This hotel is below average, at best, for a value-class hotel. The location is removed from most of the activity centers in Sapporo; the receptionists are less-than-helpful for a value-class hotel (especially in Japan), the cleanliness of the hotel is below-average, and the rooms are small and cramped.

We stayed there in early Feb, 2012. I had done extensive research and expected a clean, value hotel with good design in a good location. It ranked as Sapporo's #6 best hotel on tripadvisor and won an award for the "trendy" category!

It was comedic how bad our experience was at the hotel.

The male night manager on duty during the week could not have been less helpful or more more rude. My friend and I were sitting in the back of the lobby - the area used as the dining area during breakfast - one evening as we used wifi on our phones (since wifi does not work in the rooms). We had grabbed small snacks and were eating at one of the dining tables.

The night manager, in a very confrontational way, told us we were not allowed in that area. When we attempted to move, he said that we would have to eat in our room. It was around 10 PM on a Thursday and I had not seen a single other guest come through the doors.

When we went to the room, the entire hallway all the way into our room reeked of smoke (we had requested a non-smoking floor).

When we flipped on the television, hardcore pornography was the first channel.

The bed was uncomfortable and the pillows felt extremely cheap. The ventilation in the room was also horrible.

That this is ranked as a "trendy" or "design" hotel is a joke. The only hint of design is in the lobby where there are some cheap, Ikea-looking chairs and tables.

The other hotels we looked at in Sapporo were the Mercure, Cross, and Watermark. Those all appeared to be much nicer hotels at similar prices. I wish we had stayed in one of them.