Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto

1. I booked breakfast for 8:00 AM and arrived at the restaurant around 8:03 AM to order Japanese breakfast. Breakfast for adults arrived at 8:35 AM, breakfast for one child arrived at 8:45 AM, and breakfast for the other child arrived at 8:55 AM. Breakfast took almost an hour to prepare… So I asked the manager why it took so long. The manager replied that an employee had mistakenly delivered one of the children's meals to the wrong table, requiring a new set to be made. So, does that mean it takes 40 minutes to prepare a children's meal that wasn't mistakenly delivered? Breakfast for adults also took 30 minutes. Furthermore, the manager's response lacked genuine apology, and they didn't proactively explain the reason for the delay; they only answered when we asked. In my 10 years living in Japan and staying in numerous hotels, I've never encountered a hotel where breakfast takes so long to prepare. The next day, I requested breakfast be delivered to my room, as I was genuinely worried about the long wait. 2. In the evening, I encountered an even more outrageous situation at the Taipei Onsen. Upon entering the women's bath changing room, I saw a male staff member who panicked and ran out as soon as he saw me. So I asked the female staff member standing next to him why there was a man in the women's changing room. The staff member, with a matter-of-fact expression, replied that he came in because it was cleaning time. I asked if there were any signs at the door. The staff member gave me a dismissive sneer and then said "sorry" in a disdainful tone. It was a very uncomfortable experience. Afterwards, I told the front desk about it, and they apologized profusely and assured me that no male staff member would be allowed to enter the women's changing room during normal onsen hours again, and that they would also reprimand the female staff member in question. These two frustrating incidents happened in a high-end chain hotel. I think I will never choose Kyoto Banyan again and will also tell my friends and family. This was my first extremely uncomfortable experience in Japan.

Thank you for choosing Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto for your stay in Kyoto. We truly appreciate your feedback and that is invalable to us. It is our greatest pleasure to know you enjoyed your experience, and we look forward to welcoming you back to our sanctuary for another memorable stay. Warm regards, Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto

The best hotel we stayed at during our entire honeymoon! (And we were there a lot 😹) The service is also very high quality, the rooms are really clean and beautiful, also a good location in Geon and a really beautiful view There is a schedule of performances sometimes in the evening, we got to see the mask ceremony which was really cool to experience it And the food in the restaurant was really delicious In short, I really recommend it!