27 Best Hotels in Hokkaido, Japan

Visible for miles around—it looks like a giant cruise ship perched on the rim of the Toya Volcano—the Windsor is Hokkaido's best hotel for location and service. This is where world leaders infamously dined on a luxurious eight-course meal after discussing the global food crisis during the 2008 G8 Summit. The blue rooms have views of the lake and Toyako Onsen town's volcanic activity, while the rust-color rooms look out to the sea. It's a vast hotel, but the bars and restaurants are personal in scale. The hotel's onsen will allow you to soak your troubles away as you gaze out over the gardens. The staff speak English, French, and Japanese.

This luxurious, all-inclusive ski-in ski-out resort caters to international guests with fine dining and exceptional service, besides being in one of the best ski areas in Japan. Kiroro Peak (unlike Kiroro Grand) is for adult and teenage guests only, and until the evening entertainment it has a relaxed, mellow vibe with giant windows looking out to the ski runs. The all-inclusive packages include meals, après-ski nibbles, an open bar, ski passes, and excellent ski/snowboard lessons with English-speaking instructors. The top ski/snowboard groups will get you exploring the deep powder and trees that Kiroro is famous for. In summer, enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and yoga in verdant natural splendor. Club Med offers value packages that include international flights and transfers, making a one-week ski holiday in Japan about the same price for U.S. visitors as a similar package in Aspen or Vail, Colorado. 

With wonderful views of Mt. Yotei and the slopes of Mt. Niseko Annupuri, this hotel has a ski-in ski-out location beside the Niseko gondola—it's a nine-minute ride to powder heaven. In summer there's golf, horseback riding, and other activities. From the deep, plushy sofas surrounding a hanging gas fireplace in the lobby to the comfortably furnished rooms and the on-site hot-spring baths and spa, this hotel is a class act. The distance from the bustle of central Hirafu helps with the tranquil atmosphere.

In a skyscraper looming high over the main train station, this hotel puts the city at your feet. The rooms are located on the 23rd to 34th floors, so they have magnificent views of the city. Unlike many Japanese hotels, this hotel has double rooms with king-size beds rather than only twins. The "moderate single" rooms are a little cramped, but other rooms have more space and larger windows. The 22nd-floor spa (extra charge) has deep pools and big windows, so you can enjoy views of the city skyline as you soak.

Creature comforts await you at this downtown hotel, which seems a world away from the rugged outback seaport city of Abashiri. Western-style rooms done up in shades of yellows and blues, spacious Japanese rooms, and combination rooms overlook a main road out front or a parking lot out back. Fish from the local icy waters are a specialty of the Grand Glacier restaurant, which serves Japanese, Chinese, and French fare. English speakers are on staff.

On of the most luxurious lodging options in Hokkaido, Hinanoza has just 25 suites, and while not all of them have views out over the lake, they are all beautifully designed with natural tones, mixing Japanese and western design. All rooms have their own rotemburo (private bath). The price includes dinner, breakfast, and most drinks. The hotel is also able to cater for dietary needs if contacted in advance.

This former department store in the heart of the downtown shopping area was remade into an elegant hotel. The lobby's creamy upholstery and yellow walls are echoed in the rooms, which are nicely furnished and have larger than usual bathrooms. A shared Japanese bath lets you get to know your fellow guests. There's a small teppanyaki restaurant and an 11th-floor piano bar with city views. 

The family-friendly, all-inclusive resort pampers international guests of all ages and has particularly good children's programming. While your children are entertained in Kids Club, you can explore the slopes, or enjoy romantic fine-dining at lunch. Service is excellent, and the nightly entertainment has staff and guests up on stage singing and dancing. 

