Originally Posted by
dcchi
LOCATION
The hotel is located fairly close by Shinagawa Station, which is a major subway/rail station in Tokyo (something akin to Gare du Nord in Paris). If you are coming in from Narita, you can take the Narita Express directly here. It is simply the stop after Tokyo Station (note: the 12-car NEX train splits in two at Tokyo Station so your 6-car train will journey on towards Shinagawa and beyond).
When you arrive at Shinagawa from the airport, like any major rail terminal, it will be a complete whirlwind. You will want to head towards sign that say "Central Gate". You will need to use your ticket to exit the turnstiles. Once you've exited the turnstile, you will head left towards the West Gate, which is the Takanawa area. To get to the hotel, walk north (i.e., make a right when you get outside onto the street) about the equivalent of a NYC block, cross the major street at the crosswalk (where there is a 7-11, though not a Sevens Bank ATM), and head up the hill about the equivalent of a NYC block and a half. While this part of the walk is uphill, it is only somewhat steep and not overwhelmingly long, so we never really thought it was that hard (even on arrival with large suitcases of luggage to haul ourselves). In total, it will probably take about 8-10 minutes from the subway/rail platform to the hotel entrance.
Exiting the Narita Express yesterday, the nearest (and only posting that I saw) exit was "North Gate". I exited and then walked towards the signs for Takanawa and followed these instructions to get to the hotel.
As a Plat, I was upgraded to a corner room (5131) on the 11th floor. This is a large room with wide view that includes Tokyo Tower.
Beer in the Executive Lounge is canned Asahi, Sapporo and Heineken.
A few tables were available when I entered the lounge for breakfast, but when I left there was a que 8 deep.
The gym opens at 6. I entered at 6:05 and it was half full. Three treadmills and 3 or 4 ellipticals with free weights and other machines. You need to sign your name and room number upon entering.
I don't like this location compared to the Courtyard in Ginza. Once you get two blocks from the station, the activity level really drops off. The hotel itself is great, but I've canceled my reservation for later this week and rebooked at the Courtyard.