Hotels met bar in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Overall, this was a rather disappointing hotel stay. Before our trip, our plans changed, and we asked the Trip.com concierge to help with cancellation/modifications. However, they were unyielding, and we couldn't cancel for free, so we had to proceed as planned. After checking in, I waited alone in the waiting area for a long time, expecting a staff member to accompany me to the room and explain the facilities. I waited for half an hour with no one attending to me. When a large group of tourists arrived, the front desk became crowded. After inquiring again, I was told there was no escort service to the rooms and I had to find my way myself. At 3:30 PM, housekeeping was still ongoing in the room areas. The room space was cramped, and the view was unremarkable. For a room rate of over 4,000 yuan, the hardware and service provided were far from satisfactory. The hotel's Italian restaurant had decent food, but it wasn't positioned as a high-end restaurant, and the wine list was very limited. The next day, I asked the front desk to call a taxi to the restaurant. For some reason, perhaps they didn't understand English, there was a long delay. After further communication, a car was arranged half an hour later, which was baffling. Considering all these experiences, I will not choose this hotel again in the future.

Convenient skiing, comfortable hot spring

This hotel is definitely one for the bucket list! The service is excellent, and the food is delicious. They also offer a shuttle service to Karuizawa Station, with a polite driver and soft music playing in the car. My only minor complaint is that the hotel doesn't provide bicycle rentals, but you can easily find rental shops nearby.

Absolutely impressed! It truly lives up to its reputation as a resort town – peaceful, beautiful, and with amazing views. The rooms were incredibly clean, the service was excellent, and the onsen was a perfect 100. The classic-style rooms were clean and cozy, with high-quality furniture. I would definitely return if I have the chance. Parking is free for those with cars, and the hotel also offers a shuttle service for train travelers. The food is high-quality, and the restaurant, rooms, onsen, and views are simply stunning.

Stayed here several times before, and this visit felt noticeably different. One positive change is that the lounge has been relocated from the lobby to the third floor, making the space feel much more open and comfortable, without guests having to crowd together. However, the shortened meal service times were disappointing. Reducing breakfast hours is understandable, but shortening dinner service by an additional 30 minutes to only 90 minutes made the experience feel rushed. Given the size of the dining area and the number of guests, collecting food itself takes time. More importantly, one of the reasons people choose to visit Nagano is to enjoy a slower and more relaxed atmosphere. With only 90 minutes allocated for dinner, there is hardly enough time to comfortably enjoy the meal itself, let alone finish with coffee and dessert. I understand that rising operating costs may require adjustments, and I appreciate the hotel’s efforts to manage within budget. However, as group tourism increases, maintaining the experience expected by individual travelers becomes increasingly important. Unfortunately, this time it felt that both the dining quality and the dining time had been reduced simultaneously, and the decline in quality was noticeable. Overall, I still appreciate the improvements to the common areas, but I hope the hotel can reconsider how to balance operational efficiency with the quality of the guest experience.

Excellent service! I highly recommend booking dinner here. The breakfast was fantastic, my kids especially loved the soba noodles, and the fruit was delicious too. If you're visiting when there's no snow, you can rent bicycles directly from the hotel. The onsen (hot spring bath) was really good. They also have a very clean laundry room available. And the wine here is excellent!

I stayed at Hotel Marroad Karuizawa, which is about a 12-minute walk from Karuizawa Station. The surrounding area is very quiet and peaceful. The lobby has a charming retro Showa-era vibe, and the hotel is a two-story building. The room was spacious, comfortable, and very quiet. The Japanese-style futon mattress was thick and extremely comfortable, while the Western-style bed had a good balance of softness and firmness. The room amenities were well provided, and the hotel staff were very friendly. There is also a shuttle service to the ski resort and the station, which was very convenient. Although the hotel is a bit far from Ginza Street and nearby convenience stores, taking a taxi only takes about five minutes, so getting around was still quite easy. That said, there are a few minor drawbacks: 1️⃣ There is no elevator, escalator, or ramp from the entrance to the front desk, which makes carrying luggage inconvenient. Many guests have mentioned this issue. 2️⃣ The sink has separate hot and cold water taps instead of a single mixer tap, which feels a bit outdated and less convenient. 3️⃣ The air conditioner is relatively loud. Even in sleep mode, it turns on and off automatically, which can be a bit annoying at night. 4️⃣ The hotel uses traditional keys instead of key cards, and you need to leave the key at the front desk when you go out. That said, this also adds to the nostalgic atmosphere of the hotel and fits well with its retro style.

By the time we got there by rental car it was quite late, the reception team has been patient and friendly. Suggest to have more illustrated print out for driving to the sightseeing parking lots and more maps to show before heading out. Plus the water machine is not very handy in giving out hot water for tea. Others are perfect in terms of room and environment.

Right at Nagano Station! There's a connecting passage on the second floor of the hotel that leads directly to Nagano Station. The location is excellent! The hotel has a luxurious feel, reminiscent of an economic boom. The room was standard, quite spacious. The facilities weren't brand new, but they weren't uncomfortably old either. The room was generally clean and comfortable. The hotel breakfast was decent, with a good variety of options. If you plan to spend your days exploring the mountains and returning on the same day without staying overnight, this hotel is highly recommended!

In the second day of hotel, we planned out trip to the castle, shopping street, and the Japanese alps area. So we had breakfast early and went to the station to meet our guide. After coming back from the trip, we took taxi again to the hotel. When we booked our trip to the station from the hotel, we realized that the hotel provided frequent trips to and from the station. As we were tired, we went to onsen, which was provided by the hotel. It was a free service or included in the stay, I think. The onsen is located in another big hotel and the bus ride took 30 minutes. There were many people from many hotels going together to the onsen hotel. The onsen was pretty big, two indoor pools and two outdoor pools. We enjoyed the warm water and relaxed. The bus brought us back to the hotel at 9 pm. The hotel gave new towels and other supplies in the door of our room as we didn’t have a cleaning service in the morning. Anyway, the hotel restaurant is good and the free shuttle bus service is exceptional as no reservation was necessary. I will visit this hotel again when we travel to Matsumoto next time.