We stayed at the Park Hotel for 2 nights at the end of our honeymoon tour of Japan, and booked it on the advice of our travel agent as we wanted a bit of a wow-factor to end our trip on. We had a double room on the 33rd floor and when we walked into our room, absolutely exhausted, at 1am we certainly got it! The enormous window looks out over Tokyo with Tokyo Tower at its centre, beautifully illuminated - a truly awesome view that was even better the next morning when we opened the curtains to see the elusive Mt Fuji just to the right of the tower - perfect photo op from the comfort of our bed! The room itself was comfortable, a good size for a Tokyo hotel, with all the amenities you could need. Breakfast is in the atrium lobby and is a good mix of Western and Japanese buffet.

FYI, for smokers, the lobby is the smoking area in the evening, but in the day you will need to go down to the designated area at the subway station. You can take the lift straight from the hotel to the subway - look for the lifts on the right that go to B2 as well as the ground floor - and you will walk out into the enormous Shidome/Shinbashi station complex. It's a bit confusing for the newbie in Tokyo, but look for the big maps on the wall - they have English directions, and once you know what station/line you're after, just follow the signs and you'll be fine. Once of the nice things about this area is that you can catch the subway to Asakusa, then take the boat cruise back to Hama Rikyu gardens - well worth doing, and you can see the hotel from the garden. The area around the hotel is not exactly a wander around and admire area, but it is full of skyscrapers and many shops - for resturants, try the Shidome City Centre building (follow the signs in the subway complex) and go for either the uber-luxurious Sky View places at the top, or the cheerful and good value resturants at the bottom. It's maybe 10 minutes from the hotel, so perfect for when you've already been out all day and just want a quick meal and a couple of drinks. The view from the Sky Bars was, to be honest, less impressive than the view from our very own room!

Location tip: the hotel is directly connected to the subway Shidome station - look to the sides as you walk through the pedestrain area, look for the Park Hotel logo (3 tree or plant looking things, look it up on their website) on a board by a doorway and you'll find the lift tucked away. If you have big suitcases though, Shinbashi station is a better bet, and is only a ten minute walk away and there are plenty of taxis if you can't walk anymore - suitcases on the subway is not a good idea, as there are not many lifts but many escalators!

The staff, in my opinion, makes this a 4-star hotel, instead of a 3-star hotel. The staff is as good as any staff at Four Seasons or at similar top-notch luxury brand hotels would be. They are extremely courteous yet professional, and as accommodating! Perfect in my opinion!

The view from the lobby is stunning! You can see the snow-capped Mt Fuji though the panoramic window during the day time, and at night time, you can see the majestically lit up Tokyo Tower. The view from my room was good as well...didnt have the direct view of Tokyo Tower or Mt Fuji except for the tall buildings of Tokyo and Shinbashi station.

This hotel is one of the best kept secrets in entire Tokyo in terms of location for business travelers or for leisure seekers. Only a 10min walking distance from the famous Ginza district. In my opinion, the location is superbly convenient (Shiodome station for Yamanote Line and JR Trains is right under neath the hotel), shopping, restaurants, and post office all within easy walking/stroll distance.

So - why a 4-star not a 5 star?
The room is very functional, clean, with a full queen bed and a closet, a desk space, a lounger, and a wet bar completes the room. By Tokyo standards, the room is larger than most 4 or 3 star hotels. But the room still felt like utilitarian to me. I would rate the room a 4-star.
The 3 star comes from my room's vantage point (Room 3117). I heard every train, metro subway, the bullet train, loud speakers, and other city noises until very late into the night. For some, the noise level might bother them quite a bit. I had ear plugs, which let me sleep soundly, but I still heard the street and subway/train noise. Ironically, I did not hear any noise coming from my next door neighbors.
Other than the noise and with some upgraded amenities, this hotel might be a 4.5 star hotel. Then again, I dont love the high rate of 4.5 or 5 star hotel. That's why I will stay at this hotel.

I was doing business in Guam and wrapped things up a day early, so I decided to spend a day in Tokyo. I had never been to Japan before (except on my connecting flight to Guam), so needless to say I was excited but also nervous for my adventure.

I chose the Park Hotel Tokyo based on a recommendation and some online research and I was not disappointed. The lobby is on the 25th floor of the Shidome Media Tower and as you approach the front desk, you are treated to an amazing view of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji compliments of a wall of windows directly behind the front desk.

I was greeted with a warm smile by a friendly member of their staff who spoke English which was a very big relief for me since the only words I know in Japanese are konichiwa and arigato. Everything was perfect with my reservation and within minutes I was at the elevator heading up to my Queen City View room on the 29th floor. I was amazed at the speed and quietness of the elevator as I headed upstairs.

Entering my room, the first thing I noticed was how clean it was....and then my eyes were quickly diverted to the amazing view of the city that I had out of my window.

