5-Star Hotels in Tokyo

I come to Tokyo several times a year, staying a fortnight or more each time. This time I spent seven nights at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu. The room faced Hie Shrine. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows I could see the shrine's copper roof and half of Tokyo's skyline. The décor was modern without excess; the layout flowed easily, Bose speakers hidden in the walls, another set in the bathroom ceiling, connected by a 3.5mm jack. The curtains were motorized, though you hardly needed to close them. The turndown service. I would leave in the evening and return late to find the room changed: only the hallway light and bedside lamp left on, a bottle of water and a glass on the nightstand, two chocolates beside them. The evening tea and teacup, previously stored in the cabinet, had been moved next to the coffee machine. These changes were so slight you had to think back carefully to confirm they had happened at all. The temperature and humidity had been adjusted. As if the room itself remembered your habits. Room service fell short of the ryokan in Hakone or Lake Toya, but well above the ordinary hotel. Each day I made two or three cups of complimentary coffee, played music, read, wrote. In seven days I finished three books. The research ahead began to take shape. There were drawbacks. No washing machine, but a decent laundromat ten minutes' walk away—a chance to wander the streets of Akasaka. The room provided HDMI and ethernet ports but no cables; for those who came to rest, perhaps a mercy. The minibar fridge was mostly occupied by drinks for purchase, same as the Imperial, though there was still room for my sparkling water. The day I left it was half past five and fully dark. I could barely make out the faces of the bellhop and the taxi driver. Together they loaded my luggage into the boot. I wished the bellhop a happy new year in Japanese and told her I liked her hat. She smiled and returned the greeting. As the taxi pulled out of the underground drive, I thought of the inns Kawabata once wrote about: what had to be sought in the mountains of snow country can now be reached by elevator from the B2 exit of a metro station. I have watched the Shinagawa Prince Hotel loosen quietly over time, slip a little. That kind of decline is rarely one great error. It begins the day someone forgets to leave a glass of water, neglects to move a packet of tea, omits a newspaper. As for The Capitol Hotel Tokyu: in Japanese, what I experienced over these seven days is called ちょうどいい.

I visited Tokyo with my 88-year-old father. The hotel’s location is arguably the absolute best, making it incredibly convenient to visit Tokyo’s major attractions. The hotel facilities were also highly satisfying. First and foremost, the amenities in the guest room were excellent, and the thoughtful accessibility considerations for the elderly or infirm gave us great peace of mind. For instance, the provision of a bath chair with a backrest was very impressive. The hygiene and meticulous housekeeping were of the highest standard. Furthermore, the non-slip mat provided in the bathroom clearly reflected a deep consideration for the guests' specific needs. All of this, of course, is a testament to the staff’s proactive service and attentive care. If there was one minor disappointment, I wish a wider variety of pillows had been available in the room. In this regard, I felt it fell slightly short of meeting guests' diverse preferences. Additionally, as a helpful suggestion for safety, designing bathroom doors to open outward to facilitate emergency access in case of an accident inside is a fundamental design principle for luxury hotels. While preventing accidents altogether is ideal, being fully prepared for emergencies is what sets the highest standard of excellence. On another note, despite the hotel being located within a major railway station, there was absolutely no noise. The soundproofing was truly remarkable. The breakfast offered a rich and diverse selection, beautifully balancing traditional Japanese cuisine with Western options. While ordering a more unique or specialized beverage took a bit of time, the quality and taste were highly satisfying. The other facilities, particularly the restaurants and cafes, were exceptionally calm, elegant, and quiet, providing a very pleasant experience. The food, of course, tasted excellent. However, you must ensure you have ample time to enjoy it; it can require a significant amount of time and patience before the food is served in front of you. Overall, our experience was exceptionally satisfying and wonderful. With its rich historical background and narrative, the hotel offered a deeply engaging and far from boring stay.

