Sapporo Snow Festival Hotels

It appears to be pretty late to book a hotel for the Snow Festival in Sapporo.. I plan to be there from 2/5 through 2/8.

Might anyone have recommendations for Inns or Hotels (less than $150 USD/night or possibly less than $100/night) near JR Sapporo station or within the city that are close to the subway?

Thank you in advance.

Unfortunately I couldn't find anything that's even close to that price range on my go-to sites, though there are a lot of more experienced travellers on this forum than me so hopefully someone can offer you further leads.

It's a pretty huge event so cheaper places may already be sold out up to 6 months in advance (I learned this the hard way when I booked my own trip for the 2014 festival).

There are still rooms available on Rakuten and Japanican, but you'll need to raise your budget ceiling way higher.

Best wishes on your search.

Although this does not fit your request, I recommend Dormy Inn Premium Otaru. They have still some rooms.

http://goo.gl/gVjrCT

Snow festival in Sapporo should be interesting but you have 3 nights and 4 days and it will be too long to stay only in Sapporo. Otaru is very interesting place. I think most Japanese tourist prefer Otaru than Sapporo when the snow festival is not held.

Dormy Inn is a popular hotel chain which is highly rated in Japanese booking sites such as Rakuten, Jalan and Japanican.

I'm learning this time as well, Diego :( I've also considered stays via AirBNB or such.

Frog, thank you - I did not know about Otaru. It looks like Otaru is 30 mins away from JR Sapporo, which isn't too bad? The price is very good. Do Dormy Inn's have public baths only or in-room bathrooms as well?

Otaru:

In the period of Snow festival in Sapporo, there is Otaru snow light path.

http://goo.gl/Lxzdkc

Though I have never been to this festival, but it looks very nice.

About the transportation:

Yes, it take about 45 min from Otaru to Sapporo.

http://goo.gl/aNq3od

I have been to Sapporo many times, and every time I took a small trip to Otaru. It is always worth a visit. Of course you must go in a opposite direction this time, and I think you might enjoy the railway trip by itself. Basically, it is a seaside line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRXfUe3TxSM

About Dormy Inn

Each hotel of Dormy Inn chain has communal bath which is very popular among Japanese. However each room has a shower booth.

Breakfast is not included in the site I linked, but their breakfast good reputation (I had experienced it in other Dormy Inn, and it was very nice). You can choose breakfast option.

You can see traveller's reviews in Tripadvisor.

http://goo.gl/AJDzqT

Thanks again for the wealth of details :)

I use TripAdvisor to read reviews, so this is a nice link!

Might anyone have recommendations for Inns or Hotels (less than $150 USD/night or possibly less than $100/night) near JR Sapporo station or within the city that are close to the subway?

Have you checked Toyoko inns ?https://yoyaku.4and5.com/reserve/html/rvpc_srchHtl.htmlcntry=JPN&chckn...
Unsure if you need a room for 2 people? If you are unable to book double or twin room with Toyoko inns, my past experience taught me to book a single room, and paid additional fee upon checking in for using the room for two.
If you are unable to get all the rooms now, reserve what you can , and keep checking the website for cancellation.

WongJP,

Since you are from Los Angeles, you might not be prepared for the winter in Hokkaido. It is very cold and sometimes windy and snowy. You might better prepare clothes for cold weather.

@lostintranslation (guest)

I have stayed at Toyoko Inns in the past - I checked one of the locations in Sapporo, however it seemed booked.

@frog

I lived in Japan many, many years ago, so the weather is definitely "real" compared to the west coast/Los Angeles :) I am starting to look into getting more clothes for the winter trip to Japan. I have some but they are all too big and were for a snowboarding trip I took up north a long time ago ;)

Hi mate, how goes the search? In case you haven't found rooms yet, I can see hotels available for your price range on Agoda - BUT, they're in Chitose. If you don't mind an approx. 30-40 minute (one-way) daily commute between Chitose and Sapporo, those might be worth considering, especially if you're travelling with a JR Pass.

Alternatively, something that worked for me when I found myself booked out of most hotels when I was booking my own Yuki Matsuri trip. I stopped looking for hotels for the entire period of my stay and went night-by-night, or two-nights at a time, etc. . . . essentially a piecemeal search. Ended up staying at 2 different hotels (one of the Toyoko Inns and the Hotel Gracery), but both were within an easy walk of Sapporo Station so no problem at all. It's possible that some hotels may have rooms left for one night of your stay period, or two nights, etc. even if they don't have vacancies for the whole period.

And yes, definitely prepare for the cold! In my case, I found that in addition to the usual gear (thermal undies, winter coat, etc.), a balaclava works wonders for keeping one's face warm.

Cheers and enjoy the festival.

http://www.nesthotel.co.jp/sapporoekimae/en/

Stayed there. Helpful staff. Pretty accessible. walking distance to Odori park, Sapporo Station & Nijo market.

There is a snow festival in Asahikawa (80min from Sapporo) almost simultaneously (6-11 Feb)
Seeing as nobody has mentioned it you might find accommodation there more easily.