Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel - Tokyo, Japan 

Location - within 3 mins walk to the train stations, covered walkways. Around 30 mins to Shinjuku area, but closer to Disneyland/Disneysea. Note that the last airport shuttle from airport to hotel is around 6 p.m. We missed the shuttle to the hotel, so we had to get off at the nearest hotel, then take a 15-min USD30 taxi ride from there to the hotel (expensive). Room - clean and small, but can be considered as pretty decent size for Tokyo hotel, in fact even larger than the hotel we stayed at in Hong Kong. My test is whether you have space to open a medium sized suitcase on the floor - it passed the test! Facilities - the hotel is adjoined to restaurants and cafes (Japanese and international). However, these close by 10.00 - 10.30 p.m. For late night snacks, there are 2 convenience stores around, one next to the the hotel and the other next to the train station. They have free shuttle bus service to Disneyland/Disneysea, which is an option in case you want to avoid the hassle of changing trains. Staff - not very helpful, possibly due to the communication problems (see below). My daughter had a minor burn (scalded by hot water) whilst in the hotel, the staff could only offer mini plasters and ice. They had no bandages or burnt/antiseptic cream whatsoever. The next morning, we wanted to go to the nearest hospital, and they directed us to a cancer hospital instead. We went back and asked for nearest clinic or pharmacy (known as drugstore in Japan), they told us that all the clinics / pharmacies were closed (it was a public holiday). We asked for the hotel to call the emergency department of the next nearest hospital (Rinkai), we were told that the emergency department was closed?? All in, a very frustruating experience trying to get medical assistance. In the end, we went to Takashimaya department store in Shinjuku to search for the drugstore and found a friendly helpful pharmacist (thank God!!) who could speak English and helped to bandage our daughter's arm. I guess you can survive in Japan equipped with a little Japanese when it comes to ordering your food or shopping, but when it comes to emergencies like mine, it is very frustruating and unfortunately, the hotel staff was not of help. All in all, this is the hotel to stay if you want to be closer to Disneyland/Sea, enjoy cheaper rates compared to Shinjuku area, but be prepared for communication difficulties!!

I had to go to the International Graphic Arts Show (IGAS) September 2007 in Tokyo Big Sight. It was convention time and accommodations were tough to find but i got a lead from tripadvisor. I checked out Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel. Half the price of my first option. Great stay at this hotel! Staff were friendly and helpful. Communication by e-mail in English was seamless. No deposit required. And it was walking distance not only to the convention site but also to at least 3 convenience stores that served hot food and 3 train stations. Saved a lot of commute money and time. The view of Tokyo Bay from my 17th-floor-single-room was great too. I recommend it especially for convention visitors, visitors to Tokyo Disneyland and tourists who want to see another side of Tokyo. Anyway, if you want a detailed review with lots of photos of the hotel's single room set-up, do visit my blog at [--]rayvisunico.i.ph