I booked a restaurant and a stay for my girlfriend's birthday, and honestly, I never expected it to be such a disappointing experience.
I had high expectations, using it as a representative luxury hotel in Fukuoka, but the food, service, information sharing, and hospitality all fell far short of what I anticipated.
I had confirmed over the phone beforehand and booked with the understanding that it was all-inclusive. I also requested balloon decorations, looking forward to a special day.
At the restaurant, we ordered an appetizer, grilled beef, à la carte, and two types of pasta. Upon arrival that day, I was informed, contrary to my previous understanding, that "meals are included, but alcohol is extra."
However, even before the last call, the grilled beef and one pasta dish hadn't arrived. When I inquired, a male staff member explained, "It was my mistake; the order didn't go through. Since last call is over, we cannot serve them to you."
It was an unbelievable experience to have a birthday dinner end without the main course being served.
Even the drinks we ordered only arrived after multiple reminders.
What was even more surprising was that this same staff member had made the exact same "order didn't go through" mistake when we visited approximately three months prior.
One time might be excusable, but honestly, I was flabbergasted by the repetition of the same mistake by the same staff member.
As a result, we only had the appetizer, one pasta dish, and à la carte.
Her birthday dinner was ruined.
At checkout, I was charged for the food.
Upon later checking, the Trip.com reservation had a small note stating "room only," and I admit there might have been a misunderstanding on my part regarding that. However, the discrepancy between the explanation given during the prior confirmation and the actual billing was a fact that could confuse guests, and even on the day, I was told there would be no charge for the food.
Since it was for a birthday, I paid at the time.
Problems continued after check-in.
The exclusive bar lounge for guests was announced as "closing in 10 minutes."
The sauna was only available at "3 AM or 9:30 AM."
However, during check-in, there was no explanation whatsoever about the bar's operating hours or pre-booking for the sauna.
Phone calls from the room to the front desk didn't connect, and it was only after going down to the front desk myself to inquire that I learned about the usage conditions.
I believe not informing guests about available services is akin to not providing the services at all.
Breakfast the next day also fell far short of expectations.
It was an à la carte menu, but the steak was tough, and I left more than half of it.
When I asked a foreign staff member for soy sauce, salt and pepper were brought instead, which made me question the staff training.
Despite having sausages and bacon, ketchup wasn't on the table, and we had to ask staff for it every time.
As a luxury hotel, I didn't feel that attention to detail was thorough.
And finally, what astonished me the most was the response at check-out.
The staff member explained, "There was a mishap last night, so we won't charge you for dinner and breakfast."
However, I had already paid for dinner at the time of the previous day's accounting.
In other words, the hotel itself wasn't even aware that I had already paid.
I understand that they were trying to apologize or offer compensation. However, being told "we won't charge you" for something I had already paid for only further proved the complete lack of information sharing.
Order mistakes at the restaurant.
Delayed drink service.
Lack of explanation for accommodation services.
Lack of coordination with the front desk.
And lack of sharing of billing information.
What I felt during this stay was not a one-off mistake, but a significant issue with information sharing and service quality across the entire hotel.
Precisely because it was for a special occasion like a birthday, my disappointment was even greater.
I have used many hotels and restaurants before, but this is the first time I've had such a disappointing experience for an anniversary celebration.
At the very least, I will not be using this hotel again, and I cannot recommend it for important anniversaries.
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