thewandercurator
January 22, 2024
I booked the hotel as the base for my solo Okinawa trip after a great stay at its Kyoto branch. Firstly, the pros: great location. 5-min walk from Asahibashi Monorail Station, 3-min walk to Tourist Visitor Centre and Naha Bus Terminal, 13-min walk to Kokusai-dori made it convenient for city sights, dining and souvenirs, bus daytrips and boat tours. Interior lobby, rooms and 13F public bath lounge seemed new and decorated in soothing natural tones, giving the hotel an island resort feel. Having said that, several major cons make me not wish to stay here again:
1) Hotel reception staff can be more welcoming. They declined me room entry at 130pm (which is typical in Japan) but they did so without offering help to store my luggage upon arrival or deliver it to my room by the time I return for check-in. They also declined my river view room request, citing the category I booked only has city view. Later, I found out on my own that only twin or triple rooms offer the river view. I was not expecting an automatic upgrade, but it would be nice if I had been offered a clear explanation on room categories or a change to river view room (even if I have to pay extra). I felt disadvantaged as a solo traveller. Also, staff are easily nervous when interacting with international guests and could not really handle simple questions in English, like whether there is a public bath, is it open to all guests, or how guests can pay for additional breakfast during their stay. I also observed them struggling to understand a request in English from two foreign guests who wished to borrow a luggage weight scale. Two senior staff members came out to help the reception staff, but all three still took a while to understand the request.
2) I was queueing behind the same foreign guests to raise urgent feedback regarding loud banging noises made by the 10F Smoking Room door directly above my room (Room 913). Meanwhile, 2 local Japanese guests arrived at the reception. I observed one male staff member ignore me and asked them to approach the counter instead. I nearly walked up to them but I held myself back. It was my first time being treated differently in all of Japan. This different treatment of guests added a seriously unpleasant feeling to my stay.
3) Not all room lights can be manually or motion-controlled. The light above the clothes rack is too bright and always on, even when the master switch is off. It was hard to fall asleep at night. The hotel should modify this room detail to ensure all guests can get a good night's rest.
Will I stay here again? With the issues above and many other good hotels nearby, most likely not. The hotel decor may be warm and inviting, but the staff inability to communicate effectively with all guests and make them comfortable makes for a cold stay.