This is my fifth time staying at a Mitsui Garden Hotel, and this particular one is absolutely, incredibly fantastic. My review today will be long and detailed, and I hope it helps those new to Tokyo who are unsure about which hotel to choose. Before I begin, I must express my gratitude to a hotel employee named Shin. On the evening of July 30th, the night I arrived in Tokyo, I suddenly experienced kidney stones. At midnight, when the pain became unbearable, Mr. Shin assisted me by calling an ambulance and diligently inquiring about my condition. He even accompanied me in the ambulance, helping to communicate between myself and the paramedics. He spent almost an hour and a half of his time during this stifling early morning, continuously offering comfort without any hint of impatience. I am truly grateful to him; otherwise, I might have faced significant trouble. Of course, I believe other staff members would have been equally helpful. The day after I recovered, other staff at the front desk (staff-san) also inquired about my well-being, which speaks volumes about the high caliber of this hotel's employees. Their professionalism is further evident in their kind and polite demeanor every time our eyes meet, their patience while waiting for the elevator, not to mention their warmth during check-in and check-out. Returning to the hotel itself, it's located in Nihonbashi and Muromachi, next to Mitsukoshi Department Store. The location is very easy to find; almost all taxi drivers know it. For public transport, there's the Ginza Line and Kanda Subway Station (Hanzomon Line), making it very convenient whether you're coming from Tokyo Station or the airport. Getting to Asakusa and Ginza is even easier. Regarding service, the examples above already highlight how excellent it is, so I won't belabor the point. In short, it's exceptional. In terms of facilities, Mitsui Garden Hotels generally offer a consistent standard. The bathroom and bedroom are separated by a screen that can be manually opened or closed, allowing for a wet/dry division. The room size is ample for movement; for Tokyo, where space is at a premium, the room is not small (of course, if you plan to play a World Cup match inside, that's another story!). The hotel's front desk is on the 9th floor, offering a broad view. Coupled with a subtle, non-overpowering fragrance, it exudes a strong sense of sophistication. Before entering the guest room area, you need to use your room key to access the first door, which provides a good sense of security. The carpets in the room area are substantial, contributing to excellent soundproofing. Vending machines and ice machines are available on certain floors, which is also a characteristic feature of Mitsui Garden Hotels. For room cleaning, you choose your preference using a magnetic sticker on the door. Based on their eco-cleaning philosophy, I opted for one cleaning midway through my 4-night, 5-day stay, just to have my towels changed. Breakfast is my only regret. Because my doctor advised me to slightly delay my first meal each day, I wasn't able to experience it during my stay. I hope to try it next time, hahaha. I don't know if this counts as over-expressing myself, but I truly, truly love this hotel. So much so that before I left, I spent some time making sure it looked almost the same as when I first arrived. I'm a hotel member, but I still book through the Trip.com app each time because it allows more people to learn about the hotel through reviews on the platform. That's why I write very detailed accounts of my true experiences and feelings every time I stay at a hotel, hoping they can be helpful to others.

It’s our second time visiting the hotel, we felt like the service and experience has not been as good as our first visit.  A few things to note: neighborhood has a lot of drunk people at night and it wasn’t quite clean  Room is spacious but the housekeeping failed to give a personal touch. For 5 stars hotel, housekeeper usually will note the preference of guest and try to make guest feels like it’s a home away from home, Bellustar makes you feel like it is a hotel. Every day it is back to factory setting. Taxi or uber are NOT allowed to drop off at lobby where there is covered. We need to be dropped off on side road and walk… don’t quite understand why. We asked and hotel said it’s policy?! It’s an overall great hotel but considering the pricing point and experience we had, there are many other choices in Tokyo we can go for.

This was my second stay, and it truly is a great value hotel in Tokyo. It's close to both Disneyland and Tokyo Station, but without the hefty price tag you'd find for hotels in the city center. The hotel offers a direct bus service to Narita Airport. For Haneda Airport, I took the JR train to Maihama Station (near Disneyland) and then caught an airport bus from there (tickets need to be purchased online in advance). The rooms are spacious and modern. I highly recommend this hotel.

