Right in the middle of the Tazawako / Nyuto Onsen area only a few minutes drive to the ski resort and just up the road to the local onsens. Plaza Hotel's outdoor onsen is very atmospheric. An old wood building surrounding a stone open air bath looking out to a snowy forest. Dinner was a buffet with many local dishes and sake to try. Make sure you try the Kiritanpo Nabe (Local Hot Pot)! The current Corona Virus measures are a little excessive like plastic gloves and all tables facing one way but this will only be temporary and is something I saw in many hotels during my trip.

The dining hall has large windows along one side with a view of the mountains outside. In winter however, the curtains were kept closed. I looked out through the curtain and the views were lovely, even with the snow piled up. I think the hotel should keep the curtains open, it would vastly improve the atmosphere.

The services offered for the price were quite good! I think I paid about 70 dollars per night for three nights, with all you can eat breakfast, unlimited onsen, nice tatami room & yukata. After a long day of hiking, it was nice to come back to the very nice staff

nothing much—I find what others complained about to be trivial, considering the low price.

Loved that there was plenty of information on onsen etiquette in English - but only at the indoor onsen. The family room was spacious. Loved the interactive art in the main corridor - a great way to spark conversations with other guests (even with language barriers). The hotel had great "bones" with a 1980s luxe feel.

The bathroom was tiny and very dated and in need of upgrade. Given that the indoor onsen required bathing before and after use AND there was a shared shower facility on each floor the room's bathroom update could easily be to get rid of the bath/shower and just retain a toilet/bidet and wash basin. There was no map available to support local walks (even though further up the mountain there were signs indicating walks close to the road suitable for families).

Breakfast and dinner buffet are AWESOME. You do get the same menu everyday, but there are SO many varieties that you won't get board. Coffee is good, soft serve ice cream is excellent, and there is the option of nomihodai sake. They even had a FREE late night tantan men during our stay. I was surprised the the tatami rooms were quite spacious and the futon was comfy. The heat was centrally controlled, which I thought was odd. The temperature was comfortable for me, but for my friend it got a bit hot. Onsen and rotemburo are a bonus. The bus stop is right in front and you can easily hop on a bus to get to Nyuto Onsen. It doesn't run often, so ask the hotel staff for a bus schedule. Worst case, you can hike back to the hotel... there are walking paths. It would be quite a haul though.

The location worked for us because it was right in front of the bus stop, but it's not the best location in the area for convenience. We didn't walk the grounds, but didn't seem to be much around.

Amazing baths, inside and outside. The staff were so extremely helpful. We called down to the front desk to ask a question in English and the staff member must have then sprinted to our room with google translate pulled up and ready to help. The buffet was comprehensive with lots of local specialties featured.

A bit of a task to get to without a car, though there is a shuttle bus at scheduled times. Relatively little to do immediately nearby without a car

An older example of the grand Japanese hotel. I was surprised to find this style of hotel up in a quiet mountain area. The location is great, near an excellent local ski field which quite impressed me and the staff were very accomodating. And a great Onsen facility too. If I'd known about the quality of the hotel and ski field I would have booked for a longer period. I'll definitely be going back.

The breakfast service let the hotel down a little but the food was still nice.

hospitality of the staff, the food, free shuttle

none

Staff is great, very friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful. The biggest plus for the hotel.

The property is sprawling, much walking to get from place to place. Its the design of the hotel, not much can be done about it i think. Outdoor onsen is away from indoor onsen,not ideal. Can have greater variety for meals across days.

A traditional, family style hotel in a beautifully remote location. The rooms are in original condition with tatami mats, futon bedding and shoji screens. The indoor and outdoor onsen are magical and the buffet with local Akita specialties is generous and exceptional. The staff are kind and helpful.

Breakfast was standard buffet style so you could choose what you liked. Room was the new section so good space but had a sliding door which left a gap and then only thin plastic curtain to separate the entrance form the bed. Therefore you could hear the noise of the corridors. I think this design is not good for a quite sleep.

The door connecting to the corridor let the sound in so not a quiet sleep.