Hilltop Hotel

In September last year, I made a reservation for January 2024 by direct telephone. It was one night in Deluxe Twin with garden. This is a long story, but I will report in detail because this hotel is irregular. Shortly after booking, we heard the shocking news that the museum was closed indefinitely. After the presentation, the phone was completely disconnected, so I couldn't make any inquiries. Worst of all, there wasn't even a single phone call, let alone an email blast, from the hotel to the existing guest to explain and guide them. By late November, when the call finally came through, not only were all the remaining rooms fully booked (actually, they were booked by the end of the day of the announcement), but all the dining halls available for reservations had to be explained administratively and mechanically that they were already full. I had to go to 7:30 a.m. on the day of my stay to get in line and secure a "HILLTOP" lunch spot. I was stunned by the drop in the museum's business attitude from the past, saying this was not a proper hotel (hospitality) business. It was no longer possible to book a restaurant reservation for the night, so we had to have room service for dinner. And during their stay, of course, people were always swarming the streets in front of the hotel until midnight, pointing their smartphones at the soon-to-be-closed museum, keeping guests away from the tiny windowsill. The building is almost the same. The hotel has no explanation or apology for this condition from the time of CHECK-IN to the time of stay and at the time of CHECK-OUT. I had a fundamental question for the hotel's current management and management: Why do ordinary, at-fault guests expect to stay here? So, as my own answer to this question, I would like to tell you that I can see it by piecing together my own memories, my past experiences at the museum, and the museum information that is currently being revealed. The museum underwent a major renovation in less than two years, starting in 1978. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum underwent a second major renovation over a six-month period. It was described as a major renovation including earthquake resistance and water area. However, as mentioned above, it was suddenly announced in October last year that the building would be closed for the time being from February 13, 2024 in order to consider how to cope with its deterioration (official website). Now that you're talking about dealing with the deterioration of the building, what was the major renovation of the first year of Reiwa just the other day? What did that do to you, sir? This will be the story. What's more, this time, instead of implementing "measures" for "aging," they're going to "consider" "actions for aging," which means that it can't be too obvious that hotel management and management would go out of their way to suspend all hotel operations and "close" them when they gather in a conference room in the hotel or somewhere to "consider," and the explanation on the official website is logically unreliable. To recall, the museum was subject to administrative action (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) in October 2012 for misuse of sewerage (fraud) and closed in April of the following year after a fire caused by employees mishandling cigarettes. As far as I remember, the museum reopened after that, but closed again soon after. Some time later, in September 2014, news of the sale of the Annex broke. As you will probably find out when you register, the museum was sold to its current owner (Tokyo Computer Service, now Marble) around that time. The current owner company was founded in Surugadai, so the founder may have had an affinity for the "Yamanoue Hotel". Thanks to the capital strength of the current owner, the aforementioned major renovation in the first year of Reiwa was realized. That said, I feel that the fact that the current owner company is not in the hotel business has unfortunately become the starting point for the hotel management confusion. In fact, this current owner company is a subsidiary of the Kanda district, and since the founder, who had a crush on the company, passed away in 2018, the year before major renovations began, it seems that the redevelopment plan including the district’s museum has proceeded at once. Since this building was not originally built as a hotel, but has undergone a series of forced renovations and has not been officially designated as a “cultural asset,” I imagine it will be torn down within the next few years. However, in order to degass the likely movement to preserve the building (against demolition), I think there is a possibility that part of the facade of the current building will be pasted on to the redevelopment building, or that the “Shotaro Ikenami Room” recreation memorial facility will be incorporated, and then “Tempurayama no Kamisuruga Script Store” will be opened as a tenant, or that the hotel will be opened on the upper floor. Then there was another shocking thing (to me) that happened during this stay. I had used the museum's "Tempura Mountaintop" and "HILLTOP" occasionally since the mid-1970s. So, to some extent, I think I know the taste of the food that is served there. When I made my phone call last September, when I made my phone call last November, and when I arrived for my stay in January this year, I kept checking to see if HILLTOP's russet of Western dishes had changed. "The hotel's response on all three occasions was ""unchanged"" and ""preserving the traditional taste.""" And, as mentioned above, on the day of our stay, we reserved a lunch spot at HILLTOP to taste the Traditional Beef Curry, Babaloa and Pudding. First I felt like a treat with beef curry, and then this with babaloa pudding. We realized that everything had changed! I also asked for a beef curry at room service at dinner just in case, to make sure it was definitely changing, and I called room service and said, 'This tastes different. It seems to have a chief of one side or the other that tastes like either the Imperial Hotel or the Palace Hotel, which one?" When I asked him, he put it on hold for a while and explained that it was the Imperial Hotel. "It was so shocking that two weeks later, I called the museum's drinks department and asked them again, "The chef from the former Palace Hotel, not the Imperial Hotel, came in."" I'm trying to keep the basics of 'traditional taste,' but I'm brushing up on the recipe and I'm sure it'll make some difference between chefs.' I received an explanation. And I said, "Pudding and vanilla ice cream taste like Hotel New Otani, though?" When I asked, It's not Hotel New Otani, but I can't tell you which pastry chef is new.' That's what they said. In fact, my last use of HILLTOP before this time was in March 2021. I remember that the three dishes at that time - beef curry, babaloa and pudding - were no different from the "traditional" tastes I had experienced since the 1975s. So, if it changed, it would have been after April of the same year, which is the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the way, the vanilla ice cream served in the museum has long been purchased for commercial use (from small and medium manufacturers) since the 1975s, to the best of my knowledge. However, after the renovation and renewal of the building in 2019, it changed to Takanashi Dairy (as I recall). And this time, what a home-made it was! From this point of view, although it is certainly different from the "tradition", it tastes very good as an in-house product and I took it as a positive and wonderful change. "After the announcement of the ""Closed"", many of our guests were able to get a seat at ""HILLTOP"" in a (long) line early in the morning, enjoying Western food and tea sweets, believing that ""This is the taste of the traditional Yamanoue Hotel"", but in fact, it is an inconvenient truth, which means that different dishes were served than ""Traditional"", so it's a shame that the Yamanoue Hotel has tarnished the late evening." If the hotel should re-open, I will definitely use it, including accommodation, so I hope the hotel will redeem itself. That's it.

A hotel loved by many cultural figures The Art Deco setting is wonderful Unfortunately, it is closed, but I hope to have the opportunity to visit again someday

The hotel is very close to the station and you can see it when you go up the slope a little. The quiet entrance has a very calm atmosphere and elegant customers hang out. The furnishings in the room are also old and have a historical feel, but they seem to work. It's a good idea to stay overnight and try the famous tempura