Executive Suite Suirei

The birthday stay in the royal suite was the most fantastic hotel experience I’ve ever had. The room was spacious and modern, with a fantastic view of the snow, and the service was top notch. Restaurant waiters did their best to explain the dishes in English. The French food was made with the best ingredients and prepared by an experienced chef. I enjoyed the lounge too, especially for relaxing with alcoholic drinks. They even included complimentary tickets to the Yuki tourou snow festival. I enjoyed every moment.

We loved the suite’s layout, the meals, and especially the onsen. I tried the rooftop one, which was beautiful, and there’s also a much larger grand onsen. Jozankei is easy to reach by bus from Sapporo Station or by car, and the scenery made the trip worthwhile. Our full-board package included a delicious French-inspired dinner and a great Japanese and Western breakfast spread. Special mention to our server Lin (Lin). The staff were friendly and could communicate in English. Yuta gets a special hi! The property occupies the top floors of Jozankei View Hotel, mixing retro charm with modern design. Our room was massive, with a comfy bed, smart TV, proper coffee machine, and a large bathtub. The windows looked onto autumn trees and the flowing river, and we literally fell asleep to the river’s sound. The executive lounge was lovely, with free-flow nuts, beer, sake, and wine, though I wished they had better finger food. We did have one small hassle. Executive Surei guests can use a sheltered carpark, but luggage has to be carried up the stairs. It was raining when we arrived, so we had to be extra careful.

We knew before booking that it wasn’t tattoo-friendly, and we still had an incredible stay even without access to the onsen. The executive suite lounge was lovely, the complimentary dinner was really good, and the service was exceptional.

The suite layout, onsen, and delicious meals were the highlights for us, and I’d absolutely stay there again to rest and recharge. It seems well suited to family or friends gatherings, or even a solo trip. I ended up having a wonderful stay, far better than I expected, and would have given it six stars. We stayed in room 1603 for three nights, Nov 5- Nov8, just after the autumn peak. It was a suite with a lovely living room and a pretty view of Jozankei Village. It snowed during our visit. The bed was very comfortable and well spaced, the soundproofing was excellent, and the clean white cotton sheets and soft, fluffy pillows were great. There were two pillow sets per person, one regular and one buckwheat. The LG flat-screen TV had hardly any English channels, so bring your own HDMI cable if needed. The phone was in the living room, only Japanese plugs were available, and there was a safe, mini fridge with mineral water, a wardrobe in the bathroom, electric jug, coffee/tea maker, bathrobes, and disposable slippers, plus another pair of onsen slippers. Housekeeping was clean and came on alternate days. Instead of a Yukata, they provided a samurai set, though I personally find Yukata more comfortable. The bathroom was extremely spacious, with his and hers basins and separate WC, bath, and wash areas. It had modern Japanese decor, no phone, a powerful hairdryer, well-appointed toiletries, and large, white, fluffy towels. The taps and basin were extremely well maintained. The shower had excellent pressure and steady hot water, and the bathtub overlooked the scenery, though we never used it because we went to the onsen every day. The separate WC had a bidet 👍👍👍 Our package included breakfast and dinner, both absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. The menu was written exquisitely in Japanese. Special mention to our server Lin (Lin). The executive lounge had free-flow beer, alcohol, and snacks, but I thought it should have had better finger food. There’s a swimming pool on B1 that seems great for kids, but we went to the onsen every day instead. We had access to the 16th-floor onsen for 15th- and 16th-floor guests, as well as the B1 one for all hotel guests. Some may find the 16th floor small, but it felt more exclusive. The B1 onsen is open to hotel and day guests. All of them were well maintained. There’s no gym, and we didn’t do laundry. The hotel is essentially the newly renovated executive floor of the rather dated Jozankei View Hotel in the same building, marketed separately as Executive Suite Suirei. Reception is in a separate section with a welcome drink, which makes sense when the main hotel is busy with tour groups. English is much more limited than in Tokyo, so have your translators ready and keep expectations lower. One thing that caused frustration before arrival: I couldn’t get a response to my Agoda message or direct email, and the spoken English on the phone was extremely limited. Fortunately, I was unable to cancel. The property is at the edge of Jozankei Onsen Town, about a 15 minute walk from the main town, which could be challenging in snow. It’s a great place to hibernate and recharge. The airport is 67km away and Sapporo station 28Km away. The complimentary hotel shuttle goes only from Sapporo station, not the airport. It’s available once a day in each direction if booked ahead by phone or in person. It leaves Sapporo station’s west exit at 1:45pm and the hotel at 10am. You need to be there 15 mins early. There’s no direct airport connection. Two things were a bummer: room 1605 was playing loud music early on the morning of Nov 8 and woke us up, and the main reception mistakenly thought we were guests of the main hotel and chased us to pay the bath tax.