T Hotel Ryuoo

In winter, you can’t drive right up to the hotel. You need to park at the Ryuoo Ski Park car park and ask for a pickup near the ski rental hut. The ski-in, ski-out location is excellent for skiers and snowboarders, though it does make the stay a little pricier. We had a great stay. The bed was amazing, and the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. It’s a no-frills hotel rather than a full-service one, but still felt luxe enough for a great stay.

The best thing here is the location for skiing. You can pretty much ski right out the front door, and the room itself was good. Staff were friendly enough and tried to help, though sorting out the laundry was frustrating. Over our three days, the coin laundry broke down several times. One washer stopped mid-cycle and flooded, and a dryer lost power repeatedly. They weren’t very effective anyway: after an hour, with only half the dryer capacity full, our clothes were still damp. The room had bottled water and coffee when we arrived, but we had to pay extra to restock them, which was a first for me at any hotel in any country. The restaurant was average and expensive, though I suppose that’s what you expect on a ski field. It wasn’t a bad stay, just not what I expected from the hotel’s rating. I’d probably stay somewhere else next time I’m in the area.

We only booked one night at T Hotel Ryoo and wished we’d stayed longer. Our large room was lovely, the beds were very comfortable, the pillows were huge, and the shower was incredible. The staff were friendly, and the ski slopes are right nearby. We’d absolutely come back and recommend it. A few minutes away, PNM Pizza was another great find: a small pizzeria turning out delicious pies in their huge oven imported from Naples.

The two-bedroom unit we booked at T Hotel Ryuoo was acceptable, but it was also the most expensive room, and the rest of our stay was extremely disappointing and stressful. This felt more like a self-service apartment than a hotel, with very poor housekeeping and almost no service. Water wasn’t replenished after arrival, and due to a housekeeping mistake we didn’t even get any when we arrived. The pantry had a sink and fridge, but there was no dishwashing liquid, only a sponge, cups, and glasses. Housekeeping only came if we asked. Even then, used cups and glasses were left dirty and not replaced, as if we were meant to wash them with water ourselves. When we wanted instant noodles in our room, we had to go to the restaurant for bowls and cutlery, then were told to return them at breakfast. A hotel’s housekeeping should handle that. We’re not staying at a friend’s house. Transportation and getting help were another major problem. Heavy snow meant we couldn’t drive up to the hotel when we arrived. Reception first told us to meet at the information centre and haul all our luggage up the stairs, since there’s no elevator. We had been travelling for over 15 days with several suitcases, skis, and snowboards. They only agreed to pick us up from the parking lot after we insisted. We skied in Nozawa Onsen and had dinner there each day. Every night we had to carry our skis and snowboards up steep, slippery hills ourselves. There was no assistance after 8 p.m. or any service support. Even water we bought ourselves had to be lugged uphill after each long, tiring day. Leaving was no easier. A van took our luggage only as far as the information centre. The hotel refused to drive us to the parking lot, so we had to carry everything down the stairs ourselves, move the car, load it all manually, and go up and down the hills and stairs repeatedly. Evening calls to reception went unanswered too. By any reasonable standard, this wasn’t a hotel experience. It’s poorly located, the housekeeping is substandard, and it offers virtually no service. We wouldn’t recommend staying here. We keep telling ourselves we’ll never come back.