Trunk Co, the Tokyo boutique hotel group behind some of Japan's most talked-about stays, is finally leaving home. Its first property outside the capital, Trunk(Hotel) Sapporo, is slated to open in Hokkaido's largest city in September 2027.

The brand made its name with Trunk(Hotel) Cat Street, Trunk(House) and Trunk(Hotel) Yoyogi Park — small, design-forward properties that lean hard into their neighbourhoods rather than generic five-star polish. Sapporo promises more of the same local-first thinking: the 89 rooms and 18 suites will reference Hokkaido craft traditions and natural materials, filtered through a contemporary lens.

The headline addition is Trunk(Bath House), the group's first-ever spa. It's a substantial affair — 10 distinct bathing spaces arranged around a reception that opens onto a waterway. Guests move through communal baths, high-temperature saunas, cold plunges and open-air relaxation zones, with lighting, temperature and sound tweaked room by room to shift the mood. For a city famous for its snowy winters, an onsen-style bath house in your hotel is a genuinely appealing prospect.

Food looks like a major draw too. There will be an outpost of Sushi Saito — one of Japan's most revered sushi counters — with seats facing the chefs as they work, plus an all-day restaurant serving Hokkaido produce. Hokkaido is arguably Japan's best food region (dairy, seafood, miso ramen, lamb BBQ), so a hotel built around local cuisine makes sense here.

Elsewhere in the building: a Lounge & Bar with a live music programme, and an outdoor terrace with private domed pods looking out over the city as the seasons change. The events side is unusually extensive for a boutique property — three banquet halls (Hinata, filled with daylight; Miyabi, styled after grand European halls; and Kodachi, wrapped in greenery), plus a dessert room, a sushi counter, a terrace pizza oven, a cinema and a karaoke room available for private hire.

The hotel will sit in the Odori district, Sapporo's central greenspace-adjacent neighbourhood and the setting for its famous February Snow Festival. That puts the city's main sights, underground shopping streets and the TV Tower within easy walking distance.

Why it matters: Trunk is one of the few Japanese brands with genuine international buzz, and until now you had to be in Tokyo to try it. Sapporo makes sense as a first step — it's a gateway to Hokkaido's ski fields, national parks and food trail, and the city gets a flood of winter visitors who'll appreciate the bath house even more when it's minus ten outside. If you're planning a Hokkaido trip for late 2027 or beyond, this is one to keep on the radar.

First reported by Sleeper Magazine.