The Happo

The staff were fantastic, and the facilities were great. We spent 13 nights at the Happo and really enjoyed how handy the location was, especially with the shuttle bus going to different ski fields. Breakfast was great, though it was cold on most days. We also would have appreciated more frequent sheet changes than every 4 days, considering how long we stayed and the price, plus a deeper room clean. We’re not dirty people. Thanks for a great stay, and we hope to see you next year.

The room was much more spacious than a typical Japanese hotel room, and having a massager machine there was a nice bonus after a long day exploring Hakuba. The staff I met spoke English natively, which made it comfortable to ask for help as a foreign visitor. They were responsive and helpful. I didn’t get to try the onsen since it closed at 8 p.m., but the stay felt worth every penny. It was a very pleasant visit to the Happo, with truly five-star service.

The rooms were comfortable, the location was great, and the onsen facilities were good. Still, at these prices I probably wouldn’t stay here again. The hotel seems focused on a luxury feel, but some basic things got missed. Breakfast was exactly the same for all 5 days I was there, with nothing changing in the small selection, which felt lazy to me. The room had fan control but no temperature control, and it got so hot we had to open the windows. The dryer handles kept falling off, and the machines were in terrible condition. There was no luggage cart or help getting skis and equipment to the basement lockers. You have to walk there, and the only lift is inside and past reception. Those details don’t fit what I expect from a luxury ski resort charging these prices.

The on-site laundry and onsen were really handy, and the drying lockers for snow gear worked very well. This is a modern, minimalist hotel in the centre of Happo, just a short walk from the bus terminal and gondola, with strong hot showers. The breakfast was poor, though. The eggs and other cooked items were stone cold and unappetising. Wifi on the 3rd floor kept dropping out and was almost unusable. For the very high peak-season prices, those things should be improved.