HOSHINOYA Tokyo♡

Disappointed. Booked 6 months in advance, family split over floors, and poorly managed throughout.

4.0

The architecture is beautiful, and that is where the positives end. We booked this hotel more than six months in advance, yet on arrival our family was split across two different floors. In a hotel built around the idea of shared communal spaces on each floor, that matters. It immediately took away the ability for us to enjoy the stay together as a family in the way the hotel’s own concept is meant to work. What made it worse was that, rather than taking responsibility or showing any real understanding, the blame was effectively passed back to me. No effort was made to even attempt to correct this. The biggest disappointment, however, was the service. On our first night, my wife asked for help with a restaurant and some basic assistance, and instead of being properly helped she was dismissed and left to work it out for herself. For a hotel at this level, that is simply not good enough. The whole place seems designed around minimalism at the expense of function. The lighting is poor, the bedside socket placement is badly thought through, and even simple things become unnecessarily awkward. The communal coffee areas sound nice in theory, but in practice they are fiddly and unreliable. On two floors the espresso machines were not working, and when I went to make a coffee there was no milk or creamer available. Basic details were repeatedly missed. Other irritations kept adding up. The lifts are painfully slow. Booking an airport transfer was more difficult than it should ever have been. Staff often seemed unknowledgeable, and to top it off, the front desk shuts at 9pm, which feels absurd for a hotel of this supposed standard. We were even made to come down to reception to settle a taxi bill, only to then be told that we would need to pay the driver ourselves the next day. Even as we were leaving in a hurry, staff kept asking for the room keys back. Because our family had been split across floors, we had been given more than 12 keys in total, and the whole exchange felt as though we were being treated with suspicion. It was ridiculous and a poor final impression. This is a hotel that looks special in photographs but does not work properly in reality, either in design or in service. Behind the attractive architecture, the actual guest experience was deeply disappointing.

Japanese immersion!

10.0

If you want to be fully immersed on arrival in a Japanese experience this is the right place. Full on Japanese…. Which we enjoyed. Great location in quiet area. Western breakfast a bonus. We went half board which for 3 nights was too much Japenese food so would suggest dinner 1 night and then head out the other nights. 1 dinner is enough as they do repeat the menu which would be a criticism but overall a super place to stay.

Beautiful hotel, but serious issues with unexpected charges and communication

4.0

I recently stayed at HOSHINOYA Tokyo and unfortunately my experience ended up being very disappointing. The property itself is beautiful, but two situations during my stay left a very bad impression. I checked in on Wednesday at 3:30 pm, briefly dropped my luggage in the room, and went out to explore the city. When I returned later that evening (around 8:00 pm), staff told me there was damage to a bamboo window panel in the room and said I was responsible for it. The problem is that I had only been in the room briefly after check-in to leave my belongings before heading out, so I never had the chance to inspect the room beforehand. Despite explaining this, I was still required to pay for the repair. Another issue happened with a spa booking. I had scheduled a massage but called the front desk on Friday morning around 9:50 am to cancel it. The staff member I spoke with told me it was fine and confirmed there would be no charge. Later that same day, however, I was informed that the cancellation would not be honored and that I still had to pay. I spent quite a while speaking with different staff members trying to explain the situation, but in the end they insisted on charging me anyway. After these experiences, I honestly started to feel uncomfortable staying in the room, knowing that I might be held responsible for things I hadn’t done. That feeling really affected what should have been a relaxing stay. What made this even more disappointing is that we were there on our honeymoon. For a hotel that positions itself as a luxury experience, I expected clearer communication and better handling of situations like this. I hope management looks into these situations, because guests should not have to deal with unexpected charges or conflicting information from staff.

Poor Hospitality and Location

4.0

This hotel is beautifully designed, but it is set between office buildings in a zone with limited evening activities and limited light. It is not possible to open the room shades without encountering office workers looking back in. The young staff is not helpful when asked for recommendations and they spend much of their time looking into their I-pads. The hotel is also very rigid for dining in-room and breakfast requiring reservations for both. TThe rooftop onsen baths were not well kept -- with clumps of wet used towels left unattended. There is a stairway to the Metro nearby but most of the lines are a half-mile or more walk underground. Unless you are in Tokyo for a business meeting at a nearby office building I would not recommend this hotel. his hotel had the worst hospitality of any hotel or restaurant we visited in Japan.

Extremely hard to get the staff to be just slightly flexible

2.0

No availability for breakfast at the hotel. Unacceptable for a top hotel to not guarantee that for their guests. We are a family with four rooms booked and we want to have our meals together

My stay at the hotel was quite disappointing

4.0

Like many others, I was influenced by TikTok and Instagram videos that made this look like a must-visit hotel. Unfortunately, my experience did not match what I imagined. To be fair, the hotel has a beautiful aesthetic, an excellent location next to a subway station, and the onsen is truly wonderful — a great way to end the day. However, despite these positives, several issues made my stay fall far below the standard I expect from a five-star property, especially one paid for in advance. ⸻ Early Check-In & Check-Out Experience We arrived early from Kyoto and asked for early check-in. In most five-star hotels around the world, early check-in is offered complimentary if rooms are available. Instead, after checking, the staff returned with a quoted fee for just a couple of extra hours — nearly $100. Considering I was staying for 11 nights, this felt unreasonable. If no rooms had been available, I would have understood completely, but charging such an amount made it feel like they were trying to squeeze every last yen. The same thing happened during check-out. The standard check-out time is 12 pm, and extending it by only one hour also required an additional charge. This is simply not the level of hospitality I expect from a luxury hotel. ⸻ Room Amenities & Housekeeping There were several smaller issues that, when combined, affected the overall experience: • Water: Instead of providing a standard number of bottled waters daily, the room had only a glass jug, and guests were expected to refill it from the floor pantry. • Housekeeping: On the day of arrival, we were asked to choose between two cleaning options. They do not provide a full standard five-star room cleaning daily — only once every few days. • Lighting & Room Design: The Japanese sliding partitions on the windows, while aesthetically pleasing, do not fully block out light. If, like me, you prefer a completely dark room, this will be an issue. Street lights and nearby building lights shine through at night, and with the morning sun it becomes even brighter (no blackout). ⸻ Guest Support & Service Aside from the check-in/check-out situation, most of my other requests were either declined or simply not supported. For example: • I asked if they could exchange my coins for bills — something my previous hotel in Kyoto did easily — but I was told they do not offer that service, and that I should “just spend it or go to a temple.” • I requested assistance with booking a specific restaurant, but they said they could not help. Individually, these may seem minor, but together with other small inconveniences, they created a clear sense that the hotel does not provide the level of service expected from a luxury property. ⸻ Final Thoughts If I could go back in time, I would choose an international five-star hotel instead, and simply visit an onsen for the day — or maybe stay one night in a ryokan just for the experience. For the price paid and the expectations set by social media, this stay did not meet the standards of a true five-star hotel.