I wanted to share our honest experience at Hakone Kowakien TEN-YU, as it fell well short of expectations given the pricing and how it was positioned to us.
Unfortunately, our stay was disappointing from check-in onward:
• Room upgrade not available: On arrival, we were told the room upgrade we had requested wasn’t available, so we were placed in a standard room.
• Dinner constraints: We were told dinner was only available at a fixed time based on their reservation system, and we were assigned 8:00 PM each night with no flexibility. We were hoping to eat before 8:00pm and as such, ended up eating outside the hotel.
• Room setup: The room had two split beds, rather than one bed for us to share.
• “Hotel credits” felt low value: The credit we received effectively amounted to access to a lounge with very basic snacks (e.g., Hershey’s Kisses and peanuts), which felt far below what you’d expect at this price point.
• Food quality: Breakfast was a large buffet, but the offerings were unusual and unappealing (e.g., spaghetti pomodoro, crab legs, pizza, undercooked French toast). We didn’t end up eating the breakfasts or dinners at the hotel.
• We checked out early: Based on the overall experience, we chose to check out one night early. When we raised our concerns at the front desk, there was no meaningful attempt to make things right (no credit, no goodwill gesture, no assistance). In fact, we were charged additional local taxes/fees on departure.
Overall, we would rate the experience 0/10 — the amenities and service did not match the cost, the room was underwhelming, and the food was not acceptable for a hotel in this tier. We would not return, and based on our experience, we would strongly recommend against suggesting this property to future clients.
If there is any pathway to request a partial refund or credit due to the early checkout and the issues noted above, we’d appreciate your guidance.
