The Knot Sapporo — Hokkaido design, free onsen, the business hotel that doesn't feel like one
Picture opening your hotel room door and finding a piece of original Hokkaido artwork hanging on the wall — that's exactly the experience The Knot Sapporo is built around. Opened in 2019 by Tokyu Hotels, this 4-star designer boutique has 200 rooms in the Nishi 18 district, a one-minute walk from the tram. With a score of 8.7 from 1,820 reviews, it isn't just another chain hotel — from the moment you walk in, it tells you you're somewhere in Hokkaido.
The Knot Sapporo sits at Minami 1-jo Nishi 18 in Chuo Ward, a one-minute walk from the Nishi 18-chome tram stop. From there you can ride the tram to Nishi 11-chome and change onto the Tozai Line — three stops later you're at JR Sapporo Station, roughly 20 minutes in total. The location suits anyone who values a quiet retreat after a long day of meetings: the West Side is calm, far from the energy of Susukino, but the city centre is still comfortably reachable.
"Guest after guest says the same thing — the moment you open the room door it feels completely different from any other chain hotel: artwork on the walls, an Aeron desk chair, a Marshall speaker. It feels like renting a designer studio, not just sleeping in a room."
What sets The Knot apart from a standard business hotel is the original Hokkaido artwork that hangs in every room — not cheap prints, but works genuinely selected from local artists. Pair that with a 24-sqm Knot Twin room featuring a full one-metre desk, a high-quality Aeron chair, Wi-Fi running at 130+ Mbps, and a Marshall speaker for music while you work or unwind after meetings. Guests consistently say the room feels far better value than the price suggests.
Another thing guests praise enthusiastically is the free public onsen and sauna included in the room rate — no extra charge. After a long day in a conference room or a day of exploring Sapporo, 30 minutes in the onsen and you're ready for a deep sleep. This kind of facility at a mid-range 4-star price is genuinely hard to find.
Down in the lobby, the Knot Lounge serves craft beers and locally made Hokkaido cheese — ideal for a relaxed after-work catch-up without having to go anywhere, or as a morning workspace before checkout. The farm-to-table Hokkaido breakfast at ¥2,800 is a highlight many guests call the best part of their trip, thanks to freshly sourced local produce.
Things worth knowing before you book — the hotel is on the West Side, away from JR Sapporo Station. Getting there requires the tram plus the Tozai Line, adding roughly 20 minutes each way. If your schedule involves frequent Shinkansen connections or nightly business dinners in Susukino, it's worth weighing this against the atmosphere. The tram runs until approximately 22:30 — after that, a taxi from Susukino costs around ¥1,000.
In short, The Knot Sapporo is the kind of hotel that makes a Sapporo business trip more memorable than expected. If you're tired of identical chain rooms, want a space with genuine Hokkaido character, and need a free onsen and fast Wi-Fi in the same night — this delivers all of it from ¥18,000. A score of 8.7 from 1,820 reviews confirms it isn't marketing fluff.
To be straightforward: compared with business hotels in the same price bracket in Sapporo, The Knot wins on design and atmosphere by a clear margin. But if your priorities are being steps from JR Sapporo Station and having a dedicated meeting room on-site, that trade-off needs consideration. Most guests who've stayed say they stopped worrying about the travel time once they were in the room — it's the kind of place that makes you want to come back.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Hokkaido artwork in every room — instantly different from any chain hotel
- ✓ Free public onsen + sauna included in the room rate
- ✓ 1m desk + Aeron chair + Wi-Fi 130+ Mbps + Marshall speaker
- ✓ Quiet West Side neighbourhood — no Susukino noise to disturb sleep
- ! Away from JR Sapporo Station — tram + metro, about 20 minutes
- ! Last tram around 22:30 — late returns need a taxi
- ! No dedicated meeting room — Knot Lounge used instead
- ✓ Designer boutique 200 rooms — not a factory-floor chain property
- ✓ Opened 2019 — rooms and facilities fresher than heritage hotels
- ✓ Knot Lounge with craft beer and Hokkaido cheese in the lobby
- ✓ Farm-to-table Hokkaido breakfast ¥2,800 with locally sourced produce
- ! Susukino client dinner requires a taxi — about 8 minutes (¥1,000)
- ! Standard 24 sqm is mid-sized — request a Loft room on floor 9+ for high ceilings
- ! Check-in is 15:00 — arriving earlier means storing bags
- 💡If you need a dedicated meeting room — The Knot has no rentable conference room → use the Knot Lounge on the ground floor, or choose a business hotel with a meeting room in the Odori or Susukino area.
- 💡If you regularly return after 22:30 — the Nishi tram runs until around 22:30 → budget roughly ¥1,000 per taxi ride back from Susukino. That adds up over a multi-night stay.
- 💡If you need frequent Shinkansen connections — JR Sapporo Station is tram plus metro, about 20 minutes away → if you need to catch an early train every morning, a hotel closer to JR may be a better fit.