Interesting, thanks. To be honest, I am used to it in Germany and Switzerland in private hotels. But the chains don't usually have an extra person charge, although I believe some do.

I am finding the rates very high indeed in Sapporo in October, which is annoying because I thought it would be off season already. In the end I booked a hostel called Ino's Place, which gets a start rating from Lonely Planet, and it's jolly cheap at JPY21,000 for three persons for two nights in a private room.

Not sure what to book the night before leaving Sapporo. Maybe I will use points and book the ANA Crowne Plaza Chitose due its proximity to the airport. However, the flight leaves at 13h50, so we could swing in from the Hilton Niseko (another property I would like to try), for example.