The Hilton Shinjuku is a typical business hotel with a lot or traffic. I could not see any particular reason to give it 4 stars, so I give it 3, although it should be a 3.5. It is in a good location in Shinjuku, about 10-15 minutes to Shinjuku station. Service is okay but slow due to the large amount of customers. It is old and probably needs a little renovation. One tremendous lack of taste that I noted was that there was no complimentary water in the room. Additionally, the service at the front desk is not all that attentive.

If the difference between the Mandarin Oriental and the Hilton Tokyo is a half a star there is something drastically wrong with the way things are rated.

The overall check in process was fine until what we were told was an upgrade to a better room (because of our gold status) was actually a downgrade. We booked a king bed non-smoking and were told they had an upgrade for us on a floor with executive lounge access. We entered the room and it was -on an smoking floor - had a double bed , not a king - was cramped and extremely dated - and the bathroom was disgusting
We called downstairs and they tried to tell us that nothing was available to switch us to that night after asking 3 times for the managers email address they then mysteriously had a room to move us to. This room isn't much better. While it has a king bed the carpet is made of cheap felt that's worn the couch is worn as well And the leatherette has a hole in it that someone tried to paint over to make it less noticeable. There are scuff marks all over the floor moulding

and then there is the Bathroom. You can't use the shower normally because the water sprays out of the tub and floods the floor. The bathroom is so dated and grimy that its not worthy of being in even a 3 star hotel.

Then there is the minibar - coca cola is 550 yen pricey but fine.... DONT Go to the buffet and order one thinking it will be priced similarly because its not, it's a whopping 950yen. Seriously.

Do not stay here thinking that its a 4.5 star hotel, because its not and your wasting your money.

I made a stop over in Tokyo on my way to China to meet friends for a dinner in central Tokyo. Since I am a loyal HHonors Diamond member, this hotel being in the heart of Shinjuku was a natural choice. Narita Airport shuttle had a direct stop at the hotel.

The hotel is solid in most areas, e.g. room, facilities, restaurant service, etc. as many others have reviewed. So I won't repeat here. From my experience, there were 2 areas that can be improved upon:

- Check in: While there was a marked check in line/area designated for HHonors next to the general check in line, it was not in operation at the time of my check in, even though there was a long line of 5-6 parties and no staff inquired if anyone was a HHonors member.

- I had a reservation at the hotel for the airport shuttle in early morning. While the shuttle bus was by the entrance on time and the shuttle bus driver already got all passengers onto the bus, it took 10-15 mins before the hotel staff came out to exchange paperwork with the driver and confirm the passengers boarded from the hotel. The shuttle thus had a late departure.

I would like to reiterate that the aforementioned feedback should be deemed as a tune up point, not a turn away point. The hotel is great all around. I will always go back to the hotel when I visit Tokyo.

First rate staff responsiveness - delighted to have Eggs Benedict and free refill of cappuccino at lobby restaurant, superb Indian dinner at Ashoka restaurant in Arcade and easy access to Oedo train line from arcade so that we could go to Toshimaen Garden Spa in 18 minutes. Had wonderful holiday break there and would go again....