Hinode Hills Niseko Village

Shocking customer service

2.0

As a Hilton Diamond member I am very disappointed by the level of customer service provided by a hotel that brands themselves as “Small Luxury Hotel”. The reception staff are mostly young and inexperienced, certainly not trained up to an acceptable level of Japanese and luxury hospitality. We booked with Hilton Honors points and, despite the Hilton Honors redemptions terms clearly stating that all taxes are included, they still charged some fees and taxes, which I am not disputing are not legitimate, but this was not shown when making the reservation. They refused to refund and said it’s Hilton’s/SLH fault. Reception staff also mentioned that in fact Hinode Hills isn’t part of the SLH chain which is baffling as they had a big plate showing the SLH logo in the lobby. Breakfast was very limited and quality wasn’t up the standards of a luxury hotel. The only good point is the cleanliness of the room, which was spotless. Next time I will be back, I will definitely choose a more reputable hotel such as the Hilton or the Ritz.

Great facility, warm service but poor restaurant

8.0

Stayed in a two-bed room suite with my wife and a son. The room is spacious and well furnished with a comfy sofa, dining area, full facility kitchen and a washer/dryer. Wifi is fast. We were on a relatively low floor (2nd) yet we enjoyed a grand view of Mt Yotei right in front. The hotel boasts a ski-in, ski-out resort - well, actually you have to take a travelator to get to a proper slope, and in that sense I'm not so confident to say this is a ski-out resort while it's no doubt about a ski-in resort. However, important thing is how quick and easy it is from the moment you put on your boots till you start skiing, right? This hotel has an amazing ski valet where staff always takes care of your gear, and the valet has a back entrance that is located steps away from the travalator. With the ski valet, things were much more convenient for me than those of any other resorts. It was much easier than pulling out my boots from a locker and walk through an aisle of a large hotel. A couple of downsides. The restaurant is small and seems over capacity. In one evening we had to wait more than an hour to be served a main dish after salad and soup. Also the menu is very limited and the amount is small - a set menu of a tiny portion of salad and soup, main dish then dessert. This is it. And each portion is small. You have three choices for the main - chicken, pork or beef. No more options, the same every evening. Foods are also very limited for breakfast too. There is no shop in this hotel. No place to buy ski wax or water proof spray, or any other snow goods. There are a few vending machines that sell drinks and snacks, but again choices are limited. I think this place is meant to be a resort condo for owners than a hotel for visitors. Despite these downsides, staff are all very attentive, warm and kind, and this is the reason why I think I will come back again to this hotel.

Another 5 star experience

10.0

Another wonderful experience. We ventured back to Niseko this year and Hinode Hills was our automatic choice. We loved our experience so much in 2022 that we invited another family along and they stayed in two 1-Bedroom apartments. It was great to see Selena and Novita again this year, it was also meet new staff in Natasha, Olivia and many other friendly and helpful faces. They did everything in their power to assist.

Winter Wonderland

10.0

Another exceptional experience at Hinode Hills! My family’s first stay during its opening in 2019 left an unforgettable memory. Once again, we’re impressed by the sincere service. Particularly Yi Ying who made our check-in a breeze though we were two hours early. She is also helpful and prompt with ski lesson and restaurant bookings. Her colleagues Natasha, Olivia, Novita and Will bring not just smiles but also friendly conversations at the lobby and ski valet. My family most appreciates the ultra ease of this ski-in ski-out hotel with its own ski rental and valet service. We can easily retreat to the hotel for a hot cuppa or relaxing soak at the onsen. Our two-bedroom apartment is spacious, well-kept, aesthetically furnished with a fully-fitted kitchen and has a gorgeous view of Mt. Yotei when skies are clear. Free shuttle services for our night haunts at Hirafu are convenient and mostly timely. Just make sure there’s ample time for walking to your destinations amidst the Hirafu crowd. Returning to Hinode Hills’ serene and warm surroundings after a night out is always a delight.

Another 5 star experience

10.0

Another wonderful experience. We ventured back to Niseko this year and Hinode Hills was our automatic choice. We loved our experience so much in 2022 that we invited another family along and they stayed in two 1-Bedroom apartments. It was great to see Selena and Novita again this year, it was also meet new staff in Natasha, Olivia and many other friendly and helpful faces. They did everything in their power to assist. All in all another 5-star experience.

Really disappointing and we will not return

2.0

Please choose one of the many other great places to spend your holiday in Niseko. The service culture at a leadership level here leaves a lot to be desired and this ultimately trickles down to the polite but ultimately ineffectual staff. Our main issue related to the terms of discount on rental equipment with our package, which was not clarified adequately to us over numerous emails exchanged with the ski centre and the hotel team. There were plenty of opportunities when this could have been made clear and we would have obviously booked with more reasonably priced and comparable quality rental providers. Ultimately, this absorbed a lot of time in correspondence before and during our stay and cost us over $400 more than competitors with better service experiences in Niseko, like Rhythm. Management was invisible at every step. We waited in the Lobby for over an hour on our last full day, but did not even get offered a phone conversation with a decision maker, let alone the courtesy of a face-to-face discussion. Furthermore, the hotel restaurant is closed. The magic carpet that is offered instead to take you to the nearest hotel is also closed. Housekeeping services the room every other day, not daily. None of these details were communicated when our package was sold to us and our dates (late ski season) were confirmed just a few months ago. Although the apartments are lovely and some staff have helped with restaurant bookings, we won’t return for future visits as we have tried to escalate and resolve this really expensive issue but have simply been left to foot the bill.