Originally Posted by
joejones
Having stayed at both,
- Conrad has larger/nicer rooms and a nicer executive lounge.
- Hilton is larger and busier, taking up a whole building whereas Conrad only takes up the top floors of a building.
- On-side dining options are pretty solid at both, but I really like Hilton's jazz bar and seasonal holiday buffet. Conrad's options have more of an expensive/sterile/corporate feel to them (in keeping with the brand).
- Both have direct subway access, but are a bit of a hike to the closest JR station. Hilton connects to two lines (Marunouchi and Oedo), Conrad only connects to Oedo.
- Both are in fairly uninteresting center-city areas surrounded by high-rise office buildings.
- They both have more interesting areas within 15-20 minutes' walking distance. Conrad is near Shinbashi (low-end nightlife district frequented by Japanese salarymen) and Ginza (high-end shopping and nightlife district). Likewise, Hilton is near Shinjuku, but the more interesting parts of Shinjuku (Kabukicho, Golden Gai, 3-chome, 2-chome, Shinjuku Gyoen) are on the other side of the JR station. Either way you have to walk a while, or take a short cab ride, to get to the really interesting areas.
- Conrad is much closer to Tokyo Station and somewhat closer to the airports. Shimbashi Station on the Asakusa Line, a few minutes from the Conrad, has direct train service to both airports, although it's a commuter train and doesn't have extra luggage space.
Just to add, the Hilton Tokyo is much closer to lively entertainment, multitude of restaurants, bars and the like. The Conrad is more upscale, but expect more subdued neighborhoods, although some really fun spots can be found.