Nozawaonsen is a beautiful place and I cannot praise it enough. Yet, it is unfortunate that untrustworthy hotels like the Berg Marukaneya operates there and takes advantage of travellers.
We had booked a Standard Japanese Style Room at Berg Marukaneya, for 5 nights costing around US$215 per night.

The room we booked, as described on the website:

* Room size fits 5 mattresses and accommodate 5 persons;
* Room has toilet and hand basin;
* Has a TV;
* Washing machine in the building;
* Soundproof walls ;
* Picture shown on website is a clean bright room with windows.

After checking into the Berg, we were given a room located in a separate building across the road, which they called the "Annex".

The room given:
*Barely fits 3 mattresses (so forget about any luggage);
* A windowless room, with poor ventilation and thin walls with stains. Walls and door are so thin, you can hear every sound/step in the next room and the corridor;
* One toilet in the entire building and is shared amongst all the guests(male and female);
* One hand basin, also to be shared amongst all the guests in the building;
* No bathroom- to take a shower, guest will need to walk outside and across the road to the Berg, and use the bathroom there (when charging $215 per night and the guests are required to brave the heavy February snow, if not a snow storm, to get a daily shower each evening, just seems ludicrous. This can only be made worst, when having to do this daily with young kids);
* No TV;
* No washing machine in the building.

Of course, we immediately made a complaint after seeing the room. Was told by the hotel management that the hotel is fully booked and they cannot offer any alternatives. After a lengthly talk, the only 'help' given was that I am permitted to use the staff toilet, as an alternative to using the communal toilet. Besides this, absolutely no other help or alternative was offered. The hotel just expected us to take the room we were given and be done with it.

I would like to believe that Berg does have rooms which fits the description they had advertised online. Yet, be assured that if their rooms are fully booked, they will happily placed you in any room, even if it is totally different to what you had booked or is paying for. So beware of this hotel as you never know what you will end up getting when you check in.

Our room at the Berg was so horrendous, it was just impossible for our family to stay there for 5 nights. We immediately had to scramble around Nozawaonsen in the night and in heavy snow looking for an alternative accommodation. For anyone that has been to Nozawasonen on a weekend in February, its peak season, will know that this is very bleak situation. We ended up finding a place in Kijimadaira, a 30 minutes drive outside Nozawaonsen.
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