Stayed at the Novotel for almost a week and was quite satisfied. I was in a Twin room which wasn't that large but it was sufficient and the price was good. I also believe they have larger rooms for more $$$. If you get a room rate which includes breakfast it's the best deal and the breakfast buffet at the Novotel is decent. The staff are very courteous and during the day the fellow at the main desk has reasonably good english (which is a rarity, as detailed later). The hotel overlooks a beautiful park and is a very short walk to the train station. They have a place on the fourth floor which serves drinks and food and which has live music during the week (a japanese woman and a brazilian man were playing the night I went and they were good/entertaining). The hotel was a short walk to the Suskino district, which is particularly alive at night and where I felt safe walking at anytime -- some Karoke places open to 5-6 am if you can't sleep, which is a definite possibility with the severe time change for US folks. I caught an interesting Beatles cover band which will be a memorable experience (although it was a $30 cover and it's hard to find live music there).
For around $8 you can get a whole day subway pass which is great for getting around (and it's the easiest option to select on the dispensing machines if you don't know Japanese).
The airport buses don't go to the Novotel. You can catch the train to the main station and then it's a short taxi to the hotel. Or you could take the airport bus/shuttle to the Renaissance hotel and then take a short taxi to the Novotel. Taxi's from the airport to Sapparo are going to cost you a bit (I knew someone who did this and paid $150).
The typical tourist places in Sapparo are not that interesting in my opinion. Didn't get much out of the historical village and the chocolate factory was closed when I went. The modern art museum was also closed although the guidebook said it was supposed to be open the day I went. I did however enjoy walking around the neighborhoods, exploring the unique shopping, restaurants, etc. One day I travelled around part of the city, on foot and by subway, and I didn't see a single non-asian (a unique experience for me). Would recommend having a drink at night in the bar at the top of the Hotel Nikko by the central train station (beautiful view of Sapparo at night, cover is around $7.00 and a typical drink is around $10).
The main downside I found was that people don't speak english in the Sapparo area, even in places where you'd expect that they might. Managed to get around and function but it is easier to travel in and around Tokyo since the people there are more likely to speak a little english.
Overall, Novotel was a good value and I'd recommend it. I'd also recommend seeing Sapparo once.
