Hoshino Resorts KAI Kaga

My husband and I got a standard room and my parents and brother got one with their own onsen. We decided to stay here because of the name (Hoshino) and the crab dinner upgrade. After leaving the cab, the staff brought us to the library/waiting room and we waited their for about 30 minutes before being checked into our rooms. A staff member brings you to your room, explains the hotel room, amenities, and goes over your schedule if you booked an activity with the hotel. Our room was large (especially coming from Tokyo!), with a nice view of the public bathhouse. I was a little disappointed we had a shower instead of a bath in the bathroom. My parents room had a view of Kagaonsen town and they enjoyed their in-room onsen. My husband and I opted to do the Kintsugi class, where a lady told us about kintsugi, the types of materials used to bond ceramic items together and then we got to "fix" a cup. It was basically dusting gold dust on the lacquer section she prepared. We did not get to take the piece home, but she did say that we might find dishes which have been through the process being used at dinner and breakfast service. For dinner, we chose the upgraded crab meal. This was a lot of crab, prepared in various ways and all very tasty. But you know how there's too much of a good thing? That's how we all felt by the end of the meal. Servers knew when to take away plates when your plate was empty, so sometimes it took a while to clear the table because we were just too full to continue eating. Breakfast was a typical Japanese breakfast, filling, but tasty. The hotel onsen was fine, there was an indoor and outdoor one, but both are quite small. Luckily, I went around 4pm, so not too busy and 6am. I think there was 4 people max each time I went. The water was nice, but not as hot as I'd like. Finally, some things that are "quirky" about this hotel: it was faster to use the stairs since their is only one elevator. This sucked! The coffee machine is located in the library, there is only one, so go down early to get your coffee if you need it. The yuzu juice after an onsen soak was tasty! It runs out though, so get it while you can.

Extremely disappointing stay — not worth the Kai brand or the price I’ve stayed at more than four Kai onsen hotels before and always trusted the brand for its warm hospitality and thoughtful service. Because of that confidence, I didn’t do any research or read Google reviews before booking this trip — I trusted that it would meet the same high standards as the others. Unfortunately, this location completely failed to meet those standards, and it left me deeply disappointed. I truly regret choosing it for my family trip. At arrival, there was no welcome or assistance. The parking lot is a block away, and no one came to help with luggage. I had to go inside to ask for help, but they just told us to park and carry everything ourselves. We had to drag all our bags to the entrance on our own. From my past experiences at other Kai properties, staff would usually greet guests at the front entrance, then escort them to where they could park — sometimes even parking the car for the guest. At the lobby, they would offer a welcome drink or at least introduce where guests could get tea while waiting for check-in. Here, they didn’t say anything — we just sat there waiting, completely unattended. Dinner time was equally disappointing. The check-in for the dining room was chaotic, with a long line on the second floor and no one to guide guests properly. My 85-year-old father ended up walking back and forth looking for the dining room because no staff member escorted him. The elevator was extremely small, and we had to wait more than 10 minutes just to take it — some guests even gave up and used the stairs. When we finally sat down, the dinner portions were surprisingly small. We booked two rooms for five people, but the food was not enough for everyone. It was the first time I’ve ever stayed at a Kai property and left still hungry — we even had to go out afterward to find ramen. The taste was also far below Kai’s usual standard. Breakfast the next morning was even more chaotic. The staff accidentally escorted another family of four into our private dining room and then left. Those guests were understandably confused, and I had to leave my seat to find someone to fix the situation. The outdoor onsen was disappointing. It felt quite small compared with other locations in the Kai group. We also noticed there was no restroom inside the onsen area — if you needed one, you had to exit the bathing space, put your clothes back on, and walk outside to use a toilet. Additionally, in the changing room one of the hair dryers was not working. Overall, this stay was far from the quality and hospitality I’ve come to associate with the Kai brand. The service, food, and facilities were all below standard and certainly not worth the premium price. I sincerely hope management reviews this location seriously — experiences like this harm the strong reputation Kai has built over the years.

