We had high expectations for our stay at Ginrinsou. It's based in Otaru, which is famed for his history, beauty and awesome seafood, and it is widely regarded as the most historic and luxurious ryokan (and most expensive) in Otaru, if not in all of Hokkaido. Combined with the promise of great food and hospitality, and the fact that we booked their best room (the Tsuru Penthouse Suite - 鶴), I don't think we can be faulted for hoping for something close to perfection, if not a completely magical experience.
Things started out well. The check-in went flawlessly, and the room was absolutely amazing. Super spacious, functionally modern with all of the amenities and technologies one would expect in a 5-star large luxury hotel, and incredible, 270-degree view of Otaru and the ocean. We immediately lamented the fact that we only chose to stay 2 nights there (we instead stayed 2 nights at Takinoya in Noboribetsu which is understandable given there's a bit more to do in Noboribetsu.)
Throughout our stay, anytime we were outside of our room we felt a sort of uneasiness at Ginrinsou. It wasn't immediately apparent, but now I know. Ginrinsou is "old-school" snobbery luxury/service, where it's way more buttoned-down than it needs to be, and the staff there are so full of themselves that they think guests should feel privileged to be staying at such a renowned property. They don't realize that luxury in this modern age is more about meeting each customer's specific needs, and to create a sense of being a second home to the guests rather than being in a famous establishment (and all of the good and not-so-good things that have typically gone with it.)
Staff are uptight. They say the right things, and are not curt or rude in any particular way, but I just felt that they were doing you a favor. They were definitely not anticipatory. They don't try to connect with you, even on a superficial level. When you return from an outing, it's "welcome back." That's it. Not "I hope you had a great time in wonderful Otaru. How was your day? Did you do anything interest? Can I help you with your plans for tomorrow?" Nothing like that. Just the standard courtesy and nothing more, which is disappointing when you consider there are not that many rooms, and the staff-to-guest ratio is pretty darned high. We've stayed at many of the top ryokans in Japan, and I can tell you that Ginrinsou is definitely among the most "buttoned down" of any of them, to a fault. We weren't expecting barefoot luxury (or something approaching Aman levels), but the welcoming feeling is just not there.
The same goes for our butleress(sp?), who did her job, did it competently, but did not exude any sense of genuine warmth. She just brought the dishes, did her bowing, and explained each dish in a formulaic way.
You might think it's nitpicking, and that might be true. But our observations are unlike any we've had in places like Gora Kadan, Kayotei or Wanosato. At those establishments, they take "Omotenashi" hospitality to another level. Basically, your problem becomes their problem. Your comfort, joy and even your dignity becomes their personal mission. You can just feel it, and it shows in the way they go about interacting with you, and what they do - often behind the scenes.
The big bombshell came when it was time to check out. Before going into detail, a bit of an explanation of "Go To Travel ("GTT" henceforth.) GTT is a program initiated by the Japanese government to spur consumer travel (and spending), and as an incentive they offer a 30% lodging discount to Japanese residents that stay at a hotel or ryokan. While GTT has not been a primary motivating factor for us travelling, we definitely have availed ourselves to the GTT benefits. In every other hotel or ryokan we've stayed at, the property manages the paperwork so when you check out you have to do... almost nothing. It's all taken care of.
Fully expecting Ginrinsou to manage things in a similar fashion, we were surprised when they told us the onus was on us to file the GTT paperwork and physically send it into the GTT agency. Now, part of it may be attributed to our ignorance about the whole GTT thing, but surely a ryokan that charges well over a thousand dollars a night can take the hassle out of its guests hands? Nope. This is definitely another example of Ginrinsou being lazy, uncaring and believing that it's a privilege for guests to stay there. What made matters worse - they told us that we needed to have sent the paperwork to GTT BEFORE we checked out, so now, we had completely lost out on many hundreds of dollars worth of discounting via GTT. What was more infuriating was the attitude throughout. Basically robotic. Not apologetic. No explanation as to why they approach and manage the GTT discount differently than every other place I've stayed at. This was the butler lady telling us this. All along, there was another (younger) lady - likely an accountant - who was standing next to the butler while doing our check-out billing paperwork. Not a word out of her. I'm guessing she's tied to the family that owns Ginrinsou. She didn't say a single word, and when I posed the same question to her, she ignored me and did not make any eye contact at all. "I'm just doing my job, and I'm not here to interface with you" was the vibe I got from her. She was ice cold, to be sure.
I am not a demanding guest, do not expect perfection, and am relatively easy to please (see my other reviews - I am generally quite generous in my star ratings as proof.) But Ginrinsou definitely isn't the place for me. Their superficial, cold-hearted and arrogant approach to hospitality has definitely soured us on Ginrinsou. While future travelers may not hit the same snags that we experienced... if the examples laid out above is any indication of the staff and management culture, they need to make some wholesale changes for me to recommend this place to friends that trust my judgement in hotels and ryokans.
