John C

On an upcoming trip, I have reservations at:

Renaissance Tokyo Hotel Ginza Tobu
JW Marriott Hotel Seoul

Marriott Customer Service recommends a shuttle bus for reaching each hotel, but cannot provide any additional details.

Does anyone here have experience with these hotels and have any recommendations for the best way to reach them from the airports (NRT & ICN)?

If the shuttle buses are the best choice, could anyone provide any additional information such as where to catch the buses, what to look for, how often they run, how long the trip takes, cost and payment options, etc.

Thanks!

AADC10

I stayed at the Renaissance Tokyo Hotel Ginza Tobu about 3 years ago and there is a shuttle bus that drops you off right in front of the hotel. I took the train because it was cheaper and I thought my son would enjoy it more than the bus. The train is more difficult because you need to transfer from the Narita train to the municipal subway at Ueno Station. There is another, more expensive but faster express train that goes to another station, but I do not remember the details.

There are counters near the exit from Terminal 1 (US, most other foreign carriers) for the various train and bus lines into Tokyo. I would imagine that there is a similar counter in the newer Terminal 2 (JAL, ANA). I would suggest calling the hotel directly as they almost always have somebody at the desk that speaks English to find the specific bus that will take you to the hotel. I suspect it is run by the Tobu train company.

If you are travelling in a small group that will fit in one cab, it might be worth the expense. Otherwise I would suggest the bus. If you are good at getting on the right train and do not have much luggage, that would be the cheapest way to go and probably the fastest during traffic.

There is little on the outside of the hotel to indicate that it is a Renaissance, other than a small, eye level sign. Despite booking the rservation though the Marriott website and presenting my MR card at check in (and even having MR applications in English in the lobby), Marriott Rewards only posted the points after I faxed in a copy of the receipt. The same was the case for the Visa points.

monahos

The busses you are considering are not the hotels' own shuttle busses, but ones run by Airport Limousine Bus in Tokyo and Korean Air in Seoul, respectively. You can't miss them, as both depart just outside arrivals; tickets are sold at counters inside at the arrivals levels.

If you are unfamiliar with Tokyo and/or have a suitcase, the white and orange Limousine Bus is certainly the most convenient way to reach the Renaissance Ginza (known as the Ginza Tobu hotel to most taxi drivers). Taking the Narita Express train to Tokyo station then a taxi would not save any money, but should be considered if there is no bus coming soon. I usually print out the relevant train and bus schedules to be able to pick the one departing first.

A taxi from the airport will run close to $300, forget it.

The bus runs roughly once an hour and costs Y3,000. Major cards are accepted at NRT. For the return, the hotel concierge should be able to charge it to your room (extra points )


In Seoul, the baby blue Korean Air limousine busses are certainly the way to go, being nearly as fast as taxis and very comfortable, much more so than their japanese counterparts which cram about twice as many seats in a similar-sized bus. As I recall there are half a dozen lines serving a handful of hotels each; should run ~$10, a little over an hour, more in the morning and evening.

John C

Great Info. Thanks!