In between our two stays at the Conrad Tokyo, my girlfriend and I spent a couple of days in the Hakone region. We decided to spent two nights there to avoid having to rush about the different attractions in the area on a daytrip. While many foreign visitors staying in the area would probably opt for a ryokan, I found an intriguing option in the form of the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora, which as the name suggests is located in Gora town. Hotel Indigo is of course part of IHG, which meant I could put my newly-obtained IHG Diamond status to good use.
One of the attractions of the hotel is that every room is equipped with a private onsen. Of course, it can’t be compared to a proper full-scale onsen establishment, but it’s an accessible way to enjoy an onsen if a public one is too intimidating. This was a hotel feature we were looking forward to enjoying.
After two nights at the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora, I’d say it’s a great choice for tourists who are looking for somewhere close to Hakone attractions and want a taste of the Hakone experience, without forgoing the creature comforts of an international chain hotel. The location is reasonably convenient for the area, and it delivered the levels of comfort and service expected of a Hotel Indigo. I enjoyed my stay there, and found it was a perfect retreat for a couple of days away from the urban bustle of Tokyo.
Booking
For this stay at the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora, I opted to redeem IHG Rewards Club points. For my dates in mid-November, Reward Nights were going for an average of 51,000 points per night, or a total of 102,000 for my 2 nights stay. IHG offers the option to mix points + cash, but I opted to redeem in full. IHG occasionally sells points with up to 100% bonus, so I valued the cost of this reward stay at USD510 (approx SGD690). I can’t recall the exact cash rates for the period, but it would have been around JPY35,000-40,000 per night, so I reckon I came out slightly ahead by redeeming points rather than paying cash.
My reward night booking for a Deluxe Room with Private Onsen. Unfortunately IHG is annoying in that occasionally it’s not possible to specify the bed type, just the general category of room.
Location
As its name suggests, the hotel is located in Gora town in the Hakone region. The hotel is located next the Haya River, giving some rooms a river view.
The hotel isn’t far from Gora station in terms of distance, but it’s not walkable due the topography of the area. Thankfully the hotel (and indeed many others in the area) offer a car service. The hours a little limited though, running between 10am-6pm. There’s also a shuttle bus to Odawara Station, the timetable can be found on the hotel’s website here. The shuttle bus can be useful for those using a JR Pass or looking for the quickest and most direct way to and from Tokyo.
Arrival and Check-in
We stopped at Hakone-Yumoto to visit one of the nearby onsen while on our way from Tokyo to the Gora, hence we decided to take the Hakone-Tozan Railway from Hakone-Yumoto to Gora and use the hotel’s car pick-up service from Gora station. Once at Gora station, I called up the hotel (thankfully Skype still exists and works fine up in Gora) and got instructions to get to the waiting area. This involved making a u-turn immediately after exiting the station, heading down an underpass that runs under the cable car track, and the waiting area was right around where we popped out from the underpass. The easiest way to find the waiting area is to follow the signs to the train station’s toilets.
The waiting area is the same for virtually all hotels in the area, and they were represented by signage at the waiting shelter.
After waiting around 15min, a black Toyota MPV bearing Hotel Indigo signage on its side rocked up. The driver came out to help with our bags and that of another couple who were also waiting, after confirming our names.
The ride to the hotel took under 10min, through some winding mountain roads. Once at the hotel, we were greeted by staff and escorted to a lounging area that formed part of the hotel’s restaurant and bar, but wasn’t being used as such at that point. The staff made sure we went through the temperature check first, one of the few places we visited during the trip that persisted with this practice.
While the check-in formalities were being completed, we were served a cup of hot tea. A nice touch after waiting in the cold for the hotel car.
My IHG Diamond status was recognised, and I was offered a choice of welcome amenity between breakfast, drink vouchers for two drinks, or points. Naturally, I opted for breakfast. The staff member who checked us in also mentioned that we had been upgrade a River View room, but unfortunately they only twin rooms available. However they did mention they had already arranged for the beds to be pushed together.
Once the formalities were completed, a staff member escorted us to our room. She also explained to us the various facilities available in the hotel and their location. We were also informed the hotel car was available for use anywhere within the Gora area, and wasn’t limited to transportation to the train station.
