We stayed a week last year in mid-March (7-night cert from travel package nearing its expiration) and enjoyed it a lot, so we booked again this year for 5 nights in early March, paying cash (¥23,000/night included breakfast and dinner for two). Adding my son to the room was an extra ¥5.000++ a night, and we had to pay for his meals separately (but his breakfast was free due to my platinum status). Last year we were upgraded from Deluxe to Superior, which was great given we were four. This year the upgrade was from Deluxe to Onsen room, which although sells for more, is actually slightly smaller than Superior. Since the hotel has a nice public bath, the in-room onsen isn't really necessary.
At check-in we were given some local fruit juice. We also had the option of refusing room cleaning for 500points/night.
Last year it was virtually empty as COVID was scaring people away (pre-travel ban though). They were offering an open bar from 3-8pm in lounge for elites and those who opted not to have room cleaning. Not an exciting lineup of booze, just basic low-end spirits, tonic and soda water, and ¥500 red/white and a sparkling. Knowing this, I bought along a case of craft beer which I shared with a friend who was also staying there. This year the lounge was limited to Plats and above, so my wife and son enjoyed it.
Last year they were serving breakfasts at the table, but this year they had a nice buffet in full swing. Our dinner plan was the Shinshu Grill Combo. The meats changed the first two nights, and then the 3rd night we got something called Magnolia dinner. The last two nights were similar to that.
They have some nice freebies, such as tasty evening ramen in the restaurant and warm sweet potatoes in lounge. For Plats+, a coupon for 30% off food/drink plus a round of free drinks for everyone at the table (5 of us). I had to ask the front desk for the coupon each night, which was odd.
The area is pleasantly wooded and quiet, but a 5-minute walk will get you to the center of Echoland, which has some restaurants, rental gear places and a convenience store. It is 2km from the Panorama Hotel, which is the home of the Baird Beer Hakuba taproom. Great craft beer at very reasonable prices.
The hotel has deals on lift tickets at Goryu/47 and Happone, but what they were offering changes, so best to contact them in advance. Even then, be prepared for changes (they emailed me the 2-day was on sale, but on arrival it wasn't).
There is a shuttle that leaves 3 times in the morning, but we drove the 10 minutes to 47. We also drove 20 minutes to Tsugaike.
All-in-all it is a nice, family-friendly hotel designed for winter sports lovers. The food is good and portions quite generous. Pricewise it is similar to what a nice Japanese 'pension' would charge per person (¥8,000-12,000). As a category 4 place, it is a pretty good deal if booking with points in the peak season. I chose to pay cash though, as the good rate including meals made sense, and the current Bonvoy double promotions meant that was the smart thing. I earned about 60,000 points on a $1,700 spend. Plus it allowed me to re-qualify for Platinum for 2022-23.
