Review: Ritz-Carlton Reserve Niseko Higashiyama, Japan (Underwhelming)

This is by far the nicest Courtyard I have ever seen.

As to the chaotic frazzled service, not that it should matter, but did you personally present yourself with the same demeanor? Did you walk up to the desk at a standard pace, or a hurried one? Did you speak slowly, or rapidly?

Mirror neurons are a phenomenon and the literature suggests the Japanese, moreso than people in other nations, habitually and non-consciously copy the demeanor of those in front of them. If you seemed rushed, they'll reciprocate. If you don't, they won't.

Brand name is something leased by a property owner and is meaningless. Brand standards are often not enforced. One must assess each property on its own and rely on reviews from *trusted* sources.

It feels like it's trying to capitalize on the view at the expense of everything else. View from the room and the public areas of Yotei is very good. Other than that, well...

Meh I have a hard time believing Ben and Ford did not act normal. Ritz-Reserve is literally the most premier brand (on paper) of Bonvoy. The service should be almost perfect and if the customer is stressed, the receptionist should de-escalate.

So the good thing about that Egyptian video release of Ben walking through the airport is that we got to see how Ben acts when he (thinks) he's not being recorded for the world to see. He did seem 100% normal in that video.

More broadly, a lot of people who present themselves as stressed aren't self-aware of it. If you habitually walk fast and talk fast, that's also perceived as negative (frazzled, stressed, even arrogant) in many cultures.

I get that and if this was a small independent 3 star hotel somewhere random I would agree with you. As I said, this is literally Marriott's most premier brand. Unless a customer is hostile which I highly doubt, the front desk should do better. Most St Regis' for example don't even have desks, but sit you down in a nice table to check you in.

The most premier brand in a very touristy area should do better.

I would have laughed at the gym too.

It's not like you can go running outside in the winter.

I think there’s a seed of a new brand here, “Ritz-Carlton Express.”

“Ritz-Carlton Express offers owners a cost-effective platform to command a higher ADR from their existing limited-service property with a significantly lower cost structure than a traditional luxury hotel.

The guest experience will be enhanced with signature service touch points like in-room snacks and a localized sponsored welcome gift. Marriott is targeting 1st and 2nd generation select service properties like Comfort Suites and TownePlace for the brand.”

The bathroom "compound" is a wet room. They're very common in Japan in all levels of homes/apartments. From detached family homes to high-end apartments (think $10k/month) in Tokyo's Rappongi district. What you had in your room is very common in the latter. Looks very similar to one I had - down to the plumbing hardware and the glass panel and plumbing hardware. They're unfamiliar to a lot of Westerners but make practical sense.

How does one book through the Marriott Stars program? I have never seen this option either via the web or the app.

The lobbies at new or newly renovated Courtyards are as nice or nicer.

Should we be surprised? These days, Marriott will put a brand on anything if an owner pays.

Brands are not "leased."

Wish there were standards for top tier brands like RC Reserve. That’s the issue with Marriott these days. Can’t trust the brand standards.

@Sel D

ROFLMAO. Well done...

LOL I'd heart this if I were a proper member here

First, Davis, weird take. The expectation for a top tier hotel is that clients will be shown good hospitality even if they are stressed or frazzled. Obviously there are limits - if they start behaving in an abusive manner, that's another story.

To my knowledge, hospitality at high end hotels isn't predicated on the client not being stressed or frazzled.

You need to book with an accredited travel agent. They're not too difficult to track down.

When you go skiing, the day on the slopes is literally a day in the gym. Unless you spend more time at the mountain bars, the need for a gym is pretty limited at a ski resort. I can't remember ever missing a gym, or wanting to go to the gym after a day on the pistes. It is a bit like missing a tanning bed at a resort in Hawaii.

Though you could very well argue that they should cater to both the skiers and they more relaxed (non skiing) spouses. But then again, if the spouses are the very chill ones, they are not likely to hit the gym anyway.

Though I did actually go to the gym at the RCR Niseko as we did not ski every day. One major benefit, no one else there.

Nuts how average this place is. But is any Ritz Reserve worth it? Horrible branding and inconsistent service & design. At 2k per a night in some cases, you gotta wonder what you're paying for.

