Japan’s best new ski hotels

Travel to Japan may have stopped during the pandemic, but resort development certainly didn’t. The list of properties below represent just a handful of the many new hotels over the last couple of years, from ultra-luxe resorts in Niseko, to boutique studios in Madarao.

Setsu Niseko

Resort: Niseko United
Opened: December, 2022
Best feature: Its five new restaurants
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There’s been a lot of talk about the opening of Setsu Niseko, which becomes the resort’s largest condominium hotel following a glamorous grand opening event earlier this month. The property boasts 190 luxury hotel suites with Japanese-inspired interiors, ranging from studio rooms through to a decadent 3-bedroom penthouse.

Such is the frequency of new developments popping up in Niseko that it’s sometimes hard to keep track, however the imposing presence of Setsu Niseko on the corner of Route 343 and Gondola-zaka will turn heads.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new opening is the addition of five new restaurants, including Tempura Araki, an Omakase-style dining experience led by the highly acclaimed Chef Araki Yoshiyuki.

Setsu Niseko. Check availability

Intuition Niseko

Resort: Niseko United
Opened: December, 2022
Best feature: Location in the heart of Hirafu
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Intuition Niseko is another property taking Niseko’s already lofty luxury market to new heights. The property, which sits diagonally opposite the Ace Family Quad Lift, features 32 stunningly designed apartments, from studios to 5-bedroom penthouses.

Guests will enjoy access to top-end dining, a glamourous cocktail bar, indoor and outdoor Kagenagashi onsen and a state-of-the-art ski locker room.

Intuition Niseko. Check availability

Higashiyama Niseko Village, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Resort: Niseko United
Opened: December, 2020
Best feature: “Higashyama Reservists”
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Japan’s first ever Ritz-Carlton Reserve opened back in 2020 – another prominent addition to the Niseko Village accommodation portfolio that already includes Hilton, The Green Leaf, Kasara and Hinode Hills.

Higashiyama Niseko Village, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve (a nod to Niseko Village’s former name, Higashiyama), offers everything you’d expect from a brand of its prestige, with beautifully appointed rooms and suites, high-end dining and first class spa facilities on offer. We particularly like the bathrooms, which have been designed with an oversized, onsen-style soaking tub.

To ensure guests receive a personalised experience, the hotel has employed a team of “Higashiyama Reservists”, who can not only guide you to the best powder stashes on the mountain, but also help with custom gear fitting, photography and exclusive access to the first gondola of the day.

Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Check availability

Fenix West, Furano

Resort: Furano
Opened: December, 2022
Best feature: Location
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Fenix West makes its debut for the 22/23 season, two years after the competition of its Award-winning sister hotel, Fenix Furano. The two properties are a striking addition to the Furano resort landscape, bringing a new level of luxury in a location that is hard to beat – just footsteps from the Kitomine Gondola.

The newer property features 23 condominium apartments, all with private balconies and views over the resort or the Tokachi Mountain Range. On the ground floor there are dining, retail and dry room facilities.

Fenix West, Furano. View more images

InterContinental Appi Kogen Resort

Resort: APPI
Opened: February, 2022
Best feature: Presidential Suite
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Is APPI the next Niseko? We’ll let you be the judge… The resort has undergone a luxurious makeover in the last couple of years, with the addition of three new hotels (two renovations) and even the launch of a prestigious British international school.

The crown jewel of the lot is the brand new InterContinental Appi Kogen Resort, which has already picked up a win at the 2022 World Luxury Hotel Awards, to go nicely with APPI’s break-out win as Japan’s best ski resort in this year’s World Ski Awards.

The hotel features 38 rooms and suites, the pick of which is the 300 square metre Presidential Suite, wit 5-metre floor-to-ceiling windows, a hinoki cypress bath, roof garden, and a private elevator.

InterContinental Appi Kogen Resort. Check availability

Club Med Kiroro Peak

Resort: Kiroro
Opened: December, 2022
Best feature: All-inclusive
Check availability: Agoda / Booking.com

Club Med fans around the world will be delighted with this new opening – the brand’s third ski resort hotel in Japan, following the success of Sahoro and Tomamu. Club Med Kiroro Peak opens in December 2022 and will welcome guests ages 12 and above. A more family-oriented Club Med Kiroro Grand will follow in 2023, catering to all ages.

Many will be familiar with the all-inclusive nature of a stay at Club Med, and this latest offering is much the same. A stay at the resort will include daily meals, drinks at the bar, lift passes, ski and snowboard lessons, nightly entertainment and access to swimming, gym and onsen facilities. For an additional cost, guests can opt-in to activities like a sake and beer distillery tour or a glass workshop.

Club Med Kiroro Peak. View all images

ROKA by Hakuba Hotel Group

Resort: Hakuba Valley
Opened: December, 2022
Best feature: Ski-in ski-out
Check availability: Agoda / Booking.com

Location, location, location. If lugging heavy skis and snowboards around town isn’t your thing, then you’d be well advised to look at ROKA for your next trip to Hakuba. The luxury apartment complex is situated at the bottom of Happo One’s Sakka slope, offering genuine ski-in ski-out access, as well as a ski locker room with integrated boot dryers.

The development is the latest in the rapidly growing portfolio of the Hakuba Hotel Group, which now includes boutique hotels, chalets, apartment blocks and several restaurants.

ROKA by Hakuba Hotel Group. Check availability

Kawamotoya, Nozawa Onsen

Resort: Nozawa Onsen
Renovated: March, 2022
Best feature: Beautiful design
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The newly renovated Kawamotoya describes itself as a “modern but unmistakably Japanese experience”. Its rooms, ranging from studios to an exquisite “invitation only” penthouse, have been stylishly decked out with modern fittings and appliances, but with distinct elements of Japanese design.

Guests can expect stunning views of the mountains from their room, as well as a modern gym (the only one in Nozawa) and a theatre room.

They’ll also enjoy access to the highly experienced Concierge team from Nozawa Hospitality, who can assist with everything from gear rental and lift passes, to transport bookings, to dinner reservations.

Kawamotoya, Nozawa Onsen. Check availability

Snowball Studios, Madarao

Resort: Madarao
Renovated: Winter 2022/23
Best feature: Design
Check availability: Agoda / Booking.com

Snowball Studios is the latest project from the husband/wife team behind the Award-winning Snowball Chalet, who have brought a “tired old apartment back to life” with this stunning renovation. Interiors feature striking red walls done in the ancient render style of Japan.

In a recent interview, owner Dan Solo described the property as a “warm haven after a big day on the snow in Madarao”.

“We can’t wait to see what people think of it. It is a bit special.”

Snowball Studios. View more images