If you don't mind the crowds, you can still go and have a look
I booked it because I really liked the style of this hotel and the photos of the open-air hot spring were also eye-catching, so I made a reservation anyway.
There are two Granbell Hotels in Sapporo, located in different areas. Those who have made reservations should be careful not to make a mistake.
Susukino is a 10-second walk from Hosui-Susukino Station (Toho Line) and a 4-minute walk from Susukino Station (Namboku Line). There is also the local red-light district nearby, with many hotels and a large crowd at night.
When we checked in on the day of check-in, we were not disappointed by the hotel's appearance, which was just as beautiful as in the photos.
The large bathhouse is open until 1am in the morning, and it starts to get super crowded around 9pm. It got to the point where the changing rooms were already packed with people when we entered, and there were no lockers available, so we had no choice but to go back to our rooms. Even if you go in the morning (open from 05:00 to 10:30 in the morning), it is just barely crowded (there are enough lockers and washing areas, but there are only four seats in the dressing area and you have to wait).
The breakfast is served buffet style. The food area is not large and the dishes change slightly every day. Unfortunately, the drinks are not served on ice and are at room temperature. There are four choices of soup/staple food: (wild vegetable) soup curry, miso soup/egg drop soup/corn soup, and tea rice.
The breakfast restaurant has the same problem as the bathhouse, which is that it is too small to accommodate a whole building of travelers, making the overall experience remarkable.
Not only is the hardware equipment too small, I personally think that the training and number of employees also need to be strengthened. On the third morning, when I arrived at the restaurant reception for lunch, I didn't see any staff. Even after I rang the service bell, I still had to wait for five minutes before someone came to greet me.
During breakfast, someone showed us to our seats and brought us plates, but the next day (around eight o'clock) the waiter didn't offer anything, leaving us to wander around the restaurant looking for seats as there were only a few left. Later, a lot of people came, and the used plates on the table kept piling up, but no one came to collect them. What made us feel most uncomfortable was the suspected discriminatory behavior of the employees. Before we started eating, an older Korean couple was already sitting next to us. They had already finished their meal and were sitting down chatting. We had just finished the last thing on our plate when a waiter asked us to leave as soon as possible and asked us to understand that the restaurant was a little busy today. If there are other passengers waiting for meals later, I can totally understand and will leave immediately after eating, but today only those who speak Chinese are asked to leave? ? (The waiter probably thought the people sitting next to us were Japanese) It made people feel discriminated against.
So overall, I won't come again next time. There are many beautiful restaurants in Sapporo, so you don't have to suffer this.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that the hotel provides a free bowl of soba noodles during dinner time. I only found the piece of paper stuck in the room card holder when I was checking out. The waiter did not tell me when we checked in...