allset2travel

Thanks for the link to some fine pics. But boy was the site sloooooow!
Might try this property next time. My usual Nagoya bed is at the Marriott Associa (can't beat being just upstairs in the train station)

lucky9876coins

I stayed at the Westin Nagoya Castle a few weeks ago for two nights on a C&P booking, and only got a suite upgrade for one of the two nights. The suite was spacious and modern, while the deluxe room I had for one of the nights left quite a bit to be desired.

For anyone that's interested I wrote a full review of my stay with dozens of pictures on my blog, which can be found here.

jpdx

There hasn't been an update in 2 years, so I figured I'd write a brief report about two recent stays here. In short: This is one of your quirky Japanese Westins, but can be great value for Platinums.

Used SNAs (expiring), which for both stays cleared very last minute. The suites are exactly as pictured in the blog links above. Some public areas of the hotel (hallways and elevator) ooze that unrenovated charm displayed by so many Japanese hotels, but the suites are in good repair and of course spotlessly clean. The suites are located on the highest floor, with a nice view of Nagoya castle. Very enjoyable during cherry blossom season! Furniture was functional, if moderately uncomfortable. There appear to be no king-bedded suites.

The location is ok for tourists; very close to the castle and several parks, 10-15 minutes from the subway. Be warned, however, that there's not much in the immediate vicinity in terms of food or amenities, except convenience stores and fast food. This is a bit problematic, as the food options on-site are limited. The room service menu is strange (I came to this hotel after a TPAC flight, so would have appreciated room service), and the main restaurant was buffet only. As reported in prior posts, the club lounge arrangement is bizarre; the lounge is open during daytime only and holds reading materials, softdrinks/coffee, and some cookies. I was given a coupon for one drink in the lounge, but it had "Executive Level" stamped on it, and ended up being good for unlimited drinks (from a limited selection/special menu). The appetizer plate mentioned in earlier posts remained elusive. Breakfast (served in the buffet restaurant) was among my top-3 worst hotel breakfasts of the year; tables and chairs are uncomfortable, the food is unappealing in selection and quality. Much of the "hot" food was cold, and the fruit was frozen.

Transportation from Nagoya station is by shuttle bus; unfortunately, the schedule is sub-optimal in that you will have a 40-50 minute wait if arriving on a railpass-eligible train from Tokyo, and the bus stops running after 8pm. I ended up taking a cab on both stays, and consider the 1200 JPY money well spent.

I have, since my stays, received several surveys and reminders asking for feedback about my stay, including the usual outcome measure "would you stay here again or recommend the hotel to others?" I'm torn about this; I didn't particularly like the location and food, and Nagoya doesn't have that much to offer (although there are some interesting technology/car museums). The hotel practices what I'm going to call somewhat erratic revenue management, with rates fluctuating between 9,000 and 40,000 JPY on my dates. For my first stay, I ended up booking a best flex (!) rate of 9,000 JPY (about two months out); the rates inched up to 40,000 and the hotel ended up sold out. My second stay, I booked spontaneously (replacing a night in Kobe), and the only available rates were rack at 32,000 JPY, award at 7,000 points, or C&P at 3,500 points plus $55. Nagoya isn't part of the usual tourist circuit, but if you can lock in rooms at that lower end of the spectrum, there's nothing wrong with spending a couple of nights here (it worked quite well after a TPAC flight coming into NRT). The value for Platinums -suite, quirky club/lounge benefit, breakfast buffet, 500 points- isn't bad at all. Cherry blossom season 2015 is wide open for C&P bookings (as, shockingly, is the case for Westin Kyoto and several other Japanese properties), and there's no harm in making some speculative bookings.

Antonio8069

I can echo & supplement the above review (which is excellent) from a recent SPG free 2-night award stay..............(14000 SPG points).

