Photo/Illutration Club Med will operate two hotels at the Kiroro Resort in Akaigawa, Hokkaido. (Provided by Club Med)

SAPPORO--Paris-based hotel operator Club Med announced it will open a third resort in Hokkaido later this year that will provide guests with access to some of the finest powder on this far northern main island’s ski slopes.

The Kiroro Resort in Akaigawa will follow in the footsteps of the Sahoro and Tomamu resorts, located in Shintoku and Shimukappu, respectively.

Club Med, which specializes in all-inclusive holidays, wholly owns or operates nearly 80 resort villages in exotic holiday locations around the world.

The venture is the latest sign that foreign companies are making active investments in Hokkaido as Japan’s moribund tourism industry starts to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plans call for Club Med to give extensive makeovers to two existing hotels, which will allow the resort to open in two stages.

The Kiroro Peak hotel will open on the upper side of a mountain in December, while the Kiroro Grand hotel is scheduled to open around summer next year at the base of the mountain. The area is renowned for the quality of its snow.

The two hotels will offer around 400 rooms in total.

Reservations for Kiroro Peak began to be accepted in August, with room rates for two starting at an all-inclusive 39,000 yen ($280) per person.

Marc Letourneau, the general manager of Northeast Asia at Club Med who was involved in opening the Tomamu retreat, noted that Kiroro has a high profile and is close to Otaru, another popular sightseeing spot in Hokkaido.

He said the company is hoping to attract long-stay visitors and make the new resort enjoyable for non-skiers as well.

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