The room is very good and comfy. However our special crab dinner is 😤! Compare the same dinner last year, the quality and quantity both not up to Kai’s standards! The waitress is so unprepared and served with no heart!

Regardless, we proactively requested not to prefer to eat beef for religious reasons. However, I was still informed that the hotel policy cannot make any adjustments for anyone. What a joke that you can have more rice! Is this a policy for human beings? Another interesting fact to note is that there is no additional food order option, even if you want to select food options, as long as you are willing to pay for them. What a brand! Overall, I would not recommend anyone with a food allergy, as it may cause an unwelcome experience during your stay. I stayed for 2 nights and had a total of 4 meals for USD 1,400+. I don't think it's worth the money.

This hot spring inn breathes new life into the historic traditional architecture of Kaga. You can fully enjoy Kaga culture through the "marriage of Kutani ware and cuisine" and the setting that is based on traditional crafts "Bengara Lounge" where you can experience about 100 kinds of traditional products, including "Yamanaka" "The precious vessels have been repaired by the staff themselves using gold repair to prevent chips and cracks. While preserving the martial arts tradition, the staff will perform a new lion dance

We stayed for two nights in June for the Kaga Ultra Trail Running Race. Before booking, we requested an earlier breakfast than their standard 7am. After several emails, they offered onigiri at 6:30 AM, which we highly appreciated. It’s one of the reasons we booked this hotel. However, the onigiri was disappointing, lacking flavor and far below convenience store quality. Had we known they couldn’t properly arrange this early breakfast for race day, we would have chosen a different hotel. We asked for a bucket of drinkable ice to come with the onigiri on the day before and in the race morning. As it was extremely hot that day. However they only deliver the onigiri. We booked three rooms through the hotel’s official website months ahead, clearly stating that my partner does not eat cooked fish. We communicated this dietary restriction three times: during booking, through our friends who arrived a day earlier, and again upon our arrival. Despite this, the first night’s dinner included fish tempura and puffer fish nabe. The staff suggested my partner set the fish aside or eat it raw, which was unsuitable given the race the next day. After 30 minutes of discussion, they provided a small pork portion. The dinner portions were also unusually small, leaving our group of six unsatisfied. When we addressed the issue at reception, the staff did not apologize and stated they couldn’t accommodate dietary requests on the day of arrival, disregarding our prior notifications. When we mentioned my friend shared that one day before our arrival, then they found the note, then apologise. The next day’s dinner was acceptable. A staff member later apologized in Mandarin, which we don’t speak, and repeated the same excuse, showing a lack of understanding of our concerns. This felt dismissive and poorly handled. Other than the poor meal arrangement, the yukata provided in room were too small, and despite requesting larger sizes, we received the same small ones the next day. The public onsen was small, luckily we booked the in-room onsen. Highlight: We chose this hotel for its appealing design, clear email communication ( only email) and their agreement to accommodate an early breakfast for race day. However, the overall experience was very disappointing due to the failure to honor our repeatedly communicated dietary needs, substandard hospitality, and poor breakfast quality. Given this experience, we will not stay at another KAI Hotel in the future.

My wife and I had a fantastic stay at KAI Kaga to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and the hospitality from the team truly enhanced our experience. We are thankful for the attentive service and assistance we received throughout our visit. The staff is young and energetic, always serving guests with cheerful smiles, which left a lasting impression on us. However, I would like to mention one area for improvement: the lack of a complimentary shuttle bus service from Kaga Onsen station to the resort. Given the premium price we paid for our stay, it was disappointing to find that nearby resorts offer this basic service to their guests.

A waitress from Yamagata, who spoke English fluently, served us during dinner. When she learned that my son would be visiting Yonezawa, she kindly wrote him a note with her restaurant recommendations. Her hospitality and thoughtfulness beautifully reflected the warm spirit of the staff at Kai Kaga.