Overlooking Otaru Marina, this 18-story hotel sits atop the huge WingBay shopping complex, giving easy access to outlet stores, restaurants, and a movie theater; inside is a reliable, familiar chain hotel with English-speaking staff. Western-style rooms in gold, blue, and brown have large twin or double beds, and most overlook the waterfront. It is a five-minute walk from JR Otaru Chikko Station, two stops from JR Otaru Station. The on-site restaurants include a small sushi restaurant (you are still in Otaru), Marina Bar, which features steaks, wines, and whiskeys, and the Terrace Brasserie with its panoramic views of the water and breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets (and a dessert buffet on weekends). In winter, several of the ski bus companies offer pickup from the hotel, making it a convenient option for skiers and boarders.

This large bustling, modern hotel is a short walk from the station, the morning market, and the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses. Standard rooms done up in pastel shades have bland decor. Many of the rooms and the Shiomi-no-Yu hot-spring onsen have great ocean views. 

Waterbirds drift by the windows of the big but friendly hotel on the shore of Lake Abashiri, a few miles from town. It has the usual noise of Japanese resort hotels—game corners, tour groups, and karaoke rooms. But beyond the doors you can enjoy the peace of a lakeside walk, enjoy a soak in the hot spring, and finally retire to your room and relax over a multicourse crab dinner. The combination rooms have raised beds and tatami sitting areas. The hotel has everything you can imagine, even a barbershop for dogs.

The main selling point of this functional business hotel is its location right next to the Kushiro train station. As with most business hotels, the rooms are sparse and small but clean. There is a free breakfast, but it can get crowded. The hotel's public bath is gender-separated and is an excellent place to thaw out in winter. 

Owned by a diver–wildlife photographer (iruka means dolphin), this well-kept guesthouse sits by the water in Utoro. Vast fish dinners are served in the bright, modern dining room and on the wooden deck overlooking the Okhotsk Sea. Yamamoto-san speaks some English and is qualified to take guests diving under the ice floes in winter. From the small tatami rooms at dusk, keep an eye out for local foxes that curl up on the hoods of the still-warm cars in the parking lot. As you arrive into town from Abashiri, take the first left after coming out of the tunnel, and the bright-yellow hotel will be the last building on the right (with the dolphin on it) before the road curves to the left. They also have a separate two-bedroom house for rent (June to October only) on the mountain side of town.

Located right next to the station and directly accessible, this business hotel, a delight for trainspotters, is the most convenient accommodation in the city. Rooms are modern with subtle locomotive-themed decor. From the 12th-floor onsen you can soak while watching the trains pull in and out of the station. Also on the 12th floor is a small lounge with free coffee, books on Japan's train network, and great views across the city and ocean. At the "Pillow Corner" in the lobby, guests can select from 12 different types of pillow.

Although the well-worn rooms have thin walls, a warm welcome is assured when you enter this small home, which is just past the Ainu village end of the town. It is famous for having its own bicarbonate chloride onsen. 

Dark wooden beams, shadowy corridors, and well-chosen antiques transform a modern canal-side building into a comfortable, old-fashioned Japanese inn—a rarity in Otaru. The traditionally clad staff bow low on the raised straw matting in the reception area, and the first-floor restaurant has seating with a canal view. The charm of the public areas continues into the newly renovated lounge area, where reading materials are available, adjacent to the lobby. The eighth-floor Japanese bathroom has several indoor and open-air onsen baths as well as a sauna. The hotel's breakfast includes up to 40 different options made by their chefs with ingredients from Hokkaido.

This luxurious mountain retreat offers ski-in ski-out access to the Niseko Hanazono Resort as well as a wide range of restaurants and bars should you be lucky enough to spend several days here. Many may not feel the need to venture out to Niseko Village or Kutchan for meals. The French restaurant Molière Montagne has received glowing reviews. Rooms are spacious and elegant and have expansive views of the ski slopes. In winter (high season) there's a minimum-stay policy of up to three nights. 

