Celebrating The Art Of Après: Cassia Hirafu Niseko, A Brand Of Banyan Tree Group

Imagine a vibrant alpine retreat in the world’s finest powder skiing resort – a place where friends and family can spend quality time together in a buzzing, boutique village atmosphere minutes from the Hirafu ski slopes. With a signature spa, Japanese baths, restaurants, bars and its own private beginner ski slope, Cassia Hirafu Niseko will be your home away from home in Niseko.

In Courchevel, après can mean clinking champagnes on a slopeside terrace, while in Aspen it might be savouring craft beers around an outdoor fire pit. Meanwhile nowhere is après more unique than in Niseko where the scene spans chic izakayas, raucous pubs, steamy hot springs, and bars specialising in Japanese whisky or sake, while powder snow flakes fall endlessly and pile up outside.

Cassia Hirafu Niseko honours the hours after leaving the mountain as much as the skiing itself, and aims to redefine après-ski – or as they say in Japan – ski no ato (after skiing).

Set to open in 2025 with 120-keys, the hotel and condominium accommodation will bound a lively village centre, where families and friends can socialise at a selection of cosmopolitan restaurants and bars, or relax and catch up at the on-site café while kids are entertained at the play tower. This social heart of the village revolves around an amphitheatre that becomes a beginner ski slope with a magic carpet lift as the first winter snowfalls blanket the gently sloping steps.

While Cassia Hirafu Niseko celebrates social bonding, there is also a strong focus on rejuvenation, relaxation and “me time”. Quiet Japanese baths can be enjoyed alone or with others, while the 8LEMENTS Spa will help guests build connections within themselves, with others and with nature.

A passionate and experienced international team will bring the resort to life. Banyan Tree Group will ensure guests are treated to nothing less than world-class resort hospitality the brand is known for, with their focus on sustainability, wellbeing and design-led experiences for the global travellers of today and tomorrow.

Internationally renowned and awarded Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta will bring Cassia Hirafu Niseko to life.

Meanwhile, the vision for the resort is led by developer Terraform Capital, an asset management firm out of Hong Kong with two decades of international development experience. The company’s management team has been skiing in Niseko since the mid-2000s, during which time they witnessed Niseko’s tremendous growth, and became inspired to create Cassia Hirafu Niseko.

A Terraform Capital spokesperson said: “To us, the après-ski experience we want to create is a mix of modern Japanese culture, which includes connection with family and wellbeing, and the European après ski tradition of socialising with friends.”