I spent a night there in mid October and mid November on my way back to SPN from the U.S. mainland. The first time was with my wife and two sons (8 and 9) and the second time without the boys.
It seems all NRT rooms are small by western standards at both the Radisson (where NW provides a free room if connecting to or from SPN) and the Hilton. But I have no complaint. In 20 stays at both over the past ten years, I've always found the rooms immaculately clean.
The TV seems standard at all NRT hotels.
I really like the Japanese-style high velocity hose showers, and the green tea bags in the rooms. The Hilton has those automated toilets that clean you with jets of warm water (female and unisex buttons). Controls to the aircon/ heat and radio are by the bed.
All hotel shuttle buses serve NRT Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. From Terminal 1, you cross the street after clearing customs, and follow the covered walkway to the last row of bus pick-up lanes, #14.
There are lots of nice pathways and lanes nearby for walking in the local forests, rice fields, and countryside if you are so inclined.
When I tried to make an online reservation at the Hilton for two adults and two children, the system would always say no such rooms were available.
I keep in my ticket wallet a copy of the HiltonHHonors terms and conditions page that says spouses stay free (except at Hamptons), but I have never noticed a difference in price at the NRT Hilton with one or two persons, so I just list two.
I figured if I had to, my kids would sleep on the floor, but no one ever called me on it. The beds are best characterized as double beds. A bit of a tight fit for two adults, but good for marital togetherness, particularly on a cold night with two people more accustomed to tropical climes.
On both recent stays I was on the outer part of the semicircle, looking northeast toward the forest and ocean, with some wonderful views of incoming aircraft, but just too far counterclockwise (west of the elevators) to see the runway itself.
In my November stay I had just completed my CNTU Gold, my first stay in that status. Nevertheless, I was not put on what has been referred to as the "top floor". [The very top floor is actually restaurants and meeting rooms.]
However, my room reeked of smoke, and I immediately called down to the front desk and they reassigned me up to the highest floor, a few rooms up. I found no difference whatsoever, but maybe I wasn't observant enough. OK, the top floor did have different carpeting and seemed to have been renovated more recently.
I have had the "smoking problem" on Guam, too, a U.S. territory where most of the tourists are from Japan. If I recall correctly, the reservation is only a "request" for a nonsmoking room.
So I would definitely mention and emphasize the nonsmoking preference if that is important to you.
On previous stays I had always subsisted on snacks and drinks from my arriving flight or an airport lounge, so the coupons for the breakfast buffet were extremely welcome.
It is a wonderfully delicious breakfast buffet, and you can eat as much as you want of whatever you choose (no limit to solely "continental" breakfast items), with as many trips or plates to the serving lines. Just don't "lose" your silverware. I usually go for the more healthy Japanese food, but there is plenty available for western tastes.
[If you stay at the Radisson courtesy of NW, you get free breakfast vouchers too, plus other meals eastbound.]
The custom at both Hilton and Radisson is for you or the waiter to put your voucher into a little napkin-ring-like holder on your table, and then bring that with you to present to the cashier as your form of payment when leaving the dining area.
I am on the thrify side, but I think the hotel is well worth the almost $150 I paid. Definitely a good location for a mileage run, and closer to the airport than the Radisson. As noted by a previous poster, the Holiday Inn is even closer, and looks good from the outside. I've never stayed there.
The NRT Hilton does sell out, so I may stay at HI someday. If it sells out on my outbound, I simply catch the 0430 SPN-GUM flight, connecting to a 0930 NRT arrival, and hang out at NRT airport lounges for six hours, avoiding the need to overnight on the outbound.
Returning to Guam, you can avoid a night in NRT by leaving at 2000, arriving around 0100 on GUM, but there is no connection to SPN until 0600.
I didn't know about the drink coupons for Gold HHonors members.
Where are they redeemed?