Where to Stay - Tokyo - page 100

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in a lobby that overlooks a rooftop garden that seems almost surreal. Key cards are
required to access elevators to guest rooms, which are of standard size and decorated in
warm browns. Small bathrooms have deep Japanese-style tubs with pillows for relaxing
(the first I've seen in Japan). Roomy deluxe twins have “Japanese corners,” a tatami area
with a low table (and a “leg well” under the table for those errant limbs), but for the best
view ask for a room facing Tokyo Station, where triple-pane glass allows you to watch
bullet trains silently glide by. Though quite classy (and pricey), the Marunouchi is lack-
ing in facilities and services, placing it more squarely in the business-hotel category.
1-6-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005. & 03/3217-1111. Fax [phone]. www.marunouchi-
hotel.co.jp. 205 units. ¥23,300-¥29,075 single; ¥31,385-¥52,375 double; ¥115,900 suite. AE, DC, MC, V.
Station: Tokyo (1 min. via underground passageway) or Otemachi (2 min.). Amenities: 3 restaurants; bar;
concierge; room service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, high-speed Internet, trouser presser.

Royal Park Hotel The Royal Park is located east of Tokyo Station (about a
10-min. ride by taxi), not far from the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Suitengu Shrine
(popular with expectant mothers hoping for safe deliveries). One of its greatest assets,
aside from the friendly and superbly efficient staff and its interesting environs, is that it's
connected via enclosed walkway to the Tokyo City Air Terminal, the main terminus of
the Airport Limousine Bus (which shuttles passengers to and from Narita Airport fre-
quently), making this a convenient place for visitors with only a night or two to spend
in Tokyo. It's also the first hotel I've seen with a Woman's Traveler Desk, offering check-
in and other special services. But what makes it particularly attractive to business travel-
ers, including many Americans, is its up-to-date guest rooms with a sophisticated
computerized TV system that allows guests to access 80 channels and the Internet, send
e-mail, and check airline schedules for free, plus, for a fee, watch videos on demand, play
computer games, and more. Its views are uninspiring, however, even the so-called “city
views,” considered the hotel's best.
2-1-1 Nihombashi-Kakigara-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8520. & 800/457-4000 in the U.S., or 03/3667-
1111. Fax [phone]. www.rph.co.jp. 406 units. ¥27,300-¥45,150 single; ¥35,700-¥49,350 double.
Executive floor from ¥34,650 single; ¥44,100 double. Rates exclude service charge and hotel tax. AE, DC,
MC, V. Station: Suitengu-mae (underneath the hotel). Amenities: 6 restaurants; bar; 2 lounges; babysit-
ting; concierge; executive-level rooms; health club w/20m indoor pool (fee: ¥1,575 for either alone);
room service. In room: A/C, TV/DVD w/free high-speed Internet access, hair dryer, high-speed Internet
(fee: ¥1,200 for 24 hr.), minibar.

5

SHINJUKU
In addition to the recommendations below, there's the nearby Hilton Tokyo, 6-6-2
Nishi-Shinjuku ( & 800/HILTONS [445-8667] in the U.S., or 03/334-5111; www.
hilton.com), with 815 rooms, 5 restaurants, a health club with an indoor pool, and free
shuttle service to Shinjuku Station. Look online or call for room prices, as Hilton main-
tains “floating” rates that ebb with the law of demand. Tip: Join Hilton HHonors for
free, and you also gain free entrance to its health club.
Hyatt Regency Tokyo Located on Shinjuku's west side next to Shinjuku Chuo
(Central) Park (popular with joggers), this least expensive and oldest of the Hyatt's three
Tokyo properties celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005 with renovated restaurants and
rooms. Remaining is the hotel's impressive seven-story atrium lobby with three of the
most massive chandeliers you're likely to see anywhere. Many foreigners (mostly Ameri-
can) pass through the hotel's doors, ably assisted by the excellent staff, which meets the
Hyatt's usual high standards. However, because this hotel is popular with both business
and leisure groups, those seeking a quieter, more personalized experience will want to