This modern guesthouse sits in the center of the village's flower-filled pedestrian area. The owner is not only extremely knowledgeable about butterflies but is also an agile fisherman, so dinners can include freshwater fish, plus seasonal wild mushroom soup served from a giant cauldron in the dining room. He can also take guests on fishing trips. Sake liqueurs made from fruits like mountain grapes may enhance (or hinder) the next day's hiking power. There are clean tatami rooms with shared washing areas, and use of the Kurodake no Yu hot spring next door is free; there are two options for dinner. 

This ski-in ski-out resort is popular with Japanese families and also for school trips, tour groups, and competition skiers. Recent updates to the hotel have focused on luxury wellness suites with their own saunas and, in the case of the premium suite, an oxygen capsule. The cheapest rooms—particularly the bathrooms—are in need of renovation. Young children will like the full-size indoor carousel, arcade games, and the animatronic singing bears. The "Oktoberfest" Hokkaido buffet showcases the best of the island's cuisine with all-you-can-eat snow crab. 

The Ryotei Hanayura hot-spring hotel has floor-to-ceiling lobby windows that look out on a small canyon and river and hot springs that bubble gently among rocks and trees. Spend a little more and enjoy your own one-person cypress wood tub on your balcony, followed by a traditional dinner delivered to the door. This relatively small, modern hotel is overlooked by tour groups; it's connected to a larger hotel, so you can use its bar and souvenir shop. Reserve seats on a free shuttle bus from Sapporo.

With classic European style, white-gloved bellhops, and conveniences like in-room refrigerators tastefully hidden away in wooden cabinets, Sapporo's grand dame has welcomed guests since 1934. In the heart of downtown, the three buildings (Main, Annex, and East) almost fill a city block. Rooms in the older main building feel like a gentlemen's club, with striped wallpaper and small armchairs, while those in the east wing exhibit a more modern flair. In the Memorial Library, check out photographs of VIP guests and mementos of their stays, such as Margaret Thatcher's thank-you letter and the 1955 lunch menu for the visiting New York Yankees.

Plush interiors, hot-spring baths, pool, play area for kids, excellent dining options—as far as Japanese resort hotels go, it doesn't get much better than this. Located at the very top of Utoro's hotel zone, Daiichi offers sensational hot-spring sunset views. Mountain-facing windows look over small vegetable fields, where bear and deer can be spotted chowing down at dusk. Hotel guests do the same at over-the-top buffets. English speakers are on duty in the evening at the tour desk. The west wing was renovated in 2022.

Popular with tour groups, this is not a place where you will find a lot of alpine serenity, but if you are looking for a good, full-service option at a reasonable price point, you'll find it here. Perched on a bluff halfway up one side of the gorge, this hotel has the best views in the park. The hotel has sumptuous baths to take in all the nature. Rooms at the back overlook the parking lot, so those facing the gorge merit the higher prices. There is a free shuttle bus from JR Sapporo Station, four hours away. Dinner and breakfast are usually included in the room price.

Contemplate the Hell Valley while soaking in one of the 35 different baths at Takimotokan Hokkaido. This Japanese-style hotel is often busy with tour groups from Japan and overseas. The main draw is sitting in the sumptuous waters, where swimsuits are allowed in some of the outside baths. There's also a daily shuttle bus from Sapporo. Nonguests can bathe for ¥2,250.

This no-frills business hotel has a great location next to the east exit of Sapporo Station. It has the same compact rooms and reasonable services as any of the other approximately 300 hotels in the Toyoko Inn chain. If you sign up for a Toyoko Inn members card, you'll be able to check in an hour earlier, get discounts, and be able to book rooms up to six months in advance. The free breakfast is served in the lobby from 6:30 to 9.

Located in the valley between the two main ski areas, the Westin Rusutsu Resort has spacious bi-level suites with views out to slopes and the fairways. Dining is in the modern, sparse, light-filled atrium lounge. Access to the main resort area, where ski lifts and slopes can be found, is by a rather slow monorail, which can be inconvenient if you are intending to have meals or start ski lessons there.  In summer, golfers can enjoy the four 18-hole golf courses.