Originally Posted by
ShopAround
It'll be HND, now that DL has moved operations there. And every time someone suggests a hotel, I look to see if it's served by the airport bus.
Regarding the Hilton, so many people have suggested it but when I look at the area in Googlemaps, it didn't look like there was much right around the hotel, so your comment about the location makes sense.
I'll be there the beginning of September, so the heat and humidity will probably be an issue. Hyatt is usually my last choice since my low status doesn't get me anything but I'll take a look at the Hyatt Centric.
Interesting that you both mention Ginza; when I started planning, that was the location I thought would be most suited for me. But I wasn't finding much in the way of the western chain hotels I needed to use points (five or six nights in a Courtyard wasn't very appealing), so I started looking elsewhere. Now I think I'm swinging back to my original plan and putting location over status.
Hilton Shinjuku is serviced directly by the limo bus.
Tokyo is a very, very, very large city. It's not something where you're going to walk out your hotel door and have everything within a 10-15 minute walking distance. What you want to do is pick a hotel that is very close to a convenient line. And let me tell you something, the larger stations in Tokyo (and Japan) can be extremely confusing and bewildering, ESPECIALLY for a first time visitor. I'm telling you right now OP, no matter how good you are with subways (and even if you're using Google Maps which will provide you with the right lines to take), you will lose your mind at least once or twice during your trip. The tochomae station right by the Hilton is as easy as they come in Japan. It will get you where you need to go and then figuring it out from there is quite easy.
MSP probably just isn't a fan of Shinjuku. The Hilton, Hyatt, and Park Hyatt are all right next to each other. If you search other forums, Shinjuku is consistently mentioned as a great place to base, especially for a first time visitor.