Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO

I stayed for one night in the middle of my itinerary, and this was my favorite Hotel of the entire trip.The bar counter and lobby that come into view right after entering the entrance immediately got me excited.The Room was clean and stylish. The washbasin area was the open type with no partition from the Room, which is common in newer Hotels, but it didn’t cause any inconvenience. If anything, it made the Room feel more spacious than its actual square meter size.Although I didn’t use them, it seems they also offer a thoughtful selection of items for loan, which felt very considerate for guests on a Multiple Night Stay.The sofa and bed were comfortable as well, and I enjoyed having dinner in the Room that evening.The Onsen was also more than spacious enough and included an open-air bath. Maybe my timing was lucky, but there were few other guests, so it was extremely relaxing.Breakfast was buffet-style; even with a pleasant level of bustle, there were many attentive staff members who made it a great experience. In particular, having egg dishes cooked to my preference was fantastic (you order by QR code so there’s no line, and they bring it to you).A couple of small disappointments:- Parking(I assume it will be improved in the future, but there wasn’t any specific guidance; since it’s simply gravel ground at the moment, checking in at night was a bit confusing.)- The reception staff at the breakfast venue(I had planned on No Meals Included originally, but I was so impressed by how wonderful this Hotel is—and seeing available seats—I asked if I could join the breakfast buffet last minute. However, whenever I asked about seating or pricing details, I received guidance that strongly emphasized only negative points. It made me wonder if walk-ins aren’t really welcomed. That said, once inside—especially thanks to the excellent male staff member overseeing service—the experience turned out very positive.)I’m not sure what prices are like during peak winter season, but this is a Hotel I definitely want to stop by again whenever I visit Hokkaido.

It was a short two-night stay. We stayed in a Room with access to the lounge on the 7th floor, and since the Room was new it was very comfortable. There were two sinks, and the large bathtub can be filled with Onsen water, which was great. Contacting the front desk is done via a touch panel, but it didn’t connect.The disappointing part is that there is an Onsen on the 2nd floor, but the lighting is a bit dim and it doesn’t feel very open. I think it will get quite crowded during the winter season. There was also no guidance on whether we should bring towels from the Room, and only hand towels were available in the bath area. It felt like there wasn’t enough information provided about these small details. Perhaps they are training for winter; I could see they were working hard, but they seemed to struggle a bit with guidance for things like the restaurant and lounge as well. It didn’t feel like all staff members were actively engaged.In winter, more than 95% of guests are said to be travelers from overseas, so many of the staff were also foreign nationals; I imagine training will be challenging going forward. Since it’s such a good Facility, if service and other “soft” aspects improve and become more polished, I think it could become an excellent Hotel.