Where to Stay at Rusutsu: Convention Center Hotel, The Vale and The Westin Compared
For a Rusutsu ski trip, the most convenient option by far is to stay ski-in ski-out inside the resort. There are exactly three hotels on site: Rusutsu Resort Hotel and Convention, The Vale Rusutsu, and The Westin Rusutsu Resort. Here’s how to choose between them, one by one.
| Hotel | Location | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resort Hotel and Convention | Foot of West Mountain | Liveliest, best value | Tight budget, want to stay on site |
| The Vale | Far end of West Mountain | Newest, apartment-style with kitchens | Families and groups on longer stays |
| The Westin | Between West and East | All-loft rooms, easiest access to Isola | Bigger budget, here for Isola |
1. Rusutsu Resort Hotel and Convention: the value pick
At the foot of West Mountain, this is Rusutsu’s original hotel. The resort opened in 1972 and the hotel was built in stages from the 1980s: the South Wing in a Tyrolean style by a Swiss architect, and once the North Wing was added the whole building stretched to 666 metres with 419 rooms. Yes, a single building over six hundred metres long. It’s a sight in itself. Renovations have been rolling through for years, so it’s not brand new, but it’s perfectly acceptable.
Onsen, restaurants and an indoor pool are all there, and it’s the liveliest hotel at Rusutsu: it connects directly to the main lobby’s shopping area, with restaurants, shops and izakaya all in the building, so there’s somewhere to wander after skiing. On a budget but want to stay on the mountain? This is the one.
2. The Vale: newest, and most like home
Opened in December 2020, the newest of the three. 182 rooms in ten layouts, from one-bedrooms for two to four-bedrooms for eight, all with full kitchens, appliances and tableware, apartment-style, which makes it ideal for families and groups staying a while. The Kotobuki no Yu onsen, opened in 2019, is right downstairs and very nice. The Vale has also won Japan’s Best Ski Hotel at the World Ski Awards.
It sits at the far end of West Mountain, so the daily walk to the lifts is slightly longer than the other two, and prices are a tier above the Convention hotel. Otherwise, excellent.
3. The Westin: most expensive, but the easiest way to Isola
The priciest of the three. The 23-storey tower was built in 1993 as the Rusutsu Tower Hotel and rebranded as The Westin in 2015, with 210 rooms. Here’s the key point: every room is a two-level loft, from 76 square metres, with a sense of space the other two can’t match.
It stands between West Mountain and East Mountain. Each morning you take the monorail five minutes to West, or ride the gondola straight up East. As someone who rides only Mount Isola when I’m at Rusutsu, I can say with confidence: The Westin is the most convenient base for Isola.
So which one?
- Value and buzz: Resort Hotel and Convention
- Family or group, want a kitchen and a new building: The Vale
- Bigger budget, here for Isola: The Westin
If it were me, I’d stay at the Convention hotel. If I had a lot of money, I’d stay at The Westin.
The most important sentence
Book Rusutsu hotels early, early, early. There are only three on site, skiers from around the world are competing for them, and the later you leave it the more expensive and the fuller they get. Unlike Niseko, with hundreds of hotels down the hill, there’s no fallback.
The ending
The Japow Academy instructors teach at Rusutsu all winter, with free transfers for guests staying in the Niseko area. For anything about hotels or lessons, get in touch.
- Back to the start of the series: When is the best time to ski in Hokkaido?