Hotel Review: Hilton Tokyo Odaiba

Before we continue – quick PSA: The Hilton group is currently having a 50% flash sale across Japan and South Korea. The sale ends on 9 Sep 2016 1pm (SGT) and is valid for stays completed by 28 Feb 2017. Depending on your ability to firm up plans right now, this might be perfect for the various upcoming long weekends – perhaps even CNY 2017 (28-30 Jan)?

Given the ongoing sale, I figured this would be as good a time as any to share my recent stay at the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba, which I really enjoyed.

Of the various Tokyo properties, the Conrad Tokyo (at Shiodome) and Hilton Tokyo (at Shinjuku) are generally very well-regarded, and I was initially rather hesitant to give this new (to Hilton portfolio) property a go. I managed to book it during a previous sale at a 40% discount (¥12,000 per night) though, and I thought that was an offer I simply couldn’t refuse.

Upon arrival we were told that unfortunately, having done online check-in, our room selection had been locked and could not be upgraded. That’s different from most other Hilton properties I’ve been to, and if I’d known I’d have held off doing online check-in, but since we were planning to spend most of our time outside the hotel, it wasn’t really all that big a deal.

The room itself was pretty good as it is, anyway… (excuse the mess)

…with an additional little something for being a HHonors guest (not sure if Diamond-specific). The plums were somewhat unripe and sour, which is rather disappointing given the overall excellence of Japanese fruit. Still, a freebie’s a freebie!

We were given breakfast coupons that could be redeemed at two of the hotel’s restaurants – Ocean Dining and Taronga. I’ve heard that the breakfast offering’s identical, so we opted to stick with Ocean Dining, with its excellent view of the Rainbow Bridge.

I rather enjoyed the spread on offer, with a good mix of Japanese and Western options.

The executive lounge offered another nice quiet environment from which to gaze upon the bridge, offering an enjoyable light spread during cocktail hours (5.30-7.30pm). It’s possible to skip dinner with these offerings, though being in Tokyo that might not actually be a desirable option.

All in all, I think it’s a great place to stay – the location being its weakest feature, though. Paying an additional ¥300ish one-way every day to get out of Odaiba (taking up about half an hour each way) isn’t really ideal, but still very doable.

On the upside (if you’re a geek like me), Odaiba is apparently a Pokemon Go hotspot, with swarms of Japanese walking around catching Pokemon in the evenings. The following picture doesn’t begin to do it justice – and there’re more during the weekends.

Like I said earlier, I really enjoyed the stay. 😉