NISEKO, Japan – Singapore’s luxury property developer SC Global’s first hotel, Setsu Niseko, has just been crowned the World’s Best New Ski Hotel, outshining nominees such as Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland, The Comodo in Austria and Badia Hill in Italy.

This accolade is given by World Ski Awards, a prestigious awards programme in the field of ski tourism. Winners are chosen by ski industry professionals, tourists and skiers around the world.

Nestled between Mount Yotei and the ski slopes of Mount Annupuri in Hokkaido, the high-altitude resort draws its name and design inspiration from the Japanese expression “setsu-getsu-ka”, which translates into “snow, moon, flowers”.

The resort’s facade is the brainchild of Singaporean architect Mok Wei Wei of W Architects, who was named in a global list of top architects in the 2005 book 10 x 10_2: 10 Critics, 100 Architects.

The interior blends Japanese aesthetics with modern luxury, with 190 fully furnished Japanese-style apartments, ranging from studios to penthouses.