Holiday Inn Resort Appi Kogen by IHG

It's a bit out of the way, but the trip is worth it for young families with up to three kids. The rooms are clean, tidy, and roomy, with winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, and daily excursions. Some facilities feel dated, though they're still perfectly usable.

The onsen nearby is lovely and free for guests. Getting to it means a 5-8 minute walk or taking a bus that loops past the other Mori hotels first. The included buffet meals are pretty average, and there aren't many other dining options around. The resort itself feels dated and could use some refreshing. Compared with Niseko, the accommodation and snow quality are nowhere near as good, but there are fewer people, shorter lines, and more untracked runs. Most guests here are Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese.

The dinner buffet turned out surprisingly well. The snow crabs were just so-so for me, but I liked the roast beef, steak, Morioka noodle, and chocolate fountain. The very good onsen is at a nearby hotel, free for Mori guests, though you need to walk 5-8 minutes or take a bus that goes around the other Mori hotels first. This is the main hotel for the 3 Moris, so all the dining is here. Ski-in, ski-out access takes a bit of effort, and the locker storage is good. The hotel feels a little dated, and it can get very busy with Chinese tourists during non-Covid times.

The snow conditions were the only good part. The hotel was quite bad, and I don't think it deserves a star. During hot waxing they scratched my snowboard. When it happened, nobody apologized. They kept saying they hadn't done anything wrong, which made it sound as if I had caused it myself and was lying over a charge of only 2500 yen, even though my board cost 1000usd. I've traveled to Japan almost 100 times, and this was the first time a hotel made me feel so unbelievable, like a liar. The attitude was incredibly irresponsible. The room rate was normal, but the facilities were old and poorly maintained. I strongly don't recommend APPI resort.