Niseko is a good but overpriced ski resort.
It is silly if you not go for snow sporting in winter. There are many more cheaper and better hotel in Hokkaido.

I am a bit confused. Why 2 reviews (one in March and this) about the same property? Same for the PH.

How do we expect the staff there to act professionally when Niseko is full of foreign travelers ruining the town.

It's just that other properties' staff is too good.
For the property itself, disappointing for sure. Feels nothing like the Ritz Carlton brand.

@ Mason -- "How do we expect the staff there to act professionally when Niseko is full of foreign travelers ruining the town."

First of all, the staff were a combination of Japanese and foreign. Second of all, if you're really wondering how people working in tourism can act professionally toward tourists, then, well, maybe they're in the wrong line of work. 😉 Lastly, the "foreign travelers ruining the town" are the exact reason that they have jobs, no?

@ Michael_FFM -- One was just an initial impression of the stay (immediately after), while this is the full review, with a lot more details. It's similar to what I do with sharing my flight experiences.

@ Him -- Well the skiing was happening at the Park Hyatt Niseko. But since we just had one full day here, and this was the end of the trip, we didn't bother.

@Ben Schlappig

Admittedly, I overgeneralized.

However, with all due respect, I don't think the last part of your reaction is valid.

Yes, again I could've said "some foreigners" to clarify.
Sure, the tourism industry there is often fed up by foreigners - which is surprising, there isn't (maybe wasn't - Niseko has been the same post pandemic as well) a lot of tourist destination in Japan where foreigners are more common than the locals. But how does that mean their bad behavior should be tolerated.

At least you, Ben, deserves a respect for acting in accordance with the country's customs.
The thing is that, person of your kind is very rare among tourists visiting not only in Niseko, but in the whole Japan. It's really ruined nowadays, and is apparently gonna get even worse as the government plans 30M visitors by 2030 or something.

Just wishing at least the half of Americans coming to Japan would act like you. I wouldn't even be complaining if that was the case.

It does look like it was originally designed as a Courtyard! Like they were building it, and then said, hey look, there is a Park Hyatt in town. Maybe we need a Ritz here, and then suddenly, they spit this out. Not surprising in the Marriott world of brands.

Zing!, SAME!

TMagee, that sounds exactly like how they would pitch this idea in the Marriott corporate boardrooms.

Thing to note, especially if you're visiting in early/late season when the still decent snow is a bit slower is Niseko Village (all the Hilton hotel options), along with Annupuri, are South/Southwest facing. With Japanese northwesterly winds those resorts tend to not hold snow as well as than Hanazono or Hirafu. The NV gondola is a bit older and more susceptible to wind holds as Japanese lifts are required to slow when winds reach certain levels before completely halting at high levels. Since lift infrastructure has not been upgraded as much as the other bases, there is no redundancy if the gondola is halted and you'll have to take the shuttles to other bases. There was a dry spell when I was at Niseko and NV slopes tended to be the most icy and scraped off of the resorts after a few days of minimal snow. However, it did seem the least crowded.

Thank you for the review, as someone from the luxury hotels industry i enjoy reading them and always learn something from your observations.
In my experience, i would say that the design flaws that you mentioned are a result of a hotel that was supposed to be on a lower grade and upgraded by the group or the owner at the "last minute". They did some changes to match the level they are supposed to be but not all of them, because its expensive.
The group i worked at had the same issue and the additional upgrades were done gradually over time.

Thanks

That’s long been the case with some RC’s, even before they were folded into Marriott, especially the larger resort properties. The issue here is that at least the Reserve brand shouldn’t feature hotels that aren’t even up to the lower standards to be expected from the RC brand overall.

That's a great insight—thanks for sharing. Given the potential issues with snow retention and lift reliability in Niseko Village, especially during early or late season, it's worth considering nearby options like Hirafu or Hanazono, which tend to hold snow better due to their aspect and exposure. Additionally, with the rise of the alternative accommodation market, travelers now have more flexibility in choosing lodging that isn't tied to one base area. This can make it easier to pivot plans depending on conditions and avoid being stuck with limited access if gondolas are down. Plus, it often opens up better value and variety.

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/alternative-accommodation-market.asp