Hotel Hot Springs di Niigata Prefecture, Japan

a last minute short ski trip found me checking out this resort and it suited me just fine.  I only had time to ski for 2 days and was pleasantly surprised by the good value for money here. Arriving in the early morning from Ueno on the 0649hr Shinkansen, I hopped onto the 0810hr hotel shuttle, registered myself at the front desk (had my room assigned but check in was at 3pm) and found myself on the slope just shortly after 9am. Hotel guests also have free use of a locker to keep our equipment overnight.   I was contemplating to visit another slope (maybe Gala or Iwappara) the next day but enjoyed myself enough to save the hassle and continue skiing at Naspa Ski Garden on the second day.  Ski passes for both days were free for hotel guests (although I only stayed a night).  Breakfast was a  sumptuous spread of buffet the next morning.  Room was large, nice and clean.  Onsen was perfect.  I checked out after breakfast, left my bags with storage and at the end of the day, use the changing area to pack up before catching the hotel shuttle to Echigo Yuzawa Station.  I managed to do some shopping in Ginza and had a great sushi meal there before heading to the hotel.   I will certainly return! A big thank you to all the staff!

We are not allowed to wear our own shoes once we enter the lobby. If we are expected to walk bare feet, maybe the hotel should consider providing guest with indoor slippers. It is very uncomfortable walking to the restaurants barefeet as no matter how clean they keep the floors, there’s bound to be food spills and oily surfaces. Breakfast and Dinner are great, just need more variety for guests staying more than 3 days.

The hotel itself was nice, but the staff at the ski resort was horrible, the rentals are also not well maintained. The boards are not waxed, which makes it difficult to work with as there are a lot of flat routes which are difficult to avoid (Pony and village road were the flattest slope Ive ever seen in my life, I had to unstrap and walk and the board just wouldn't move). Ski resort staff were unfriendly and the rental staff was the worst, there was a lady there that was cold and rude. The only reason why the rental shop is surviving is probably because the equipments are salomon branded and that there is no other option.  I would visit again but only because the routes are fun, Myoko long run was the best, but I would never want to rent from the shop again. The food was very very good. For breakfast, you could choose from western or Japanese buffet. Western buffet is highly recommended, the omelette was the best ive eaten in my life and there was a diy risotto which was great as well. For dinner, there were 4 options, either buffet, steak, Japanese or shabushabu. All requiring reservations which is tough if you are checking in the evening as some might not be available. Highly recommend the steak, the food was good and the staff were amazing. Japanese was the hardest to get a reservation for but the food was quite underwhelming. The room was clean and ski lockers are also provided but it's tiny and can barely fit 2 boards. But I wish that in the toilet in the common area, you can adjust the tap temperature as the water is freezing cold. Amenities wise, bottled water are provided daily, also, yukata was provided but you can only wear them to the onsen which was extremely troublesome as I had to change multiple times a day.  The hotel provides shuttle bus services to and fro jyoetsumyoko station which was easy to book. The bus drivers were also friendly and helped out with the luggage. In summary, for a 5 stars hotel, it didn't live up to expectations, ski resort and rental staffs were unwilling to help and unfriendly. Also, some of the staffs could not speak Japanese which is puzzling for a hotel in Japan. If not for the amazing snow and slopes I would never come back.

Really love the hotel. Convenient, 10 mins walk from Echigo Yuzawa Station. Rental shop next door is cheaper than in Gala Yuzawa n they provide free shuttle. Room spacious and good amenities. Dinner and breakfast variety and sometimes has halal beef. They have game room so kids can enjoy. Value for money. Will repeat staying here.

The hotel is close to the train station, but need to walk uphill. Although we clearly booked 2 adults 2 kids in Trip.com but the hotel still charged the extra costs for 2 kids (2 years old) for additional 4400 Yen, pay cash at the checkin counter. The room was ready at 3PM and got the room on 3rd floor with mountain view at the back of hotel. The room was spacious, nice and clean. Staff came for turning down the bed futon in the evening. The breakfast was so amazing and plenty of choices. Overall, we had a good stay. 

Not the most modern. But very cosy and warm, impeccable service and hospitality. Child play facilities inside the hotel (up to 6 or 7 years old). That's a bar for the adults too, open tab until the night. Private onsen is available for 1000jpy for 45 minutes, and is adjacent but separate to the public onsen that is available to hotel guests. Parking is just outside the hotel. Restaurants and snow gear rental is available down the road.

The hotel is a short walk from the train station. It was quite a walk to the sightseeing spots so we had to go to the station to catch a loop bus. The hotel was clean and has nice onsen. It's convenient that Dormy Inn provides drinks or even noodles and icecreams. The rooms are not big though.

The room is outdated style of Japanese room design. When we reach the Echigo Yuzawa station there are no more JR train at 21.45 at nite, we have to take a taxi to the hotel. The transportation is a big issue as the hotel shuttle last bus is at 4.30pm. Good point is children can play snow just doorstep outside hotel. Stayed there for two nites which is enough to explore. Not much tourist was found there. Mostly is local. Prefer to stay at modern type of hotel with the same price. During winter it get dark around 4.30pm, so only can go to the Onsen at nite.

The place is very close to Gala Yuzawa station around 8mins walk. The place is great with attentive staff. There is an available shuttle service where you can call the hotel to fetch you. Downside is that there is no available restaurants nearby so you have to go to Echigo Yuzawa. You can avail the shuttle service. Would have been great if there’s supplementary breakfast. There’s a 300yen fee for bath.

My wife and I visited this onsen resort in 2023 and we loved it. My wife especially likes the many onsens they have. We have always wanted to come here again and finally did after 3 years. Like three years ago, the room and facilities are very clean and well maintained everything just as they were. One thing did change and we are quite upset about it, is that the staff is not as enthusiastic as they were (there are some familiar faces, many new ones). I still recommend this place to everyone, Futaba is still the best compared to the other two onsen resorts we’ve visited in between. Hope they can figure out some way to motivate the staff and offer a better experience to guests.