My overall experience with this stay was quite complex, feeling more like a test of service management capabilities. On the first day, the room cleaning quality was noticeably below expectations. The wash area, countertop details, and some amenities weren't clean enough, and the bedding wasn't tidied properly. From a housekeeping management perspective, this felt more like a failure in process execution rather than an isolated incident, and it definitely affected my first impression. However, after I raised the issue, the hotel's recovery actions were prompt. In the following days, the room cleaning was significantly more standardized, with noticeable improvements in detail. This indicates that the hotel is capable of good service, but the initial day's execution standards simply weren't met. In contrast, Trip.com's service experience during this incident left a deeper impression. The customer service proactively followed up, communicated efficiently, and handled the situation professionally. They were able to push for problem resolution from a customer experience perspective, demonstrating a mature platform service system. This level of after-sales responsiveness is quite high among current online travel platforms. Overall Rating: The hotel's hardware and positioning are fine, but there's room for improvement in service consistency, especially regarding the first-day delivery standards of housekeeping management. Trip.com's coordination and service performance in this incident, on the other hand, highlighted the professional value of their platform.

Ascott Marunouchi can easily be considered one of Tokyo's best serviced apartments. Its prime location in Otemachi is perfect for business travelers, offering convenient access to Tokyo Station and a plethora of dining options nearby. The hotel itself is quite upscale, boasting luxurious decor, well-designed lighting for the evening, and comfortable beds and pillows. The internet connection is also excellent, and the service is top-notch. With amenities like an oven, induction cooktop, washing machine, and water purifier, it's also ideal for longer stays.

Our family trip to Tokyo was made much easier by this hotel—it was an excellent choice for us. They offer adjoining rooms and sofa beds, which gave us plenty of space and flexibility. The location is another big plus: set within a family-friendly park, it’s just a short walk to Tokyo Tower, great restaurants, and nearby subway stations. One thing to keep in mind: the elevators are split—floors 1–18 and 19–32 are served separately, and access to floors 18–32 requires a key card. So if you’re booking multiple room types, just double-check which floors they’re on to avoid any confusion.

The room was quite small, basically just a place to sleep. You could open your suitcase, but it made the space feel a bit cramped. The room's amenities weren't very new. The only thing I found really practical was the spacious vanity, which was great for putting things down. However, I wouldn't say it was easy to do makeup, as the whole bathroom was quite basic, lacking a proper vanity light or mirror. Although this hotel came up as one of the top three (I think it was the first) when I searched for Shinjuku area accommodations, the closest subway station is actually Nishi-Shinjuku. It takes about a fifteen-minute walk to get to Shinjuku JR Station. There aren't many convenience stores nearby, as the hotel is located above the metropolitan government building. There were even some homeless people in the vicinity (?). The hotel staff automatically provide service in English, which made communication much smoother than in many other Japanese hotels. The guests were also predominantly Westerners. The most impressive part of the entire hotel was probably the grand lobby. Overall, the service was fine, but next time, I'd probably use a similar budget to stay at a different five-star hotel.

This organic architecture, completed by Togo Murano at the age of 91, still exudes enduring vitality, especially when compared to Kenzo Tange's conceptual designs. Bathed in sunlight, it possesses a surreal, otherworldly quality. Design Studio SPIN collaborated with local artisans to redesign the lobby, executive lounge, and an executive suite. The actual spatial experience is incredibly refined; the executive lounge features four distinct sections, each with clear functions and varied, opulent decor – a masterclass from a top design studio, truly a step above. Compared to the 'pigeonhole' rooms in Minato Ward, the guest rooms here feel more like Western hotels, and all come with balconies. If you can overlook the lack of a separate shower, the weekday value for money is impeccable. However, Seibu Group's service is far from ideal, especially at the front desk. The 3 PM check-in policy clogs up the reception during peak hours, and the self-service kiosks are useless. When checking out, I wanted to keep the room key card as a souvenir, but the staff looked annoyed and confused. Good or bad, with the Shinagawa redevelopment, this heritage-level hotel is slated for closure and demolition this year. After decades of existence, this 'architecture of the future' is reaching its end.