ANA Crown Plaza Resort Appi Kogen — Hotel in Hachimantai

Style. Antique. Hotel opened 1985, & looked like it has not been renovated since

Setting 45 min from Morioka station by bus

Explore. Iwate

Rooms. (-) We were in Room 1610 and 1614. Pre fab ancient bathrooms. Furniture run down. Our radiator didn’t work, asked hotel staff for help & they never came. Our fridge stopped working our last 2 days. No safe. Inconsistent housekeeping. Our twin beds were hard & came with only one pillow per bed. Walls were thin and we had rowdy neighbors (+)s: Good views of the slopes from our rooms & amazing view of the stars under unpolluted skies.

@ the hotel: (+s) Arrived late Saturday. Staff helped with luggage immediately. Lots of shops @ lobby level. Shirakabanoyu’s indoor onsen was broken but the outdoor onsens were lovely, especially the rock onsen (have to take a 5 minutes shuttle bus to get there). The Crown Plaza onsite indoor onsen was decent. Efficient ski/snowboarding rentals, breathtaking landscapes, impressive snow conditions and parts of the powdery slopes gives you soul stirring solitude. English and Mandarin speaking staff. Ask for Miss Suzuki, she was the most helpful one On the Intercontinental Hotel side (connected via a hallway and accessible by asking CP staff to bring you): The spa ( massages that leave you on cloud nine ), bar (delicious cocktails) and onsen (indoor & outdoor, available for use with a spa appointment ) were all upscale, serene & excellent.

The big negative I twisted my knee on my 2nd day and when I asked front desk for help finding a doctor/nurse, they called three hospitals and all three refused to see me (as the hospitals close at 11 am and don’t want to deal with foreigners) Limped over to medic near foodcourt to ask for help and was turned away as well. We were here for 7 nights so I gave up skiing after two days and resigned myself to seeing a doctor after I fly back home.

Food & drinks. Like at well-trodden Niseko, here you have to book early. Food quality much better at Niseko but breakfast for me was good, as had green juice every morning, the steak house (Lapind’or) service was extremely slow, the buffet nothing to write home about, the Japanese restaurant Nanashigure七月雨 & the Korean 李朝苑 were decent but need to book early

Prices. Over $600 per room per night full board Inflated because of the Chinese new year...

My family and I had an absolutely incredible stay at ANA Crowne Plaza Appi Kogen from August 10-17, 2025. This resort exceeded all our expectations and provided us with memories that will last a lifetime.

We traveled with my wife and three children (ages 17, 13, and 11), including my eldest daughter who was recovering from a basketball injury and using crutches. From the moment we mentioned this during our booking for the Appi Kogen Film Festival, the staff went above and beyond to ensure her comfort and safety.

Outstanding Staff and Service: The level of hospitality we experienced was truly exceptional. Special mention goes to Ren and Nicole, who provided extraordinary care during the film festival and fireworks display on August 16th. Nicole's dedication was remarkable - she personally guided us with a torch, walked at my daughter's pace, and protected her from crowds without ever making her feel rushed. This kind of personal attention made us feel like VIP guests.

The Front Desk/Reception staff and APPI Explore counter team were equally impressive. The English-speaking international staff made communication seamless throughout our stay, and every team member we encountered was genuinely warm and helpful.

Memorable Experiences: The fireworks display was absolutely spectacular, and the film festival was well-organized. The resort's location and facilities are perfect for families, and we're already planning to return this winter for the ski and snowboarding programs.

Why We'll Return: The combination of beautiful facilities, stunning location, and world-class service created such a welcoming, homely atmosphere. The staff's genuine care and attention to detail made us feel truly valued as guests. This isn't just a hotel stay - it's an experience that touches your heart.

Highly Recommended: If you're looking for exceptional hospitality, beautiful surroundings, and staff who genuinely care about making your stay special, ANA Crowne Plaza Appi Kogen is the perfect choice. We will definitely be returning and recommending this resort to everyone we know.

Thank you to the entire team for making our family vacation so special!

Stayed: August 2025 | Trip type: Family vacation | Rooms: Premier Room (4 nights), Duplex...

One of the hotels directly at the slopes of APPI Kogen ski resort. The location is unbeatable and super comfortable. This is by far the best about the hotel. They also offer ski lockers for free and are connected to the ski rental service. The rooms are quite big however feel old, and one can definitely notice that the hotel was hasn’t been renovated recently. We stayed with three people in a room and the third bed was just a sofa converted to a bed. The beds themself were quite hard as well. Typical for Japan the rooms were quite hot but bearable when opening the window and turning off the heater. For some reason our room also had a door that was not usable and just said private, feeling kinda out of place for a hotel of this price. Same can be said about the bathroom that already passed its prime and was a typical unit bath. The view from the room is great offering a full panorama of the mountains. The hotel itself features a lot of extras like swimming pool arcade onsen etc., some of these you have to pay additional fees to use. For food they offer several restaurants in the building. We tried the buffet which was included in our booking. The food was great. They had lots of variety and everything tried tasted good. However the “restaurant” was horrible. When eating one felt like in a school cafeteria and the room looked like one as well. For the prize of 6500¥ per person I expected a little more atmosphere than a cafeteria. Same goes for the breakfast. Worst part about the food is that it is basically the same everyday with only minimal changes like one new dessert. Definitely do not recommend to book it everyday if you stay longer. Overall the hotel is quite expensive, and for the money paid there was definitely something lacking, most noticeable in the age of the building and the bad atmosphere during dinner/breakfast. While still a decent place with great location not...