The shuttle from the JR station begins at 08:30 am (from the hotel) and ends at 8 pm. The hours for the bus are inadequate, management knows this and promised to expand it on April 1, 2913 (check the hotel's own site). Never happened. You take the shuttle from the entrance to the station which is adjacent to the entrance for the Marriott.

PLAT recognition is (IMO) sub-optimal. I requested a suite upgrade on the higher floors (9 or 10) and this was not available. The standard rooms are on the small side but the view of the castle is nice.

The Library Bar on the 8th is (as suggested above) bizarre. As a Plat guest, we enjoyed the full buffet breakfast (7-10 am) and then the library bar opens at 08:30 am for mineral water & cookies? Also, the property has a F/T attendant who was determined to prevent guests taking beverages outside. So the only reason to visit the bar is they have 2 computers with printer. Beats the "business center" which is as old as the hotel and charges 100 yen for 10 minutes (i.e. no free option for printing boarding passes).

The highlight of the property is undoubtedly its Fitness Center, which seems to operate 11 am - 9 pm daily. It has a nice lap pool, a huge sauna, hot & cold plunge pools, shaving stations, cooling off room c/w TVs. Hotel guests need to wear a bathing cap in order to use the pool - or - the hotel sells you one for 275 yen. We bought water bottles from the fitness center - cute souvenirs with Japanese writing, for 400 yen.

The hotel was frequented both nights during our stay by groups of Chinese seniors on tour. Made for a very crowded breakfast buffet.

For central Japan, this is a reasonable place to stay if you have SPG points to burn and want to visit Narra. Otherwise, I would avoid it.

EXPLAT

Is the fitness center free for Gold's? Can't decide between here or the Marriott at the train station for a quick overnight stay.

Starwood Lurker IV

Hi EXPLAT,

The fitness center fee is waived for all Starwood Preferred Guest members at The Westin Nagoya Castle. We hope to see you there soon.

Kind regards,

Alexandra Baker
Specialist, Social Media
Starwood Hotels and Resorts

[email protected]

Antonio8069

You definitely want the Marriott. Its right outside the station. The shuttle bus to the Westin only operates from 09:00 am to 8:00 pm. Otherwise, its a 1800 JPNY taxi ride.

With all of the auto industry located near Nagoya, I was surprised that Starwood does not have better offerings? Seems like an ideal location for a St. R property?

Evident

anyone stay here recently? I will be staying here for a night in november as the westin kyoto has ludicrous rates. Plan on checking out some toyota museums before taking the shinkansen up to tokyo.

Spock Seat

Kinda out of the way, away from the real heart of the city, but they have a [very classy] shuttle bus to and from Nagoya Station. Not too too far from another underground station, but far enough.

Evident

Just stayed here for a night to make a day trip to the Toyota Automobile museum. I had a small room but the amenities were nice enough for the price. The lobby was very classy and reminded me of the Kyoto Okura Hotel.

I used the swimming pool for an hour. They will give you a bathing suit and cap if you dont have one, and you can buy goggles.

The_Wrath_of_Khan

Considering a stay here next week.

meraki1990

Let me know how it goes, I have a 5 night Nights&Flights stay here in July.

jpdx

I stayed here again in March 2016, and I don't think anything has changed from my April 2014 trip report.

The_Wrath_of_Khan

So have you compared the Marriott and Hilton properties? As a SPG Plat and Hilton Diamond with no SNA what would you choose?

jpdx

Only been to Westin and Marriott. I usually come to Nagoya for one of two reasons: (1) Stopover on arrival day from US, or (2) Sumo Tournament. For (1), the Marriott is a better option (located right by the train station), and for (2), the Westin wins. In terms of club/breakfast benefit, neither is a particularly strong hotel. I had a tiny room at Marriott (only Gold), but some of the standard rooms at the Westin are reported to be pretty awful (I never had one). In terms of location for a tourist, the Westin isn't particularly amazing if you're into shopping, but fine if you're spending an overnight and want to hit the castle in the morning before moving on.