Chalet Banff

The on-site staff were very helpful, but misleading booking information soured the stay. We booked because the accommodation was presented as skier-friendly, with ski passes sold on site and nearby onsens. The ski pass turned out to be a bus ride away. That was manageable since we only needed the cards once and could recharge them online. The bigger disappointment was asking about the “excellent hot spring onsens” nearby, which are a big part of skiing in Japan. Staff laughed and said the owners had used “poetic license” in the descriptions. The nearest onsen was 20 minutes away on an unreliable shuttle. Shuttles passing the local stop were often full, so expect to hitch a ride or take a taxi. Google Maps had shown several onsens nearby, supporting the listing's claim when we booked, but they were private and unavailable to guests at Chalet Banff.

My partner and I got covid-19 just 3 days before departure, so we decided to cancel our trip. I called ahead, but although the staff I spoke with were polite, there was no understanding of our situation. Illness doesn't choose its timing. This place has a very strict cancellation policy, so keep unexpected circumstances before your trip in mind. I understand it was peak season and a last-minute cancellation, but ours was only a 3-night booking. For comparison, I was able to cancel two other bookings in Niseko, Rusutsu and one in Sapporo without a fee. The same applied to our domestic Japan flights, and the cancellation fee for our Australia round trip was under 30%.

A clean, affordable guesthouse with kind service and a shared kitchen. It's simple lodging on the Higashiyama side, but the customer service was really wonderful. It's associated with niseko ski lodge if you'd like breakfast and so on.

The rooms were clean, the service polite, and the hotel is right beside the ski slopes. The best hotel possible in niseko.