I recently stayed at the fairly new InterContinental Sapporo and overall had a really enjoyable experience, especially because of the Club InterContinental access.
I booked a standard King Room (42m²) and, as an IHG Ambassador member, received an upgrade to a higher floor room. The room size was excellent by Japan standards, and the views overlooking Sapporo with mountains in the distance were fantastic.
The room still felt very fresh and polished. That said, there was no proper work desk and the counter space could have been more practical. Features like the automatic curtains and blinds, ambient lighting, and especially the large Japanese-style soaking tub became some of my favorite parts of the stay. The tub had a deep, onsen-inspired design with natural stone finishes, and it was incredibly relaxing after spending the day exploring Sapporo. Even though the hotel does not have a public bath or onsen, the in-room tub made up for it surprisingly well. I also appreciated the filtered water stations on every floor, which meant no need to rely on bottled water from convenience stores.
The hotel’s design leans toward modern and contemporary luxury rather than traditional Japanese luxury. The atmosphere felt calm and understated. There is also a surprisingly large outdoor terrace area that works well for smokers, fresh air, or simply relaxing with city views.
Service overall was good, although not exceptional. Elite recognition was handled well and the room upgrade was proactive. However, the turndown service felt fairly average for an InterContinental property. Most evenings they only refreshed towels and toiletries instead of doing a full turndown setup like arranging slippers, preparing the bed, or leaving small treats or cards. One night, turndown service was missed entirely.
The location is decent, though not especially central. It is not the kind of hotel where you can immediately walk out into busy restaurant or sightseeing areas. Most of the time we either walked to Nakajimakoen Station or used taxis waiting outside the hotel since using Uber or GO added extra fees.
The Club InterContinental lounge was probably the highlight of the stay for me. The operating hours are generous, and it became especially useful during rainy days in Sapporo.
Breakfast was served from 7:30am to 11am and was consistently solid, although the menu stayed mostly the same every day. Afternoon tea from 2:30pm to 4:30pm was decent overall, but the scones were disappointingly dry and hard. We ended up ordering extra savory items to turn it into more of a late lunch.
The evening cocktail and canapé service from 5:30pm to 7:30pm was excellent. Champagne was available during this period, and both the buffet selections and hot canapés were genuinely high quality. The hot dishes were so good that we kept asking for additional servings, and on some evenings it basically became dinner for us.
There was also a quieter nightcap session from 8pm to 10pm. Champagne was no longer served then, but red wine, beer, and classic cocktails were still available, which was a nice bonus.
Overall, I think the value depends heavily on whether you have lounge access. For us, it absolutely felt worthwhile since the lounge covered breakfast, snacks, some lunches, light dinners during rainy days, and most of our drinks throughout the stay.
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