Where to Stay in Niseko for the 2026/27 Ski Season: Areas, Ski-In Hotels and the 3% Tax

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Niseko United’s four resorts, Grand Hirafu, HANAZONO, Niseko Village and Annupuri, share one mountain, Niseko Annupuri, and one lift pass. For 2026/27 they list their season from 28 November 2026, running to 5 May 2027 at Grand Hirafu and Annupuri, 11 April at HANAZONO and 4 April at Niseko Village. The resorts sit in two towns, and both now tax hotel stays at 3% of the room price: Kutchan, home to Grand Hirafu and HANAZONO, since 1 April 2026, and Niseko Town, home to Niseko Village and Annupuri, for stays from 1 November 2026.

This guide covers the season and the lift pass, five places to stay, ten hotels from ski-in, ski-out to a pod hotel in town, and the airport transfer. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating, or about to reopen under a new name, at the start of October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

The 2026/27 season and the lift pass

Niseko United’s planned season for each resort, and its adult day price on the All Mountain Pass, which covers all four:

None of the four resorts lists a separate price for foreign visitors.

Grand Hirafu: the village and the gondolas

Grand Hirafu has the village: restaurants, bars and shops down the hill from the lifts, with the King and Ace gondolas at the top. Skye Niseko warns its guests that taxis can be hard to find in winter, so a hotel near the lifts, or on a shuttle route, saves a lot of waiting in the cold.

Where to stay in Grand Hirafu

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

• Skye Niseko, splurge. Ski-in, ski-out at the top of the village: from its ski valet you ski straight to the King Gondola and the King Holiday Pair Lift, and the Ace Gondola is a short walk. Rooms run from hotel rooms to suites with kitchens and washing machines, and its shared and private onsen are for guests only. Choose it for the slopes from the door. Watch out: most rooms cannot take an extra guest; only the one-bedroom suites have an extra bed. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Ki Niseko, splurge, boutique. A ski-in, ski-out hotel of condos beside the Grand Hirafu gondola, with views of Mount Yotei and Annupuri. Choose it for a smaller hotel at the lifts. Watch out: rooms are mostly condos, so compare sizes before you book. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Mercure Niseko Resort, good value. The former Midtown Niseko in East Hirafu, which takes the Mercure name in November 2026; the hotel says existing bookings stay valid, and Accor lists a free ski shuttle to Hirafu in winter. Choose it for a lower price with a shuttle to the lifts. Watch out: it is a shuttle ride, not a walk, to the slopes, and booking sites may still show the old name. Check rates on Booking.com →

HANAZONO: ski-in, ski-out, and quieter

HANAZONO is the resort on the mountain’s north-east side, a short drive from Hirafu, and its two big hotels sit at the lifts.

Where to stay at HANAZONO

• Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono, splurge. Opened in 2020 with ski-in, ski-out access at HANAZONO. Choose it for luxury at the lift. Watch out: the village restaurants are a drive away. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO, comfortable. 234 rooms, opened on 15 December 2024 at the foot of the HANAZONO slopes, with a natural hot spring, indoor and outdoor, and hot-spring water in the bathrooms on its top two floors. Choose it for a new hotel at the lifts without Park Hyatt prices. Watch out: the hotel puts the drive from New Chitose Airport at about two and a half hours in winter. Check rates on Booking.com →

Niseko Village: hot springs at the gondola

Niseko Village sits on the south side of the mountain, in Niseko Town, with three hotels at the slopes and the Niseko Village gondola.

Where to stay in Niseko Village

• Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, splurge. 50 rooms and suites, opened on 15 December 2020, ski-in, ski-out, with views of Mount Yotei and Niseko Annupuri. Choose it for the smallest, most private hotel here. Watch out: price. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Hilton Niseko Village, comfortable. Ski-in, ski-out at the foot of Niseko Annupuri, with natural hot-spring baths that look at Mount Yotei. Choose it for a big resort hotel with rooms for families. Watch out: Hirafu’s restaurants are a shuttle or taxi ride away. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Green Leaf Niseko Village, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, comfortable. Ski-in, ski-out, with natural hot-spring baths, and now part of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection. Choose it for a hot spring at the slopes. Watch out: search for the full name; some sites still list it as The Green Leaf. Check rates on Booking.com →

Annupuri: a quieter base with a hot spring

Annupuri is on the mountain’s west side, in Niseko Town, with its own gondola.

• Niseko Northern Resort Annupuri, comfortable. 151 rooms at the foot of the Annupuri slopes, a few minutes’ walk from the Annupuri gondola, with its own natural hot spring and an open-air bath. Choose it for quiet and a long soak. Watch out: Hirafu’s restaurants are a drive away. Check rates on Booking.com →

Kutchan town: the budget base

Kutchan is the town below the resorts, with the JR station, supermarkets and cheaper beds; Skye Niseko puts the station about 15 minutes’ drive from the Hirafu lifts.

• Torifito Hotel & Pod Niseko, budget. Pods and simple rooms in Kutchan town, about 6 km from Hirafu, with shared bathrooms that include onsen baths. Choose it to spend your money on the lift pass. Watch out: you need a bus or shuttle to the slopes, so check the times with the hotel. Check rates on Booking.com →

How to book Niseko

• Book peak season first. From 24 December to 28 February the lift pass is at its peak price; if those are your dates, book the room before the flights.
• Count the tax. Both towns charge 3% of the room price, Hokkaido’s share included. In Niseko Town that starts with stays from 1 November 2026; before that it is ¥100 to ¥2,000 a person a night. See Japan’s tourist taxes in 2026.
• Check what the room includes. Condos have kitchens; hotel rooms usually do not. Ski valets, lockers and shuttles vary by hotel.
• Plan the transfer. Coaches run in winter between New Chitose Airport and the Hirafu Welcome Center, and Nikko Style puts the drive at about two and a half hours in winter. By train, you change for Kutchan Station and take a taxi or bus to the slopes.
• Compare totals. Hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book, and our Sapporo guide covers a city night on the way in or out.

All 10 at a glance

Before you go

• Before you fly, sort out mobile data (the best eSIM for Japan), and see the best time to visit Japan for the rest of the winter calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Niseko United: 2026/27 lift tickets and seasons
• Kutchan Town: accommodation tax
• Niseko Town: the accommodation tax changes to a rate
• Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: consent to Niseko Town’s 3% rate, 27 March 2026 (PDF)
• Skye Niseko: frequently asked questions
• Marriott News: Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve opens (17 December 2020)
• Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO: hotel fact sheet (PDF)
• Midtown Niseko: rebranding to Mercure Niseko Resort
• Accor: Mercure Niseko Resort
• Official websites of each hotel named above, checked in October 2026

Lift prices, seasons and hotel terms change. Every detail here was checked at the start of October 2026; confirm rates, room types and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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