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Originally Posted by seigex
(Post 34029777)
For those of us who will have to start paying for hotels as borders open up due to decimated points balances thanks to lack of work travel during COVID, what recommendations do you all have for cheaper hotels in great locations but won't break the bank for more than 2 weeks of staying? Especially, hotels different from the standard western ones (Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Continental, etc...)
I have a Moxy Kinshicho stay coming up soon, using the last of my Bonvoy points, and was able to get a fairly good price. Nice hotel. That said, I will be back in Japan often and left consulting during COVID, so travel will be very limited with the new job and I what few points I get back will be coming from credit cards. I'm looking for hotels with maybe basic amenities, comfortable bed, a desk and good Wi-Fi to work from with my laptop, but most importantly centrally located in a great neighborhood and near train stations. I know this is kind of broad, but I'm hoping to see lots of recommendations, based on experience, that people can use for when they're booking their trips going forward. Thanks! |
No recommendations but a big thank you to all that posted some. I've been planning a Cherry Blossom Bucket List trip to Japan since 2020 (now hoping for 2023) and these recommendations will come in handy. (BTW: It looks like they have reinstituted limited shuttle service from the Park Hyatt to Shinjuku station, but only on weekends and holidays. It's a long walk carrying nothing, but with luggage it's a huge trek, I guess Hyatt figures if you can afford to stay there, you can afford a cab to and from the station.
https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ja...transportation ). |
Originally Posted by freecia
(Post 34030591)
What do you like to do while in Tokyo when not working? Staying near that would save a good bit of time and train squeezes during commute hours.
Originally Posted by freecia
(Post 34030591)
Kinshicho's been on my list of areas to look for a hotel as it has a lot of activity but a little less touristed. It's near a Seijo Ishi and has a lot of food & shopping options. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33337468-post12.html Er, I admit I go there for the several rather large 100 yen chain stores.
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Thanks for the recommendations everyone! Keep them coming. I'm going to create a Wiki to log them today.
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Originally Posted by YariGuy
(Post 34030692)
I find the APA chain to be pretty good as well.
The Prince hotels are also nice, I have gotten booked there a few times. There aren't as many and they are slightly nicer in the lobby areas but the rooms are pretty standard business hotel fare. |
Originally Posted by seigex
(Post 34031993)
Me personally, though this thread isn't meant to be specific to me, I like to jump to trains and ride them to random towns and cities. I'm a huge train fan, so any train time I can get, especially middle of the day when it's not like a can of sardines is great, especially in the summer when it's hot and humid.
Do you ride the regional or private trains more than shinkansen or JR Express? I've also taken a look at Tokyu line towards Setagaya & Kawasaki, Keio out towards Kichijoji for the commute hub near core Tokyo life. I also see another Hotel Mets on top of JR Mizonokuchi out that way so that chain might fit your proximity interests https://www.hotelmets.jp/en/index.html |
I stayed at the "Daiwa Roynet Hotel Ginza" a couple of years ago and it was decent.
The standard Japanese hotel room is quite a bit smaller than what you'd expect in the west. But I remember the Daiwa Roynet hotel being spacious even by western standards. And the room even came with a massage chair! I think we paid $140usd/night. Also a tip for booking Japanese hotels is to look no further than 3 months in advance. Most hotels do not list availability until then, so there will severely limited supply and/or weird prices until 3 months out. |
Originally Posted by freecia
(Post 34032462)
Do you ride the regional or private trains more than shinkansen or JR Express? I've also taken a look at Tokyu line towards Setagaya & Kawasaki, Keio out towards Kichijoji for the commute hub near core Tokyo life. I also see another Hotel Mets on top of JR Mizonokuchi out that way so that chain might fit your proximity interests https://www.hotelmets.jp/en/index.html
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Originally Posted by YariGuy
(Post 34030692)
I find the APA chain to be pretty good as well. I've also stayed at Toyoko Inn and Tokyu and find them in the same clean, convenient, but small range.
One tip is that if you're not signing up for their membership programs. I know Toyoko Inn gives discounts to members. If you don't, booking through hotels.com gives a straight-forward stay 10 nights get one free scheme. |
I'll add my 2 cents (pence, sen) in for APA as well. Used to stay at the several of them in Shinjuku as well as around Akihabara and Ochanomizu. As noted rooms are a bit small by western standards but there's enough space as long as I wasn't dealing with a lot of drawing or multiple computers at the same time.
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I really like Prince chain and have stayed at them in Shinagawa and Ikebukuro since 2004, probably over 300 nights.
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I ended up deciding on staying in Tokyo for my late June/early July trip instead of going to Hokkaido, assuming tourists are allowed to enter by then. I booked the Akihabara Washington Hotel, right across of the Akihabara station. Tiny room, but only $47/ni and a great location. Has anyone used this hotel who can give an opinion on it? And if so, how was the WiFi at the hotel and was there a place to work from, desk or table?
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Originally Posted by Kongduino
(Post 34033651)
I've stayed in APA hotels quite a few times – still have the membership card somewhere :-) – but the rooms are usually cramped, if well organized. I'd hate to have to work in a APA hotel room. They are however everywhere, and relatively cheap. Right-Wing Hoteliers in Japan Anger China With Radical Historical Views https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/b...hotel-apa.html Choice Hotels are small but the breakfast, washing machine and lounge spaces can be nice. Great deal if using points. Daiwa Roynet are good. My Stay and Keio Presso Inn are cheap and decent. AirBnB is tricky. There are some good ones that would be ideal for a longer stay, but many of the cheaper ones have problems (not evident in picts). |
When my wife's parents come to visit us in Tokyo they stay across the street from us at the Dormy Inn Hatchobori- the rooms are typical Japanese small but they are fine -- and they love the "Onsen" that is at the property as well as being right next to Hatchobori Station which allows easy access to multiple lines -- or you can easily walk to Ginza or enjoy a walk on the Sumida River. Prices are always reasonable (for Tokyo lol) and it's clean and well kept. Plenty of decent restaurants as well (which is one of the many reasons we live in the neighborhood).
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Originally Posted by sharktums
(Post 34036980)
I really like Prince chain and have stayed at them in Shinagawa and Ikebukuro since 2004, probably over 300 nights.
https://www.princehotels.co.jp/psi/en/ebisu/ Looks pretty nice for under 10,000 yen. in Tokyo. Another one opening in Kyoto next week. |
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