Hoshinoya Karuizawa Reviews

I booked this hotel because of the brand, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The showerhead sprayed unevenly, and the bathroom was full of dust. There was no turn-down service in the evening. When I asked them to clean, I was told it would cost extra. All the room service food I ordered arrived cold, as the pictures show. This experience was truly awful, absolutely terrible. Ctrip should really vet the quality before listing hotels like this.

The hotel environment is beautiful. You can order breakfast to your room and enjoy it while listening to the birds and the wind, overlooking the mandarin ducks in the pond. There's a lounge area on the second floor of the front desk with complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Upon arrival, we were offered a welcome drink, which created a very relaxing and chill experience. The only minor issue is that the shuttle bus picks up from Nakakaruizawa Station, not Karuizawa Station (where the Shinkansen arrives). You have to transfer one stop (buses run every 30-50 minutes), which isn't very convenient when you have luggage.

Environment: I went in winter hoping to see heavy snow, but only saw bare branches, haha. It's a very quiet hotel with a picturesque view. It would definitely be amazing in spring or during the autumn foliage season. Facilities: Being a 20-year-old hotel, the facilities feel quite dated. Both the lobby and rooms are very dim. I booked the most basic room on the first floor, room 332. It uses a wall-mounted air conditioner that blows all night, sounding like a boiling kettle. The curtains don't close completely, letting in light in the morning. It's hard to find the light switches in the room, and even with all lights off, the top window still lets in light. This is something to note for light sleepers! I particularly want to point out that the mattress was uncomfortable; my back felt very sore when I woke up in the morning! Hygiene: The room was quite clean. They serve tap water for drinking! Service: On the second day, I opted for in-room breakfast. The staff member rang the doorbell promptly at 9 AM. I felt the Western breakfast was better than the Japanese one. After that, we didn't eat at the hotel anymore. There's a 'villager's diner' about a 10-minute walk away, which was very convenient and cheaper! Onsen: I tried the hotel's hot spring, and the water didn't feel very hot. Later, I went to the outdoor hot spring near the 'villager's diner,' which was quite comfortable. Overall: I booked at a relatively cheap price, over 2000 per night. If the price were higher, it wouldn't be worth it, especially in winter without the beautiful scenery. The hotel really reminds me of Moganshan's Naked Retreats! Hahahaha 😂

It’s a nice but aged hotel. No TV set in room and find it very hard to pass time. Japanese staffs are trying their best to serve foreign visitors and interactive with foreign visitors is a challenge.

really good experience！ the meditafion and public onsen are highly recommended！ Food are also perfect. The best part is the library with self service snack and tea！ yozi and apple flavor black tea are also my favorite！

An older, established hotel. It was great coming here with friends.

The surroundings are beautiful, and the climate is pleasant. The rooms were a bit dated, and breakfast was just average. If you arrive at Karuizawa via the JR line, you'll need to transfer to a local line to Nakakaruizawa Station to catch the hotel shuttle.

Excellent service throughout, with a dedicated butler service. The environment is lovely, and the hygiene is impeccable. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all delicious. The staff were very proactive and attentive. Thumbs up! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Excellent! Hoshinoya is definitely a hotel worth experiencing. The overall service and environment are fantastic.

The hotel is a bit dated, but it has a nice atmosphere.

Very good staying

This is my seventh trip to Japan, but my first time in Karuizawa. Hoshinoya is a hotel I've always wanted to visit. I only decided to come during the National Day holiday because I saw rooms available on Ctrip for the night of the 4th. I stayed two nights at Fufu Seishun no Mori, one night at Hoshino Resorts, and one night at Prince Villa. In terms of environment, Hoshinoya has to be number one. It's lush and green, with babbling brooks. Everyone says it's like a mini-Aman resort, and having visited five Aman resorts before, I can see the similarities. The locations are all incredibly harmonious with nature, and the early autumn scenery is even more breathtaking. It's a bit of a shame I couldn't book a water villa this time; I definitely want to experience that next time.

A night of utter disarray, a lifetime blacklist – Hoshinoya, the most disappointing "luxury" hotel I've ever stayed in. With high hopes for the Hoshinoya brand, our family of four planned this trip, but it turned out to be the most disastrous and unpleasant night of my travel experience. I must write this review to warn anyone planning a family trip with children. We had clearly booked a twin room, confident it would be enough for two adults and two children. However, upon check-in, the front desk staff, with a cold tone and a rigid smile, informed us that due to the number and age of the children, the twin room "did not meet the requirements" and we couldn't stay together. No matter how we explained or communicated, they acted like a programmed machine, repeatedly repeating the hotel's rules without any leniency or sincerity in resolving the issue. That cold and impersonal attitude instantly extinguished our travel excitement. The most absurd predicament began from there: we were left in the middle of nowhere. It was late, and the two children were exhausted, yet we had to find new accommodation on the spot. In utter helplessness and anger, we frantically searched for and booked the nearby Prince Hotel in the hotel lobby late at night. Throughout the entire process, the hotel staff offered no assistance, simply watching coldly as if our predicament had nothing to do with them. Finally, dragging our weary luggage and exhausted bodies, we "escaped" to the Prince Hotel in the middle of the night. In contrast, the Prince Hotel's warm understanding and efficient processing almost brought us to tears. The expensive night at the Hoshinoya felt like a complete irony. I understand that hotels have rules and regulations, but isn't the value of a top-tier hotel precisely reflected in its care for "people" and its wisdom in flexibly handling unexpected situations? The Hoshinoya felt to me merely a "high-end showroom" filled with rigid terms and a cold atmosphere. It might be suitable for single travelers seeking extreme solitude, but for a family, it offered absolutely no warmth. This night's experience not only wasted money but also destroyed our trust in this brand. Hoshinoya, goodbye forever.

The room was rather dark and old, but the cleanliness was acceptable. The hotel had a fantastic view; every snapshot looked like a painting.