Explore the Best of Hokkaido: Nikko Style Niseko Hanazona Named World’s Best New Hotel

Published on November 24, 2025

In October 2025, the World Ski Awards 2025 announced that the Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO in Hokkaido, Japan, will be the World’s Best New Hotel. The honour illustrates the hotel’s exceptional services as well as its growth in the competitive sphere of ski resort accommodations. The World Ski Awards employs ski resort industry players, ski tourism professionals, and ski enthusiasts to rate hotels, meaning the award is significant to the Nikko Style Hanazono Hotel and Japan as a ski destination.

In Isanako, one of Japan’s leading and most popular ski resort regions, the Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO is one of the most renowned and highly rated hotels in Hokkaido, Japan. The hotel is well known for its exceptional snow and contemporary amenities. This award has made the hotel one of the most preferred for skiers and tourists seeking a high-end stay in one of the most beautiful and snow-sport-friendly areas in Japan.

Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO: Ideal Ski Holiday

Nikko Style Niseko (NDS) Hanazono has a prime location, very close to Niseko, and offers exceptional skiing and snowboarding to its guests due to offering ski-in/ski-out privileges, along with a close proximity to Asia’s finest skiing options. Polaris Niseko is also a sister property to NDS, Lovingly named after the NK Hanazono chairlift (old).

Polaris Niseko is also just a few minutes away from NDS by vehicle and the closest ski resort to Nikko Style Niseko Hanazono is the Hanazono Ski Resort. Nikko Style Niseko (NDS) Hanazono is also a 5-star property, which also advertises itself with ski-in/ski-out privileges. NDS is also just a few minutes away from the Hanazono Ski Resort, which has 6 ski areas, making it an exclusive ski-in/ski-out location. Hanazono Ski Resort is part of the larger Niseko United. Unparalleled access to the areas finest skiing makes Nikko Style Niseko (NDS) Hanazono a true skiing oasis. Excellent snow, skiing options, facilities, and service.

Nikko Style Niseko Hanazono decorating style also brings warmth to the property, which is a perfect blend of modern and Japanese style. As the only property in the area to offer ski-in/ski-out restaurants, NDS’s guests will appreciate not only the culinary options, but the convenience of capturing the last minutes of daylight when they ski for the last run of the day. To see the overall design of NDS Hanazono is a treasure, and it is with great respect to the traditional architecture and design and the modern touches.

Nikko Style Niseko Hanazono menu also includes a Japanese menu, which was prepared with attention to detail. The dining experience is also coupled with great glazed service which makes NDS a very exclusive dining location and experience. Full service spas, fitness centers and an exclusive on property restaurant are also not too common to ski in ski-out. NDS is also the only property in the area to offer restaurants with ski-in/ski-out access, which will be a valuable feature to guests who appreciate spending extra time on the slopes.

Nikko Style Niseko Hanazono offers also puts together a unique experience for skiers and non-skiers alike and provides outstanding service to coincide with beautiful surroundings. Other than skiing on the Hanazono mountain which is right next to the property, there is also lots of great activities such as snow tubing and snow discing to people who do not ski as well as activities such as snow day on the beautiful property. Also, the property has great overall design with perfect modern Japanese warmth to the decoration and design which is a great attribute of the design overall.

Niseko’s Ski Resorts

Niseko, located in Hokkaido, is famous for skiing due to its light, dry powder snow. The ski resorts offer four interconnected ski areas: Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village, and Annupuri. In total, they provide over 2,191 acres of skiable terrain. Niseko is outstanding and resorts snow conditions make it vibrant after ski destinations.

Niseko is most attraction for its skiing and snowboarding, but it does have other frostube activities, with snowshoeing and snowmobiling in addition to onsens. As for skiing activities, there are plenty of high-end restaurants to choose from. And after a night of fine dining, there is a wide variety of bars for a drink and a vibrant night with friends after a long day of skiing.

The World Ski Awards: Celebrating Ski Tourism

Celebrating annual ski tourism all over the globe, the World Ski Awards showcases ski tourism related businesses like ski resorts, hotels, chalets, and tourism related services. Construction of the new Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO Hotel and its subsequent recognition as the World’s Best New Hotel for 2023 represents not only the construction industry in Japan, but its commitment to the construction industry and modern travlers.

Many other hotels were recognized as well in 2023, including Val Thorens in France as the World’s Best Ski Resort and Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley in the USA as the World’s Best Ski Hotel. All of the awards recognized for the year promote ski tourism and encourage healthy competition for innovation in new ski alpine destinations.

Ski Tourism in Japan. A New Era of Ski Tourism Construction

Ski tourism in Japan as well as hotels like Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO are Avi in Japan as also vastly improving all over the globe. Ski tourism for Japan has recently gained prominence all over the globe.

More than just Niseko, Hakuba, and Nozawa Onsen are other ski resorts that are gaining popularity among foreign tourists. The Government of Japan, together with local tourism stakeholders, are working on promotional activities and improving accessibility with international tourists in mind. This includes renovations and multilingual ski resort services, as well as international direct flights to Sapporo Airport, which is the main city of Hokkaido.

Ski tourism in Japan is growing, and so is its local economy. The influx of tourists creates more opportunities for ski resorts, hotels, restaurants, and tour operator businesses. The increase in tourism also creates more opportunities to improve transportation to the ski clusters, increasing the overall ease of travel for tourists eager to experience Japan’s top-tier snow offerings.

How to Visit Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO

Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO is close to Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido. The resort offers a range of transportation choices for tourists, including direct shuttle services from New Chitose Airport and Sapporo Station to the hotel. Visitors may also travel to the resort by private car, bus, and along the well-asphalted roads that lead to Niseko’s ski areas.

If you are headed to Niseko for a ski trip, the best time to visit is generally from December to February, as that is when the area has some of the best powder snow in the world. Because Niseko has a high volume of tourists from all parts of the globe in the winter, it is highly recommended that you book a place to stay well in advance.

Conclusion

Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO, awarded World’s Best New Hotel at the 2025 World Ski Awards, is MORE than well-deserved for its fantastic amenities, excellent location, and quality of service. Situated in one of the most popular ski locations in all of Japan, Niseko, this hotel serves as a perfect access point for guests looking to experience the region’s wide variety of world-class ski runs and natural beauty, as well as the culture that surrounds it. Nikko Style Niseko HANAZONO is a great place to stay if you want a first-class trip to the mountains of Japan or if you want to explore the many ski runs for yourself, as the hotel will give you a unique experience that you will not forget.