FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Snow Concierge?

The Snow Concierge is a boutique travel agency based in Sydney, Australia. We focus primarily on ski and snowboard holidays in Japan. As experts in Japan snow travel, we can help in all aspects of planning and booking your Japan adventure.

We pride ourselves on our in-depth knowledge of snow areas in Japan, how to get there, and the best accommodations and resorts. Our goal is to make booking a ski trip to Japan as easy as possible by taking care of the heavy lifting for our clients.

Why are we called The Snow Concierge?

We offer an end-to-end snow travel experience for clients who want someone to take care of all the complexity of booking a snow trip to Japan. We can take care of everything, from getting you from the airport to your hotel, to booking bullet train tickets to securing reservations at the best local restaurants in Tokyo (and everything in between) and that’s before you even hit the slopes.

Not all clients require this level of service, so we offer all levels of service starting with simply finding and booking the best accommodation for your needs and working from there.

What services can The Snow Concierge provide?

The Snow Concierge can do everything from creating a customised itinerary for your trip to finding the best flights and accommodation, providing recommendations for on and off-snow activities, planning special events, arranging transportation, and more.

We help our clients have the most incredible experience possible, whether that means taking them to a ‘hidden gem’ resort or finding them the best hotel for kids in Hakuba, we are here to help.

How does it work?

When you reach out to us, our team will follow up with a few questions via an online form. After receiving your response, we will schedule a face-to-face meeting to discuss some high-level suggestions prepared in advance based on your answers.

During this meeting, we can address any additional needs or requests you may have, as well as your preferred level of service. At this point, we will provide you with a breakdown of our fees for each level of service.

Once we determine the service level you require, we will begin planning your trip. This process typically takes between 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the specifics of your trip. Following the planning stage, we will present a proposal for you to review and provide feedback. This iterative process may take a few rounds before reaching your complete satisfaction.

Upon your approval of the proposal, we will proceed with making the necessary bookings on your behalf. A 30% deposit will be required at this point to secure the bookings, with the full amount due 60 days prior to your departure.

I don’t need an itinerary - can The Snow Concierge still help me?

Yes! We are a full-service travel agency, so if you already know what you want and where you want to go, we can still help with arranging flights and accommodation. We are happy to provide suggestions and advice too should you have any questions.

Which countries does The Snow Concierge operate in?

We work with a range of clients from all across the globe. While the bulk of our clients are from Australia, we can (and do) service queries from any country including the United States, Canada, Britain, Ireland - and closer to home in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Why should I use The Snow Concierge?

We are Japan experts and our recommendations are based on our own experiences, having visited and skied in the very places we recommend.

While we can provide as Japanese an experience as you would like, we ensure that our recommendations are based on our understanding of what is important to groups visiting Japan from other countries.

What information should I provide when contacting The Snow Concierge?

To tailor a bespoke trip for you, it helps us to understand your budget, the dates of your trip, the number of travellers, your preferred destination, and any special requests or activities you would like to include.

How long does it take to create a bespoke itinerary with The Snow Concierge?

We provide personalised itineraries to suit your travel style and budget, so this varies depending on the complexity of the trip.

We do however promise to get back to you within 48 hours of your initial request to start the planning process.

What happens if I need to cancel or reschedule my trip?

We understand that plans change, which is why we book flexible travel options wherever possible. We also highly recommend taking out travel insurance to protect against any unforeseen events – The Snow Concierge can arrange your travel insurance as part of our service.

Should you need to make changes to your trip, please get in touch – we’re here to help.