We stayed here for 4 nights in Dec 2012. We had booked a good deal 9 months in advance which included dinner and breakfast. Check-in took quite a while, about 15 minutes, luckily for us the line only started building after we were done. Excellently located hotel, ski school and rental right next to the hotel (20 steps), as were the chair lift and the gondola. REALLY packed. Lots of people in the lobby coming in and out, some in snow gear, lots of people and their luggage checking out or checking in. Lifts took a while, lots of Japanese high school students staying when we were there (300 I was told by the ski instructor), they were very noisy on the third floor where one of the big restaurants are, and they are always going in and out of the lifts. Not saying that I don't like high school students but they were a bit noisy.
Summary of main features:
1. Ski school - we were lucky to get classes on 2 days, had to line up in the morning at 8am to see if they had any spots. So book in advance if you know what sort of classes you want. This isn't part of Hilton but I thought this info could come in handy.
2. Snow - SO much snow when we were there, it was beautiful and so nice to ski in fresh snow the next day!
3. Internet - free wifi only in public areas. Snail speed in lobby, found a fast spot next to Yotei restaurant on the 3rd floor but no chairs so you have to stand to use the fast internet. Disappointing that hotels these days don't just provide free internet for all in rooms. It is a basic necessity for some these days, and for me it's more important than a TV
4. Onsen - beautiful view in the outdoor onsen. Change room was clean enough but would be nice to have someone cleaning more often in the busy periods.
5. Fitness centre - located on 3rd floor, quite small but equipment is good. Would have liked some dumbbells. Towels and water provided.
6. Restaurants - breakfast served in Yotei and Melt, recommend Melt more because of the beautiful view. Same food in both for breakfast. Dinner was included in our package so we tried Yotei (buffet) and Sissam (Japanese set menus). Was not impressed with Yotei - there was a lot of food, some good but most very average. However, VERY impressed with Sissam, they cater for vegetarians, the manager was very helpful and when he saw us come in for the second night in a row, he offered to ask the chef to change the menu for us so we didn't have to eat the same things 2 nights in a row. We certainly didn't expect this as we were just going with dinner coupons, so we really appreciated this gesture. Ezo Pub is great for lunch - definitely try their pizzas!!!!
7. Rooms - we stayed in a twin room on the 18th floor. clean, there's a pillow menu, big enough for 2, having a sink outside of the bathroom is very handy. Daily cleaning can be hit or miss. We were told sheets are changed every 3rd day, we stayed for 4 nights 5 days and sheets were never changed, despite there being visible dirt on them by the 4th day.
Overall conclusion - I would definitely stay here again if I could get a good deal again that included dinner (as travelling to Hirafu every night would be a hassle). The reason to stay here again is because it is a good hotel (wouldn't say excellent), and the location is truly perfect for skiers & snowboarders!!! Would try and come maybe mid Jan next time to miss the high school students and all the other tourists going for Christmas holidays.
