Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome Italia-gai Tokyo

The staff were all polite, friendly, and helpful, and I’m grateful for their hospitality. The hotel is well placed near several train and metro stations and among many major attractions. Most places in Tokyo are about 20 minutes away by metro. The rooms were very clean and relatively spacious by Tokyo hotel standards. As is common in Japan, the hotel offers plenty of personal amenities, including toothbrushes, facial cleansers, and other hygiene products.

We found the hotel comfortable and convenient, with the train station and Tokyo Tower within walking distance. There’s a Lawson, Family mart, and supermarket nearby, which helped since there’s no room service. We didn’t try breakfast because we chose to walk around instead. Our queen bed deluxe room was on the 12th floor, spacious, nicely balanced in colour, and had a good view. Since we visited in December, only central heating was available, but opening the window cooled the room enough. The public baths are on the 13th floor, separate for men and women and accessed with keycards. They have lockers, several hairdryers, soap, shampoo, and conditioner, plus instructions for first-timers. They seem tattoo-friendly, though people with tattoos are advised to visit later. The baths are open from 9pm to 6am. At a somewhat busy time, we noticed some discomfort among the other guests. A vending machine outside sells a wide variety of drinks. There are four laundry rooms around the building. Bring 100¥ coins. They were in fairly high demand, but we had no trouble washing our clothes. Toiletries are available on the ground floor, so pick them up before going upstairs. We were pleasantly welcomed at check-in. It was our first trip to Japan, and since we were celebrating our anniversary, they’d thoughtfully prepared a small gift. The hotel has three elevators and 13 floors total. For families with kids who love firetrucks, there’s a fire station just across the street. They may sound the sirens when called out, but we found it fascinating to see their routine checks, drills, and preparations when we passed.

Check-in and checkout were wonderful, and the staff were great. The breakfast was below par, though: the soft-boiled eggs were practically uncooked, and the food layout seemed to have no organization or flow. My room was incredibly hot every night. The heating and cooling are centrally controlled, and closing the vents didn’t help. I tried opening the window, but it’s next to a fire station.

My room became scorching hot after dinner, even though I’d set the temperature cool before heading out. The vents were blowing hot air. The front desk said the hotel turns the air conditioning on or off according to the season, without explaining why. They suggested opening the windows and turning off the air, and offered a fan if it stayed too hot. They also offered to change rooms, which wouldn’t solve the problem. I found the situation extremely uncomfortable and upsetting, and felt it was unsafe for my family. It was hard for me to breathe in that environment. The laundry was another major frustration. Although the elevator and room TV showed machine availability and remaining time, there were only four small machines in total, one each on floors 7, 8, 11, and 12. Washing was at best okay, but the machines didn’t dry clothes at all. I lost both time and money, and found a laundry business one block away instead. The machines held only a small amount of clothing and didn’t wash well either. Getting to the hotel with luggage meant an 8-9 minute walk from the metro. It wasn’t a big deal at first, but felt far after a long day. Check-in at the kiosk went smoothly, though an employee had a somewhat rude air when directing me there. I let it go, wanting to enjoy the trip. I’d booked four nights, from 2/11-2/15, at roughly $150 USD per night, based on the four-star rating, decent price, reviews, and other factors. The hotel also has an outdated look, and the vents weren’t good when showering. For me, it merits at most three stars and wasn’t worth the price or treatment. There are many other hotels, so I’d suggest choosing another one, not one of their branches. I won’t return. I’ve seen other reviews say the same.