This was my second stay at Hotel Monterry LaSeour. My first visit was in October last year, and I enjoyed it so much that I specifically recommended the hotel to my sister and chose to stay here again during this trip.
My recent experience was overshadowed by an extremely unpleasant interaction with a front desk employee. He was a larger-built male of Indian/Nepali appearance who was working at the front desk on 25 June, between approximately 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM. He appeared to be intentionally covering his name tag, so I was unable to identify him, although based on his signature on my check in document his name makes out to be "Jeey".
I arrived at the hotel around 12:00–1:00 PM after checking out of another hotel in Tokyo which was such a pleasant experience. I was fully aware that check-in was not until 3:00 PM and simply wanted to store my luggage before returning later. The staff asked for our passports and then informed me that check-in was at 3:00 PM. I explained that I understood and only wished to leave my luggage. He offered no further assistance or response however another female staff member stepped in, helped with our luggage, and provided a luggage tag.
When I returned around 3:00 PM, the same employee assisted me again. Despite having interacted with me only a few hours earlier, there was no greeting or acknowledgment. Instead, he immediately asked for our passports again. After handing them over, he said, “Give me your luggage tag—you can take back your passports,” while merely pointing to them on the counter beside him rather than handing them back to me.
The check-in process became even more irritating when I was completing my registration details on the screen. The employee repeatedly tapped his pen impatiently against the screen and used the pen to point at various fields while giving instructions. At one point, he pointed the pen directly toward my sister, who was sitting only a few metres away in the small lobby area, saying, “Her name here,” while continuing to tap the screen multiple times. His mannerisms were impatient, condescending, unprofessional and downright rude.
What was particularly alarming was what happened next. An elderly Japanese gentleman approached the reception desk to check in, and I witnessed an immediate and noticeable change in this employee's demeanour. He suddenly became warm, welcoming, polite, and attentive speaking in Japanese —while I was still standing there completing my check-in. The contrast was striking and left me feeling dismissed, even my sister could see the difference.
I am giving a 1 star because of this staff member "Jeey", all other staff members were courteous and polite.
Some other points to note - cleanliness was not there, the cup in the room was not washed and had dry coffee in it. Bath towels had a strange smell to them. Also, this time around, I asked to borrow an iron and while the staff not rush me to return it in 15 minutes (see the photo) since no one was asking for it - I find it super odd that there was a 15 mins limit and guests have to return it to the front desk after.
