Hotel101 tops off largest Niseko hotel for December 2026 opening

Insider Spotlight

• Hotel101 Global tops off 482-room Hotel101-Niseko, poised to be Hirafu’s largest hotel by room count
• Asset-light “condotel” project stays on schedule for December 2026 opening, targeting 2026–2027 winter season
• Nasdaq-listed Hotel101 leans on its standardized, tech-enabled model as it accelerates global expansion from the Philippines

Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: HBNB), the asset-light hospitality arm of DoubleDragon Corporation, has topped off its 482-room Hotel101-Niseko development in Hirafu, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan, marking completion of the building’s main structure and keeping the project on track for a December 2026 opening.

The milestone

The topping-off ceremony held on December 5, 2025 signals the shift from structural works to full-swing interior finishing. Once completed, the 1.17-hectare property is expected to become the largest hotel in the heart of Hirafu by room count, about two minutes by shuttle from the Grand Hirafu ski lifts.

Why it matters

Niseko has evolved from a small mountain village into one of Asia’s premier alpine destinations, attracting more than two million international visitors annually from over 30 countries. Positioning a value-segment, standardized hotel in this globally known powder destination gives Hotel101 a flagship showcase for its exportable “condotel” model anchored on Filipino hospitality.

Inside the property

All 482 rooms are designed to be identical and efficiently laid out, aiming to deliver predictable, practical comfort for families, couples, and groups. Planned amenities include an all-day dining restaurant, meeting spaces and business center, indoor pool with hot mineral onsen bath, sauna and wellness facilities, 24-hour front desk and concierge, ski lockers, on-site convenience store, and complimentary shuttle service to the Grand Hirafu lifts.

The business model

Hotel101’s asset-light, prop-tech platform is structured to generate revenue twice: first from advance sales of individual hotel units during construction and later from recurring income once day-to-day hotel operations begin. As of November 27, 2025, the company had a market capitalization of about US$1.9 billion on Nasdaq and is a subsidiary of Philippine-listed DoubleDragon.

Bigger global play

Hotel101 and its affiliates have nine branded properties in the Philippines in varying stages of operations and development, plus projects under development in Hokkaido, Madrid, and Los Angeles. It also signed an agreement in May 2025 with Saudi Arabia’s Horizon Group for a potential joint venture to develop up to 10 hotels in Saudi Arabia, supporting its ambition to eventually operate one million rooms across 100 countries.

— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas