Sapporo: airport-hotels-travel

I am staying one night in Sapporo in October and need to figure the most convenient location to stay.
My priority for a hotel is firstly location - to save time travelling to and from the places I want to go (I have just 24 hours here).
I arrive at the New Chitose airport around 4.30pm, then want to check in to hotel and then see the nightlife at Susukino.

In the morning I want to visit the outdoor museum/historic village, then head to the Beer Museum.
(It looks to me like these are both on the JR Shinrin Koen line).
If I have any spare time I'll have a look around the shops or markets in town. Need to be back at the airport around 4pm
I'll need to return to my hotel to collect my luggage before heading to the airport.
Would I be best to find a hotel around the Sapporo Station area - near the clock tower? How long does it take to get to/from the airport?
Any suggestions or tips welcome.

The easiest would probably be the JR Tower Hotel. It is located at Sapporo JR station itself, so there are many buses and trains to choose from. It is not cheap, but it will be one of the most convenient hotels based on what you are looking for:
http://www.jrhotelgroup.com/eng/hotel/eng101.htm There should be plenty of other hotels in the same area which will be much cheaper.

Regarding train travel time, you can use http://www.hyperdia.com/. The airport station is "New Chitose Airport" and the main station in Sapporo is "Sapporo (JR)". It takes between 40mins to 1 hour depending on what train you take.