The Room
Our room 301, was located at the corner near the lifts on the third floor of main building.
The few Hotel Indigo I have stayed at, tend to be a little more creative in design, while incorporating local touches. This Indigo was no exception. The overall layout and décor were western, with bits of Japanese influence around the room. The bathroom divider is in the design of shoji screen, while the wall art depicts the local area.
There were several amenities in the room that clearly reflects local influence. From the slippers, the rattan baskets, Japanese tea set, to the various design prints around the room.
Outside of these little touches, the room had the creature comfort and conveniences of a modern hotel room. The toilet was located near the entry to the room, separate from the shower area which was located near the balcony. The toilet is of course equipped with a TOTO washlet.
There was no enclosed wardrobe, just a luggage rack and a clothes rack. There were a couple of robes hanging here, good for wearing to the hotel’s public onsen. Just don’t be like the middle-aged pair of males we saw in the lift when we were going to our room, and tie the robes up properly.
The safe was located in one of the drawers below the luggage rack.
As promised, the hotel had put the twin beds together. Not a substitute for a real king-sized bed, but it did the job.
One of the bedside tables had a Bose SoundLink Revolve (Revolve II?). That’s the same model that the Conrad Tokyo places in its rooms. The various lighting controls were available on both sides of the bed. There were also USB ports and a power outlet, though only this was only a local Type-A style plug.
Between the beds and the bathroom, there was a small sitting area with a sofa and coffee table. I believe the sofa may actually have been a sofa bed, though I didn’t check this.
On the coffee table was a welcome gift of a couple of mochi and a generic welcome note from the hotel GM. The welcome note perfectly captures the identity and essence of the hotel in my opinion.
Across the sitting area was a shelf with the minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, Japanese tea set and water. The minibar was fully stocked. The tea was TWG. Above the shelf was a cute sign in the shape of a steaming cup of hot beverage.
The bathroom was rather compact, since the toilet was separate. There was only a single vanity on one side, and the shower stall on the opposite wall. The toiletries were from Biology Skin, an Australian brand. They were all large pump bottles.
The cups provided for rinsing were rather cute and thoughtful. There was a slot built in to place a toothbrush. Even as someone who uses an electric toothbrush, this was useful to store the brush head.
The balcony outside the the bathroom holds the main attraction of the rooms here at the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora. On the balcony was a tub, which could be filled with natural onsen water. The tub was well-designed as well, with the wood water outlet and top surfaces giving a traditional feel.
Because the hot water is natural onsen water, it’s very hot. I would strongly advise any guests not used to visiting onsens to mix it with cold water. Being in a river view room, we could see and hear the rushing water of the river while soaking in the onsen. Though the bright lights of the 7-Eleven on the opposite bank did slightly ruin the view. For privacy, blinds could be lowered, though this naturally blocked any view of the river.
Despite the cool weather outside, being the middle of autumn, we thoroughly enjoyed coming back to relax in the tub with hot onsen water. Having a private onsen in the room is a luxury, and was well worth the rather reasonable points rate we paid.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the room. It’s always interesting to find a room that’s not a typical cookie-cutter hotel room. The local influences and little quirks in the room décor made for a nice room to return to. The hotel didn’t sacrifice practicality as well, except perhaps for the exposed clothes rack. The private onsen wasn’t just a gimmick, and indeed turned out to be the most enjoyable feature of the room.
Food & Beverage
The Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora only has one F&B outlet, Riverside Kitchen & Bar. The restaurant operates all day, with breakfast starting at 7.30am to 10.30am, and subsequently various menus until closing. More info on the opening hours and menus can be found on the hotel’s website here.
For my welcome amenity as an IHG Diamond Elite, I had chosen breakfast. The breakfast consisted of a continental buffet, and a choice of an egg dish with sides or a Japanese breakfast. Being a continental-style breakfast buffet, there was fruits, various cold cuts and cheeses, breads and salad. Coffee and tea were self-service.
We didn’t indulge much in the buffet, since the ala carte items were quite filling. The bread selection was interesting though, with unusual choices such as melon bread, berry bread and matcha bread.