The room was small compared to comparably priced hotel rooms in the U.S., however, it was very comfortable and had everything that I needed for my one night stay in Tokyo. The highlights of the room were the very comfortable bed/pillows and the Grohe shower with incredibly good water pressure and temperature control.

Breakfast was a buffet in the lobby atrium and was above average. I say that only because the selection of items was smaller than I am used to...the food that was offered was very good, with both traditional Japanese offerings and American options.

Next stop was the Concierge desk to plan my day. There I spoke with another very friendly woman who also spoke very good english and not only helped me plan my day, but also walked through the currency with me and reviewed the store hours with me so I could strategically plan my morning. At this time I also purchased my bus ticket to the airport....which as a side note I highly recommend using Airport Limosine to/from the airport. Don't be fooled by the name though....it is a bus service that uses very nice coach-style buses with bathrooms on board. They are very clean and prohibit cell phone use which is fantastic!

The only negatives that I can offer regarding the hotel are as follows....

1. Since I only had one day in Tokyo, I asked for a late check out....2:00 instead of the standard 12:00 check out time. They agreed to my request but at a charge of 3000 yen....or roughly 35 American dollars based on the exchange rate while I was there. Not a big deal but I it would have been nice to get the extra 2 hours at no charge.

2. The hotel has a restaurant/lounge in the lobby area that I wanted to go have a beer at before heading to bed. As I started to enter, I was greeted by a sign that said a 1500 yen cover charge would be added to all bills in the lounge...even for hotel guests. If my intent was to spend the evening in the lounge with friends or meeting people, I would have paid it without any hesitation but my intent was to sit for just long enough to have a beer or two by myself and enjoy the view. Instead I ended up walking the equivalent of a few blocks to get my beer at a local pub.

Bottom line....the Park Hotel Tokyo is definitely a hotel that I would stay at again.

It was our first time in Tokyo and we came with friends’ warnings that hotel rooms would be cramped and everything would be expensive.

Thanks to a little research, we experienced neither.

To say that we had the loveliest four days in Park Hotel Tokyo would be an understatement. Let me break it down for you.

Location.
Park Hotel Tokyo is in the Shimbashi area near Ginza, THE shopping destination. We heard Ginza was a few minutes walk from the hotel but we always took a cab for roughly 900Yen which isn’t a lot. Park Hotel Tokyo is connected to the Shinbashi Train Station where you can catch the JR Train that takes you to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Akihabara, or the Tokyo Station- the drop off point if you want to walk to The Imperial Palace. From the basement of Park Hotel Tokyo, it’s a 300- meter walk to the train station. The underground/basement connection is particularly comforting during winter.

Convenience.
Whenever a pang of hunger hit, we would just go to Basement 2 of the hotel that houses two restaurants and a sake bar that’s open ‘till the wee hours. A Family Mart sits just outside the revolving door. A machine that converts your dollars to yen is just beside the reception area and is easy to use.

Room.
We booked late and couldn’t get a double room so we settled for a twin room. Each single bed is adequate, not tiny. I’m 5’2” and my husband is 5’10” and we snuggled in one bed comfortably. The standard twin room is 22 square meters, enough space for two people with a huge suitcase and an extra bag. I’m obsessive about cleanliness and the room passed the test, the heated toilet seats and the toiletries that get replenished daily a huge plus. Housekeeping kept everything neat every single day without the staff moving your personal things.

Service.
Check-In and Check-Out were efficient. We were early for the 2PM Check-In so we left our bags at the concierge. When we came back, we were ushered to our room where our bags were waiting. Sweet. Before we left, the staff arranged for an early schedule for the Narita Express. The staff was businesslike. It’s a business hotel, after all. They gave us space and were not overly solicitous which we appreciated because we’d rather be left alone. But once approached, the staff members go out of their way to help. In fact, the quick-thinking Japanese manager with a Richard Gere demeanor and looks (in a Japanese way) helped us find my husband’s misplaced wallet so fast we never had time to worry. It’s the kind of service that makes an indelible mark.

Park Hotel Tokyo is in a quiet area, far from the madness of the shopping crowd but accessible enough thanks to the underground walkway to the train station. We thought of staying in a hotel in the shopping district of Shibuya but congratulated ourselves for choosing to stay here because we could retreat to a quiet place after the sensory overload that is Tokyo.

The hotel rooms begin on the 26th Floor and the reception area is on the 25th Floor. An elevator takes you directly to the 25th Floor with a breathtaking view as you go up.

The View.
The most stunning thing about Park Hotel Tokyo is the view. A morning treat is having a steaming cup of coffee while staring at snow-capped Mt. Fuji and the arresting presence of Tokyo Tower. The view is even more magnificent at night as the whole city lights up. You drift off to sleep with a night light like no other.

To me, the hotel is not just a place to sleep. It’s part of the vacation.