湯沢雪の宿 ski in ski out — Hotel in Minamiuonuma

Pros- Rooms were fantastic, very well thought out with a humidifier and electric blankets. Shared toilets were clean and we were comfortable during our stay. Location right next to ski lift was unbeatable truly ski in ski out

Cons- The evening receptionist with glasses had no hospitality in mind, not friendly to guests and even gave us wrong information about the night ski timing which led us to miss it entirely. She did not even care to check the information properly when we asked. She didn’t have any customer service in mind. Secondly, she gave us wrong info on how to get to the onsen near the hotel and it was extremely difficult to get to in the end. Buffet quality was not good. It’s all about quantity but I didn’t enjoy the mass produced food that feels like a cafeteria. It is free but there aren’t many choices around either. They solicited for a 5 star review in exchange for a discount on the onsen which I thought was unethical.

As this is a Chinese run hotel, the plus point for guests who speak Chinese is that communication is easy for some as all the staff are Chinese. However, you won’t get the typical Japanese hospitality or service here.

Just a caveat- We had 1 great receptionist in the morning session (from Harbin), she was extremely friendly, hospitable and made it a pleasant stay. It was the only reason why I gave a 3 and not a 2 star in the end.

In summary- stay here for the location but not for a...

Pros: The rooms were great, really comfortable and well thought out

Awesome receptionist from harbin

Cons: one of the receptionists totally gave us wrong info for everything like: night skiing isn’t available at their side of the resort, it goes to the main entrance. Because of this we came back and changed, only to be surprised when there was night skiing at that part of the resort directions to the nearby onsen totally wrong, we had to walk back and forth trying to figure out the way

they really don’t care whether guests wear shoes inside or not, guests are wearing the toilet slippers to the eating area, or wearing one toilet slipper (red) and one indoor slipper (white) at the eating area. Guests also wear indoor slippers into the toilet with them. Super disgusting.

Would suggest the hotel to slightly delay some of their shuttle pickup from the train station to coincide with the Tokyo trains. Some timings are so awkward that the pickup is 5 mins when you arrive, and they 100% will not...

The ski slopes are literally right outside, so it couldn’t be more convenient. They’ve got a free shuttle to the station, and you can grab discounted lift tickets at the front desk. The rental shop is super close too, so everything’s easy and stress-free. Awesome...