Fantastic Recent Stay
Below is a review I just submitted to TripAdvisor about our recent stay (Oct 4-10) at The Westin Tokyo. I hope it is helpful to someone considering staying there. It was a fabulous property:
After returning from a six-night stay at the Tokyo Westin, I must say that I am greatly suprised to re-read some of the negative comments on here regarding this hotel. Our experience at the Tokyo Westin was excellent.
We redeemed Starwood points for the six-night stay in a superior king-bedded room. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly by all the staff in the motor coach area. Our bags were quickly whisked away and we were led to the check-in desk by one of the staff. The transition from the airport shuttle bus to the check-in desk was seemless and handled very professionally.
At check in, we were offered an upgrade to an Executive Floor room with breakfast and executive lounge privileges for 7000 yen a night (about $60 a night). (Since we are just Gold, we would not have received either of these otherwise). We figured it was worth it since would eliminate the stress of finding a place to have breakfast every morning. Plus, all those free drinks and appetizers do add up over the course of six days. We took the upgrade.
The room was very nice. We were in a corner king-bedded room on the 14th floor with a wonderful view of Shibuya, Shinjuku and Roppongi. As referenced in prior reviews, the decor is definitely more Western than Asian-influenced. However, the room was very tastefully decorated and the carpet, walls and furntiure were in excellent condition. The room had a separate sitting area with a couch, lounging chair, coffee table and cocktail table. Marble columns framed the sitting area. The bed was comfortable, but it is not your typical Westin Heavenly Bed. It is a bit firmer than those beds. There was also a makeup table and mirror adjacent to the bed. The bathroom had marble floors and accents. There was a separate shower and tub. The products were replenished daily and there is a kit with all sorts of items if you forget to bring some from home (e.g., toothbrush, toothpaste, etc).
Unlike other reports on here, we found the buffet breakfast to be perfectly acceptable and quite good. The breakfast selection includes: made to order eggs, scrambled eggs, oven-basked eggs, crispy and regular bacon, two different types of sausage links, potatoes (sometimes broiled, sometimes mashed), asparagus, rice, a daily chicken dish, a daily pasta dish, miso and other soups, all types of breads and pastries, pancakes, waffles, doughnuts, cereals, yogurt, and all kinds of Japanese breakfast items (including some sushi). There are all sorts of freshly squeezed juices, milk and excellent coffee. There is a bakery at the entrance to the restuarant that makes amazing desserts. We tried several over the course of our stay and they were always very, very good. The service at the breakfast restaurant and at the bakery was top notch. Glasses were refilled regularly and without request. The entire staff was extremely friendly, attentive and bent over backwards to please us.
We took advantage of the executive lounge on a daily basis. In addition to the drinks and snacks available throughout the day, there is a daily happy hour from 5:30-7:30 p.m. There were 6-8 different types of appetizers set up daily. The selection varied from day to day, so there was no way to get bored. The drinks included soft drinks, juices, beer, wine and liquor. Once again, the staff at the executive lounge was extremely friendly and attentive.
The common areas of the hotel are very well maintained. The lobby is gorgeous and there was no stench of smoke anywhere.
As for the hotel's location, it is located in the neighborhood of Ebisu. For those of you that want the craziness and lights of Shinjuku or hibuya, this is not your hotel. This hotel is a residential neighborhood and a bit secluded from the craziness of Tokyo nightlife. However, the Ebisu JR and subway stations are a brisk 5-minute walk from the hotel. There are even moving sidewalks to help you along the way. We found the location very convenient to moving around Tokyo on the JR and subway line, and it was quite nice to return to a quiet, more residential abode in the evenings after spending all day in the hussle of the city. Ebisu Garden Place is adjacent to the hotel and includes a Mitsukoshi department store, Beer Garden and Grill, Italian eaterie and other restuarants (Joel Robuchon is located in a beautiful mini-palace building), McDonald's and an office buiding that houses Morgan Stanley.
Overall, I must say that our experience at the Tokyo Westin ranks as one of the best we have had at any hotel worldwide. The service we received at the hotel from every staff member hotel-wide was top notch. I was actually very depressed to leave the Westin Tokyo and check into the Westin Osaka (but that is another review). We will definitely return to the Westin Tokyo when we are back in Tokyo, and we highly recommend it to others. We are truly shocked that this hotel is not rated higher on TripAdvisor.