New Otani Inn Sapporo

The food was delicious, and the service was fine. The hotel is in a great spot near Sapporo Station, a major transport hub, and close to several malls and shopping streets. But the WiFi was basically unusable: I couldn’t connect because it was overloaded, and when I did get on, it was extremely slow. Room cleaning only every two days for guests staying consecutive nights also seemed unusual.

I won’t return. The room had no air conditioning and became hot and stuffy. The front desk explained how to switch on the AC, but it still wouldn’t work when we got back, and when we called, staff said there was no AC in the rooms. They told us to open the window, even though it was -1 degree outside. The toilet was tiny, with too little space for our toiletries, though I could put them on the small table outside it for the kettle and other things. Staff couldn’t converse in English and didn’t try to make us feel welcome. We chose the hotel because it sits between odori station and sapporo station, so our itinerary didn’t require train changes. Odori station is closer, but the nearest exit leads to nothing, and the shopping malls are a long walk away.

I can’t recommend staying here. During our five-day visit, there was only one scheduled cleaning, and if you missed it, that was apparently your problem. The rooms were dated and not fully clean, with dark marks on the sheets and dirt in the bathroom. The digital clock beside the bed was extremely bright and couldn’t be dimmed. Rooms right by the elevators were noisy and poorly insulated, so you could hear them moving loudly. On the plus side, the staff were friendly, check-in was quick, breakfast was generous, and the hotel is central.

The room was well kept, though space is naturally limited. Be careful opening the door, it can slam, as ours did. Free toothbrushes and toothpaste are available. The location is excellent, about five minutes to the door station and a 15-minute walk to Sapporo station. Round-1, daiso, and the ramen valley are about the same distance away.