Marunouchi Hotel - Tokyo, Japan 

Just returned after 4 nights at the Marunouchi. It is an oasis of calm, peace and quiet in a crowded and noisy city. If you are arriving from Narita, either by train or aiport bus, you are immediately at the doorstep of the hotel. The hotel is new and tastefully decorated. Others have criticized the breakfast here. My wife and I found everything perfectly fresh and beautifully presented.........a perfect way to start the day. Try the breakfast room on the 9th floor, it is surprisingly elegant. We travel to Tokyo yearly, have stayed at many hotels, and have finally found our home in Tokyo.

This is the second time I have stayed here. I work for a Japanese company and I have to have the annual visit to HO, and they booked me here again. I found the staff, especially the front desk, very helpful and with excellent English - just as well as my Japanese runs out after "Kampai!". The room was quite small, but clean and well equipped and with a very compact bathroom - but what else does one expect in Tokyo?? It was clean and perfectly functional. The toilet itself warrants special mention, more buttons and dials than a space shuttle... I do agree about the food, I have stayed there seven nights over two visits and was spectacularly underwhelmed by the Western breakfasts: I can't speak for the Japanese breakfasts as I don't take seafood or miso soup. The bar is appalling, but then it is a separate operation to the hotel. The bouncer was most upset that a non-Japanese wanted to go in and insisted on telling me about the 1,000 Yen cover charge - so what I said, I will charge it to expenses. I then told him which company I work for and his demeanour changed and I was allowed in. Once I got in and peered through the smog of cigar smoke at the drinks list I almost wished that I had not been allowed in. Luckily my drinks (and cover charge) did get lost in the eye-watering expenses claim that I submitted... Much better value for F&B is to go to the Oazo building next door which has some good options and while not "cheap", I'd say good value. The location is very handy for the trains and metro and the airport bus stops just outside so overall I would say it's totally acceptable as a hotel for me.