I do question the hotel’s method of serving fruits though. For example, the bananas were sliced while still in their peel. I would have preferred they just serve whole bananas instead. Similarly, the kiwi fruit were sliced skin-on. Again, whole or halved kiwis would be preferrable.
We had breakfast both mornings of our stay, giving us an opportunity to sample both an egg dish and the Japanese breakfast. On the first morning, we both opted for the Japanese breakfast. This was served in a two-tiered bento box.
The Japanese breakfast was extremely filling, consisting of sashimi, oden, a piece of grilled mackerel, miso soup, rice and various small dishes. The bento was visually appealing and tasted good too. The raw wheat gluten (the yellow/orange piece of thing) and the momoji decoration (red leaf) added a lovely splash of colour to the dish. Fishcakes are a specialty of nearby Odawara, and the fishcakes in the bento did a great job representing the area.
The next day, we ordered an egg dish – fried eggs with all the sides. This was not bad as well, and the doneness of the fried eggs could be customised. We still felt the Japanese breakfast was more interesting and slightly better, but it might get boring after awhile as it didn’t vary.
Facilities and amenities
Public Onsen
While every room has a private onsen, the hotel also has a public onsen. Being a more foreigner-oriented establishment, the public onsen requires swimsuits. We didn’t use the public onsen, but I did stop by for a look. There was various pools offering different seating options, depending on what posture one felt like adopting. One of the walls had a large screen, to display digital art shows as the hotel describes it. These art shows are inspired by the naural scenery of Gora, and changes the seasons. I think it was meant to convey nature and serenity, but I found it a little too bright and colourful.
Away from the main onsen, and situated between the hotel’s two buildings overlooking the river, there’s foot bath. Guests could enjoy a view of the Haya River while soaking their feet. Being adjacent to Riverside Kitchen and Bar, guests can order a drink from the restaurant/bar to enjoy together with the foot bath.
Gym
The hotel also has a small, but well-equipped gym, with equipment from Technogym. Like the onsen, there was a large screen here also displaying local scenery. In this case when I stopped by, it was showing one of the sightseeing boats crossing Lake Ashi with Mt Fuji in the background.
Spa
At the time I stayed at the hotel, the spa by HARNN was still operating. However according to the hotel’s website, the spa will close by end December. My guess is that HARNN no longer wants to operate the spa. Currently, there’s no indication if the hotel will seek a new operator or operate it directly, so it looks likely there won’t be a spa for the foreseeable future after December.
Shuttle bus
As I mentioned earlier, the hotel operates a shuttle bus to Odawara Station. This is useful for guests arriving or departing the hotel. It’s a faster and more convenient alternative to taking the Hakone-Tozan Railway. On our departure day, we took the 11.30am shuttle to Odawara on our way back to Tokyo. The ride took around 30mins, though in peak hour it can up to an hour according to the hotel.
Conclusion
The Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora is an ideal accommodation for visitors who aren’t ready or just don’t want the full local experience e.g. a ryokan, or for those who can’t give up the convenience and comfort of an international chain hotel. A chain hotel will never be as intimate and immersive as a ryokan, and the hotel’s market isn’t guests who are looking for that. But it’s also not intimidating in the way a ryokan experience can be. It’s for guests who wan comfort, convenience, and a slice of the Hakone experience. With a private onsen in every room, the hotel knows what many visitors, especially foreign ones, are looking for when they come to Hakone. It’s a unique selling point, and a thoroughly enjoyable one at that.
The location makes for a great base to explore, being at the interchange of the Hakone-Tozan Railway and Hakone-Tozan Cable Car. It’s somewhat in between major attractions in the Hakone area, such as Hakone-Yuomoto, Owakudani, Lake Ashi and Gotemba. There’s plenty within Gora town itself to see as well.
I feel the Hotel Indigo brand was perfect for this hotel. The Indigo identity allows the hotel creative freedom to incorporate loads of local influence in a charming and tasteful manner. The features of the hotel gives it a boutique feel, while still delivering the standards and comfort expected an international chain. As a IHG Diamond Elite member, I could make use of my status benefits as well.
I very much enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora, and it’s a great points earning and burning option in the middle of Hakone. In my opinion, it’s the perfect choice to feel like one is indeed staying in Hakone, without having to break the bank for a luxury boutique accommodation or ryokan.