Izu Ippekiko Lakeside Terrace

I stayed at Izu Ippeki Lake Lakeside Terrace for 5 nights booking though an online booking site. Be warned that problems may occur when booking through travel websites. I booked a standard room with no meals. What I did not know however, was that this reservation did not include any room cleaning services for the entire stay, no taking of garbage or towel replacement, no bed making, nothing at all. When I contacted the travel website to show my disappointment, they immediately contacted the hotel requesting a full refund. I did not expect a full refund for my entire stay. What I did expect, was for someone to acknowledge the fact that this important piece of information should have been indicated someone on the online reservation confirmation. Neither the travel site nor the hotel would acknowledge this. The travel site replied with a response from the hotel, saying that I was a regular guest and knew about this “regulation”. It’s true, I have visited Izu Ippeki Lake Lakeside Terrace on several occasions when housekeeping services were not included. However, this was clearly indicated on the reservation, and I STAYED DURING THE COVID STATE OF EMERGENCY, when it was standard practice for many hotels to exclude cleaning services. My recent stay was at the beginning of August, WHEN THE STATE OF EMERGENCY AND COVID RESTRICTIONS HAD BEEN LIFTED. It is no longer standard practice to exclude cleaning services at hotels in Japan. The hotel stated that I visited the front desk every day to get towels and never mentioned the need to clean the room. This is untrue. I only came to the front dest 2 times during my 5 night stay, and this is because room cleaning staff entered my room on 2 occasions, so I was expecting them to clean or take out the trash, but they did nothing and left. I expected them to return, however, they never did. The bottom line is the hotel is responsible for communicating their services to customers, especially after covid restrictions have been lifted. Blaming guests for their lack of communication is completely unprofessional. Now in regards to the hotel itself, I have stayed here on several occasions, I find it to be perfect, mainly because of the location and modest room size. The hotel is conveniently located near Lake Ippeki (Ippekiko) and there is plenty of nature and a few trails in the area. You can step out the door and be on a simple hiking trail within minutes. It’s a very quiet area and very good for children and families. Though the hotel is dated, the rooms are all quite large and include a living room, kitchen with cooking supplies and dishes (but no forks or spoons), a large bath, and both Western and Japanese style bedrooms. Some may be discouraged by the age of the hotel (it’s quite old and could use some renovation), but if you don’t mind that, then I would highly recommend staying here. One point that I need to mention is in regards to the bedrooms. The hotel has replaced their blackout curtains with super thin curtains which allow sunlight to easily shine through. We were woken up at 5:00 am every morning because of the bright sunlight in our room. If you’re a light sleeper, please take note. I wish management would consider this. Also, it’s highly recommended that guests come by car, public transportation is very inconvenient in the area. Overall, Izu Ippeki Lake Lakeside Terrace is a very convenient place for a reasonable price. I will definitely be staying here again in the future, but hope that they act with a little more professionalism and consider the fact that the covid state of emergency ended long ago.