a place in Japan where many people go to play tennis- we didn’t know this before going- and the Marriott has 8 courts. They have rackets, balls (and shoes maybe?) that you can borrow. It’s about 1000 yen (roughly USD10) to use the court but free if you have status. They also have two ping pong tables (300 yen, free for certain levels of membership.) There is also a gym with dumbbells, a treadmill and I think an elliptical but it was too tiny for my liking so I didn’t use it.

Apart from the bath in the room, there are two large Japanese style public baths on the 1st and 2nd floors. One for men and one for women, and they swap each day.

The only thing not so great I can say about this hotel is the food and beverages are ridiculously priced. I’m talking about $45 for a hamburger and $9 for a can of coke- ridiculous. These are prices I would expect from a 5 star in NY or Paris, not a 4 star in regional Japan. I think they are taking advantage of the fact that the hotel is quite a ways from anything else and there aren’t that many options in the area, which is a shame because everything was quite lovely.

Overall though the stay was great- the hotel is in a beautiful area surrounded by nature and amazing views of Mt. Fuji from some areas of the hotel. We went in early May which in my opinion is the absolute perfect time to go; the crowds are gone after Golden Week, cherry blossoms (Sato Zakura) are still out, Mt. Fuji has a postcard-perfect amount of snow on its peak, the mornings and evenings are crisp and it’s perfect weather for playing tennis when the sun comes out.

Beautiful area, nice hotel, lovely staff, if only the food was...

After traveling over 30 hours to what I hoped would be a special destination, I was met with nothing but disappointment. This hotel falls far below the standards expected—especially from a property affiliated with Marriott. The location is incredibly inconvenient. Without a car, it’s nearly impossible to get around. The hotel shuttle is essentially useless—it doesn’t even connect to a train station, which makes exploring or transferring a logistical nightmare. I had requested (and was even willing to pay for) a room with a view of Mount Fuji, something I’d seen proudly shared in posts by other guests. The receptionist curtly told me no rooms have views, which was clearly untrue. The lack of transparency was frustrating and felt dishonest. Rooms themselves were plain and had absolutely no view—just the back of a hill and a parking lot. Not what you'd expect after such a long journey. The gym was unusable—equipment was broken and the entire space was filthy. The so-called onsen baths, which the hotel advertises as a highlight, were shockingly unhygienic. I couldn’t bring myself to use them. As a Marriott Ambassador, I also expected at least basic recognition or access to a lounge—there is none. Zero amenities that reflect status or loyalty. It was disheartening and disappointing on every level. I truly wish I could say otherwise, but I cannot recommend this hotel. Don’t be fooled by the pictures or marketing. The reality is far from acceptable and absolutely not worth the time, money, or effort...