Hamanako Lakeside Plaza

I had read in a review that the exterior of the hotel was old, so I was prepared for that, and I wasn't particularly surprised. The lounge in the lobby was stylish and had a resort hotel feel. The room seemed to have been renovated, and was a beautiful Japanese-Western style room with a lake view. Having a Japanese-style room was convenient because you could spread out your luggage freely. The toilet and bathroom were separate, so you could line up your toiletries at the sink, which was helpful. The large baths are in different buildings, but they are connected by a simple corridor, which was nice, but it felt a little cold as it seemed like the outside air was coming in along the way. There were several baths in the hot spring, and there were a fair number of washing areas, so there was no waiting, which was nice. The meal was a buffet. We had it at the restaurant on the second floor of the hot spring. We happened to be with a group of two companies for dinner, but we were informed of this at check-in, so we were prepared, and there were no particular problems. It felt like the food was a cut above the rest, not the usual cheap buffet. We were able to get hot tempura in the live kitchen, which was delicious, but as there were a lot of people and the place was full, it was a bit long to wait for the food. The breakfast was quite crowded, but I was able to pick it up normally and the taste was satisfactory. The specialty meringue* rice was delicious. One thing I wish they could have improved is the size of the yukata, which was mentioned in a review on another site. The yukata is very short. I think it's better to have a short yukata, but maybe it's a little too short? I think there are probably a lot of people who try on a yukata that is their usual size, but it's too short, so they have to change into a yukata that is one size larger. If that happens, it will be a waste of laundry, even from an eco-friendly point of view. Also, the yukata was a little too thin. I think it would be better if they improved the yukata issue. I was surprised that the hotels around Lake Hamana were very crowded. I think it will be even more crowded during the high season such as summer vacation.

I stayed here for one night on August 12th. I bought a membership and paid an annual fee, so I would like to use it regularly, but I haven't been able to use it much due to the corona crisis. The previous person in charge had good service, and the grade went up a notch. Before the upgrade, even in the top season, they held the newly created KIALA room. Even if there are few people, we have prepared two large rooms. Whether it's because the person in charge retired or after upgrading, the grade drops every time I make a reservation after that. Maybe it's our fault that we don't book in advance even though it's the peak season, but in the past they prepared good rooms for us. Also, as I wrote before, I am still dissatisfied with the fact that from May 2020 this year, SDGs have stopped having toothbrushes in the room. I want at least one per person. I think that it is good to charge from the second one. Despite promoting the SDGs, the toothbrush you purchase is a one-time use item, so you will need two if you use it at night or in the morning. That means using a lot of plastic, so the result is not a reduction at all. I would like the first toothbrush with a small toothpaste to be installed in the room. Most hotels have it. If you are going to do SDGs, I want you to do it in other ways. I don't think there is any effect on environmental problems because the service is just getting worse. I am satisfied with the all-inclusive service. I especially like the KIALA lounge and bar. However, KIALA's bath is small, so I would like it to be larger. And saunas are also popular, so I would like to see a dry sauna as well as a mist sauna. Also, I used to be able to play tennis at the hotel, but at one point the court was peeling off, nothing was maintained, and now it's a parking lot. The owner was able to play tennis for free, but it is no longer possible, and the service is getting worse and worse. I said many good things in the beginning and recommended upgrading, but I don't want you to drop it after upgrading. I saw a hotel recommending a membership this time as well. I would like you to maintain the quality instead of saying good things only when selling. For the time being, I'm paying an annual membership fee on top of the membership fee, so please set up a toothbrush in the room.