Urakusatsu Tou

The hotel has nice rooms, good water pressure, and a great onsen. The young male staff member also worked very hard and gave excellent service. But for two nights, the high price left us very disappointed. At checkout in heavy rain, we asked a female staff member, who seemed more senior or possibly a manager, to help arrange a taxi or ride to the bus station. She couldn’t communicate in English and refused to help find transport. She just said no car was available and told us to walk to the station in the rain. For a hotel in this price range, or one calling itself four-star, that service was unacceptable. Regardless of her role, I think she should reconsider whether hospitality is the right line of work for her. The manager or owner should address this. I suspect other guests have felt similarly disappointed but didn’t share it. Future guests should know that the service may not match the price you pay.

The common areas and rooms at Urakusatsu Tou are beautifully arranged, calm, and relaxing. Both the private and public onsen were comfortable and well maintained, and dinner and breakfast were fantastic. Honestly, some of the negative reviews here seem ridiculous. Complaining that the water is too hot makes me wonder if an onsen is right for you. If the floor plan is confusing, there are maps around the property, and staff explain everything carefully, so pay attention.

The room was the one good part for me: big, nice, and comfortable. Service was so-so, and the onsen was only average. There was mold all over the ceiling inside the bathhouse, and with only one elevator, waits could be long. Dinner and breakfast were bad. The atmosphere was okay, but it was cold. The dishes looked fine, but the food was terrible, too salty, overcooked, and served cold. If you’re hoping for a good meal, you might as well go to a convenience store; the food may be better there. Everything costs extra: a penalty if you lose your room key, a fee for the private onsen room, and charges for drinks beyond the free coffee and tea at happy hour. This isn’t a friendly service onsen hotel. One word, disappointed. If you have to stay here, skip the meal plan and eat at local restaurants instead.

It was my first time in Kusatsu, and the service felt icy from the start. We arrived at 6 p.m. and couldn’t reserve dinner, even though the kitchen stays open until 8. The private onsen was also fully booked by guests who had checked in at 3 that same day. We paid over $1,000 for one night and were still turned away from dinner. The female staff member corrected herself by saying the hotel has a private onsen open at 2 a.m. Was that some joke about Japanese culture I didn’t get? This isn’t how a hotel should be run. The place seems spoiled by tourists and doesn’t care about paying guests.