Kimpton Hotel Enso

This hotel serves a purpose and it didn't disappoint. Cute lobby, plain but sizable rooms with the most comfortable bed, outdoor patio, minimal fitness center, and some on-site parking (first come first serve). Overall great stay. Staff was pleasant to interact with. Location is good in Japan Town with many places to eat nearby.

The staff greeting was great. The room and the bathroom were nice. The parking situation was extraordinarily convenient. Welcoming pets without a fee is fantastic. But we have one big gripe. Our room, 126, faced the street and at 12:30 AM a large truck servicing the hotel made A LOT of noise right outside out window. Beeping backing up. Air brake noise. Then banging carts in and out of the truck. This went on for about half an hour. While it may be convenient to get deliveries at that time for the hotel, it is not a good time for guests who are trying to sleep!

Not great value for money. Pros: - Good location - quiet, but close enough to various places of interest. The area itself has plenty of character. - Big bathrooms with good toiletries. Cons: - Hotel needs some TLC. Rooms are spacious enough but not remarkably so. Lifts need to be replaced - very tired. Balconies need attention as well. - No restaurant on site - understandable given the circumstances but would be good to get a vouched for a local deli/bakery given the price and status - Underwhelming gym - No amenities in the room - had to ask for a coffee machine which seemed like an extra hassle. Was given tea pods though we asked for coffee. Took several attempts to get the rights pods. Minor issue but left a negative impression - Overall, service was not as great as what we experienced at other IHG hotels (including 3*). At this rate, you are better off booking a cheaper room at the Holiday Inn. Hotel might improve over time but currently not quite what you would expect from a Kimpton property.

Quick summary: Highly overrated. Good vibes, but it's superficial quality. The service and rooms are NOT at all worth the price point for a 4-star hotel. It's akin to a nice Holiday Inn dressed up in a Japanese cultural aesthetic. Pros: 1. The location is excellent - in a very safe area with lots of access to nearby neighborhoods. Plenty of excellent restaurants nearby. 2. Vibes of clientele are great. No boomers, families, corporate robots - literally everyone I saw were friendly 20-30 somethings. 3. Unique design, architecture, and composition of the building. Cons: 1. No sound proofing at all. I could hear doors opening and shutting, bathroom doors opening, remotes dropping, etc from all around and above me. 2. Amenities are severely lacking. No hair dryer in the room (had to ask for it at the front desk), no Netflix/Prime, etc (after a late night something to put on and sleep is nice), no exhaust for the bathroom, no complimentary water in the room, etc. 3. No valet and parking is $45/night, but I found reasonably close street parking for free. 4. Old dude at the front desk noticeably switched up his energy from talking to a group of girls, to then "welcoming" me. Never even looked me in the eye lol. No big deal though, I get it.

Decent hotel with nice rooms and very conveniently located for restaurants and shops in Japantown. However I have to knock off stars for a couple of negative experiences. First: for a few days we were treated to the air conditioning filling our room with another hotel guest's weed smoke. Not ideal. Surely this would have been obvious to housekeeping and they could have done something about it. Second: my partner had an issue with an incorrectly-addressed invoice issued by the hotel. The staff member at the front desk was downright rude and refused to help fix the problem until one of my partner's American colleagues intervened. Suddenly it was possible to resolve the issue. Hmm.

We travel and book with IHG Hotels & Resorts often (at least once a quarter) and recently experienced awful customer service. We missed updating an expired credit card on our member profile and after booking weeks in advance for a stay at the Enso, 3 hours before check-in, our reservation was cancelled. There was no notification sent prior, the hotel was fully booked, and every manager and customer service support (locally and via corporate) only offered "it is our policy, there is nothing we can do." Well, this policy is unacceptable. Guests should be given 24 hours to rectify a payment concern prior to cancelling a reservation. We scrambled to find another hotel as we boarded a plane; needless to say, starting off a trip like this was terrible.