Crowne Plaza Resort Appi Kogen, an IHG Hotel

Our overall impression of the hotel was good. The skiing was great and ski runs meticulously groomed. There was a good range of choices for food. The food court offered a reasonable choice of food at affordable prices. The Japanese restaurant Nanashigure was the best restaurant we ate at catering to our group of 14 which included 4 young children. Arlberg Restaurant was great for breakfast buffets. We were disappointed with Brisa and Richoen and Bireika was meh! Our rooms were clean but felt overheated and the temperature could not be regulated except by opening a tiny window for the duration of our stay! The ski school for children is a great resource for young families who want to introduce skiing to their kids early. The three year olds in our family thoroughly enjoyed their lessons.

The hotel feels like American Colleges built in the 80s, complete with piped in 80s music and cafeteria trays. If you get a room slope side, you can see skiers etc, but honestly who stays in the room in a ski resort. Take the room that faces the carpark much more spacious for about the same price. The public bath within the hotel is always crowded and has lots of stray hair on the floor (and you can't wear footwear in the dressing room area ewwww). Take the shuttle to the outdoor onsen, it's about 3 minutes on the bus. Super convenient, and you'll have a much better experience. Hotel staff are always friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our stay at this hotel. For families, the buffet is the best way to go for dinner; we tried the korean bbq recommended by many travelers, and it was disappointing. The meat was good, but you'll have to pay to top up lettuce and sauce (who does that in a korean restaurant?). And the portion is quite small, not enough to share if you have kids with you. we ended up ordering meals for the kids, which is exorbitantly priced (any ala carte is for this hotel), so it was quite a pain. Breakfast was great; we usually fill up and skip lunch.

We had a beautiful mountain view of the slopes. The room seemed old and ready for a renovation. We went on a Japanese holiday so all the restaurants we wanted to eat at had no availability, and neither did the kids daycare service.