Looking into GLAMDAY STYLE HOTEL & RESORT KYU-KARUIZAWA

I've been slowly researching campsites, day-trip hot springs, and inns that seem reachable without a car.

This time I looked into GLAMDAY STYLE HOTEL & RESORT KYU-KARUIZAWA. I heard it has an onsen bath with saunas, and as a homebody, I thought it might make a good stop for a “hocance” (a hotel vacation), where I just relax in the room and the bath.

What Kind of Hotel Is This New Place in the Kyu-Karuizawa Area?

It's a hotel in the Kyu-Karuizawa area of Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture. I couldn't find an opening date stated on the official site, but it looks like an opening announcement was posted dated August 27, 2025. The English name appears to be “GLAMDAY STYLE HOTEL & RESORT KYU-KARUIZAWA.”

From what I could see on the official site, the basics seem to break down like this:

• Location: Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture (Kyu-Karuizawa area)
• Reservations: There seems to be an online booking page. Apparently the restaurant is booked separately through TableCheck
• Check-in and check-out times: I couldn't find them on the official site's top page or the facility pages
• Room rates: I didn't see a price list on the official site, so it looks like you'd check on the booking page
• Total number of rooms: I couldn't find this on the official site

It's probably best to double-check the rates and times before booking. The official site is here.

Checking Out the Dry Sauna, Steam Sauna, and the Large Bath with Transported Hot Spring Water

What caught my attention most about this hotel is the onsen bath with saunas. There are two kinds of sauna, a dry sauna and a steam sauna, and it seems the flow is introduced as sauna, cold plunge, and then cooling off in the open air.

• Source name: Kakure-no-yu. Apparently the water is transported from Oguwa Onsen in Kita-Karuizawa
• Water quality: Sodium bicarbonate-sulfate spring (hypotonic neutral hot spring). It seems to be based on an analysis report from 2019
• Saunas: Two types, dry and steam. The flow of cold plunge and open-air cooling seems to be explained
• What I couldn't confirm: operating hours, whether day-trip use is allowed, the bathing fee, whether it's for hotel guests only, and whether there's an outdoor bath

Open-air cooling is mentioned, but I couldn't find a clear mention of an outdoor bath. I also didn't see any sign of an onsen or outdoor bath in the guest rooms, so the large communal bath looks like the main place to enjoy the hot spring. I couldn't tell from the onsen page whether day-trip visits are possible either, so my impression is that it's safer to assume it's for overnight guests.

Guest Rooms and Restaurant: Spaciousness and Forest Views Stand Out

There are six room categories (nine types listed), divided into town views and forest views. Even the smallest, the Type H Superior Twin, is about 51.84 m² and sleeps 3, so the rooms seem roomy overall.

• Type D Deluxe Twin: 62 to 63 m², sleeps 4, town view. There seems to be a mention of a fireplace on the inner balcony
• Type E Premier Corner Suite Forest: 101 m², sleeps 5, forest view. Apparently it comes with a study
• Type C Grandi Luxury Suite: 118 m², sleeps 5, forest view. It seems to be the largest type
• Note: You can't choose a specific room, and photos and floor plans may differ somewhat depending on the room

For meals, there seems to be an Italian restaurant on site, RESTAURANT CREATTA. Lunch and dinner are prix fixe, and breakfast is a half buffet with a choice of soup. The terrace seats allow dogs, and there's apparently a bar as well. However, I couldn't confirm whether you can stay overnight with a pet.

The shared areas apparently include paid coin laundry machines (two), microwaves on each floor, an automatic check-in machine on the lobby floor, and a souvenir corner. There also seem to be loaner items such as loungewear, hair irons, massage devices, and board games, but I couldn't confirm the fees, stock, or how to request them. All rooms are non-smoking, and it seems there's a separate smoking room.

Can You Get There Without a Car? Access from Karuizawa Station

I have a license but don't drive, so access from the station matters a lot to me. According to the official access page, it takes about 71 minutes from Tokyo Station to Karuizawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen “Asama.”

• Free shuttle: Apparently it departs from the rotary at the south exit of Karuizawa Station. The departure from the station's south exit is at 14:30, and the departure from the hotel (to the south exit) is at 10:50, with reservations required by the previous day. It seems staff holding a green placard will be waiting
• Taxi: About 8 minutes from the north exit of Karuizawa Station
• On foot: About 30 minutes from the north exit of Karuizawa Station is what's listed. The top page also says “26-minute walk,” so the numbers differed depending on the page
• Car: About 84 minutes (about 132 km) from Nerima IC to Usui-Karuizawa IC via the Kan-Etsu and Joshin-Etsu Expressways, then about 14 km from there to the hotel. There seem to be parking lots on the grounds and a second lot, but I couldn't confirm the number of spaces or the fees

The shuttle times look limited, so I'd want to check how well they match my arrival time beforehand. Also, according to a notice on the official site, depending on the season there are traffic restrictions on certain days around the Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza shopping street, and detour routes are apparently shown on the access page.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

When I checked this hotel's location (Karuizawa Town, Kyu-Karuizawa area) on the official “my Area Coverage Simulation,” the overall rating showed “AAA.”

As a Rakuten Mobile user, I found this result a helpful reference point. That said, the tool's rating is just a simulation based on the address. How the signal feels may change depending on where you are inside the building or which room you're in, so if you're curious, please check your own destination with Rakuten Mobile's official area-checking tool.

Wrapping Up

To sum up, my impression of GLAMDAY STYLE HOTEL & RESORT KYU-KARUIZAWA is that it's a Kyu-Karuizawa hotel that's easy to reach even without a car, where you can relax in an onsen bath with a dry sauna and a steam sauna and in fairly spacious rooms.

If you take the Shinkansen to Karuizawa Station and use the free shuttle from the south exit or a taxi, it looks easy to get around without driving. On the other hand, I couldn't confirm things like room rates, check-in time, the bath's operating hours, or whether day-trip use is allowed on the official site. It might be reassuring to check these again before booking.

For Rakuten Mobile, the official tool gave a rating of “AAA.” If you're curious, please check for yourself with Rakuten Mobile's official area-checking tool.

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Related Links

• Official Site