APA Hotel TKP Sapporo Ekimae

I’ve stayed in countless hotels in Japan, including many APA properties. What matters to me when rating a hotel is location, cleanliness, value for money, and whether it works for non-smokers. I don’t care much about room size, since Japanese hotels tend to be smaller and I only use them to sleep, not lounge around. My scores: location 8/10, cleanliness 7/10, value 6/10, and non-smoker compatibility 3/10. If you smoke, this hotel might be a 4/5 for you. If you don’t, ask for a higher floor. The positives: the two staff members I spoke with were friendly and helpful, especially the young man on the night shift. They’ll exchange bills for coins for the coin laundry. The location is close to Sapporo Station and the underground route towards Susukino. It had the usual APA amenities: bathroom supplies, bidet, heated anti-fog mirror, large TV, mini-fridge, plenty of outlets, WiFi, an openable window, laundry bags, coin laundry, free bottled water, tissues, hair dryer, kettle, and cups. My room was clean, the walls were fairly soundproof, and it was quiet. The biggest issue was smoke. You could smell it even above the smoking floors. I was one floor above them, and the smell was strong. The smoking floors are below the non-smoking floors, and it got worse with the air conditioning on. Even with the window open for ventilation, it was bad enough to give me a headache. The laundry room is on a smoking floor, which seems unwise for non-smokers who have to deal with the smell and might worry about it getting on their clothes. The shower water smelled a bit bad, kind of like sewage. The shower head seemed to have mold on it, so I’d encourage staff to clean it or replace it. Of all the APA hotels I’ve stayed in, this was the smallest. If you’re 180 centimeters or taller, your feet will touch the wall when you lie straight, and opening a full-sized bag is difficult. I don’t recall that being an issue even in other compact single rooms, though it didn’t bother me much since I only slept there. At 9000 yen per night for a compact single room for one person, the cost felt high, but that might be because of New Year. The air conditioner was also a little noisy.

I liked this place a lot. The room was tidy and really clean, and it had a toothbrush and other bath essentials ready. Breakfast was available, but we skipped it because we needed to fast.

Getting around from here was easy. Sapporo station is about a 500-meter walk, and the airport bus stop is around 200 meters away. You can also walk to Sapporo clock tower, Odori park, and Parco. There’s a 7-11 opposite the hotel, and Yayoi is nearby too. The lobby is on the 6th floor. Staff were kind, helpful, and provided good service. I stayed on the 17th and 21st of December while it was snowing, and the slippery ground made walking difficult. There was quite a lot of dust in my room, though I didn’t mind. I had a great stay ❤️

The room was minimalist, like a typical APA room, but came with great amenities, especially the toiletries, coffee, tea, and water. The front desk staff were also a big help. We had a flight to catch during rush hour, and she helped us book taxis.