I want to start by saying that my husband and I loved this hotel. It was in a beautiful place, the room was gorgeous, the private bath was wonderful. Our "butler" who checked us in and got us settled was friendly and fabulous.
But I can't give it 5 stars because it just didn't live up to the standards of what a luxury hotel at that price should be providing. Our first inkling of this came as we were looking through the hotel booklet in the room, seeing what they provided to guests. We were surprised to see that almost everything came with an extra charge of $20 or so - a movie in your room, toys for your kids, etc. We weren't planning on using any of these items anyway, so we didn't really care, but thought it was a bit tacky for a hotel that is charging you 1,000 per night, to charge for so many other small items. Most other luxury hotels I have stayed in would have provided those things for no extra cost.
What did leave a very bad taste in our mouths, however, was our experience at the restaurant. Although we loved the food and had a wonderful night overall, we were pretty disappointed to to find more extra charges at every course ($10 more if you want the "special" appetizer, $20 if you want the fancy dessert, etc..). We also ordered the 6,000...I want to start by saying that my husband and I loved this hotel. It was in a beautiful place, the room was gorgeous, the private bath was wonderful. Our "butler" who checked us in and got us settled was friendly and fabulous.
But I can't give it 5 stars because it just didn't live up to the standards of what a luxury hotel at that price should be providing. Our first inkling of this came as we were looking through the hotel booklet in the room, seeing what they provided to guests. We were surprised to see that almost everything came with an extra charge of $20 or so - a movie in your room, toys for your kids, etc. We weren't planning on using any of these items anyway, so we didn't really care, but thought it was a bit tacky for a hotel that is charging you 1,000 per night, to charge for so many other small items. Most other luxury hotels I have stayed in would have provided those things for no extra cost.
What did leave a very bad taste in our mouths, however, was our experience at the restaurant. Although we loved the food and had a wonderful night overall, we were pretty disappointed to to find more extra charges at every course ($10 more if you want the "special" appetizer, $20 if you want the fancy dessert, etc..). We also ordered the 6,000 Yen per person wine pairing menu, which was three glasses of wine, one to go with each course. Not one of the pours would have been considered a full glass at any other restaurant - at first I wondered if the waiter was just pouring me an initial taste - but no, that was my whole glass. Again, a restaurant of this nature should be making guests feel like they are really being taken care of, not like they are being taken advantage of. We didn't complain to anyone at the restaurant because we were trying to have a nice time, and having to initiate a conversation like that in the middle of your dinner is unpleasant. In a different sort of hotel we would have mentioned something to the manager as we checked out, but since there is no front desk at Arcana, there was never the right person around to speak to. So ultimately, while it is a beautiful place with friendly people, its overpriced, and its lacking the level of service that should come with a hotel of that level.More
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