Hotel Gracery Sapporo

Getting to New Chitose airport is easy, since the bus stop is right in front of the hotel. Check-in was simple, there were quite a few amenities, and Sapporo station is close by. The rooms are small, as is typical in Japan. The connecting route to the station only has stairs, with no ramp, which was awkward with luggage. They also don’t handle luggage delivery or collect cash unless the destination can accept COD. We had to go to the nearby Yamato office, about two or three buildings away, which wasn’t convenient with the pavement and roads covered in snow.

The rest of our stay went smoothly, and we had no more problems after check-in. We were surprised, though, that we couldn’t do our own laundry and were told to bring it to the front desk. It made us uncomfortable since most people would rather not have someone else handle their personal belongings. We’d booked all our family’s rooms under one name and one credit card and expected to check in together, but were told to check in separately by room and representative. We also had to enter the cardholder’s details ourselves and keep our own passports, which we understand may be for security. The problem was one male attendant’s rude, unfriendly manner. He abruptly took my brother-in-law’s passport from his hand to check it, returned it, and told him to enter the details himself. After arriving late at night in Sapporo and feeling tired from travel, the treatment felt discourteous and unwelcoming. The whole thing was chaotic, but we stayed calm and let it go.

The hotel is reachable directly from JR station through the underground, though finding the way takes some care. Go down from the station to the Apia mall, then head to the far right, southwest corner. Don’t keep going straight along the main passage toward Odoni. You’ll pass the food stall aisle, including KFC. At its end, take the door on the left, marked by a small sign overhead with the hotel name. When the passage forks, stay left, go up and down a few stairs, and pass through more doors to the hotel elevator. The lobby is on the seventh floor.

The room was very clean, and the staff were both friendly and professional. I arrived early, so they checked whether a room was ready and let me check in ahead of time. The location is especially handy in snowy weather: the hotel is right outside JR Sapporo Station. Use the West Gate, then the South Exit.