Phoenix Hotel by Hhg

We stayed February of 2025. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed for the description and reviews I had read. It did not live up to my expectations of professional and boutique. From entering through the garage past the washing machines, to not being able to get copies of maps due to no stock and have to take photos of a master copy. We stayed in a traditional Japanese style hotel room which was warm and nicely furnished. However the bathroom facilities were dated and toilet was smelly. Which they knew about the smell as there was a sign requesting it be flushed twice. The staff were all lovely and very helpful but being backpackers they lacked the professionalism that we experienced at surrounding hotels. Overall the rates didn’t really reflect the experience we had.

Transport options were amazing and the Phoenix van drivers were great at getting us to/from the other Hakuba Hospitality Group restaurants and to/from the ski fields. Taxi service in Hakuba is spotty at best, so the vans are a life saver.

This is my second review for Phoenix in about 8 yrs and sorry but this may be a long one, as things have changed When I first went to the Phoenix hotel it was managed by Sally and her husband Peter back in 2014 I think .I then went yr after yr after yr and so on until covid and now back again this feb 2023 It is a great hotel but if you went when Sally was there you would see a massive difference, I felt it was limping I felt it was trying hard to stay afloat. Don't get me wrong the staff there are great but they are lacking enough staff and a manager to run it properly. No one is managing the hotel now, the staff are run off their feet and it's so obvious to someone who has stayed there so many times. There is stuff and bits and bobs everywhere, not as tidy as it was either There is a coffee machine up stairs now that has barely warm coffee and milk in those tiny little containers, so you need about 6 in 1 cup Coffee also down stairs in the restaurant is slightly warmer and for $5 you can get a special one made that is also warm , lucky for me I"m a fussy tea drinker and I bring my own------ but I kept hearing people complain about their barely warm coffee. Pre covid I would eat at least 5 nights in the restaurant Mimi's, but this time ate only once and it was the first night. 2 mains and veggie dish [ warm roast tasteless veggies] and chips , 1 glass of wind and the cost was close to $290 Aussie dollars { no wagyu beef in our meal either ] it was good but not worth the cost. The prices have gone through the roof for dinner. I would never eat dinner there again. We did get fresh made bread and some GF for me but enough butter to spread on a savoy biscuit :/ We then ate in many other places around and in ECHO Land for around $100 or less and the food was amazing Phoenix used to have a few shuttles in the morning but with staff shortages [ not their fault] they have one and very limited as to where you want to be dropped off, you now have to walk up the rd to the next hotel if you want to go to out different slopes. Question is why not stay up the rd next time then you wouldn't have to walk up there every morning to catch a bus The hotel is still very clean and everyone is lovely but lacking presence of someone in charge Sally had it run like a well oiled ship, the best service out of anywhere I had stayed across the globe. Im sure she was overworked as she gave it 200% I don't think the Phoenix owners knew how well Sally and Pete actually ran it and Aya who is still there looks run off her feet and doing the best she can. They did do as much as they could for any requests I had but they need another Sally !!!!!! I will go back next yr as it is very homely and quaint and hopefully by next yr they will have a manager and maybe look into actually serving hot coffee. Also making the menu a bit more less fancy and less expensive, what has happened Mimi's ??? You are missing a massive market. Do I really want to get dressed to go out into the cold for