Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel - Tokyo, Japan 

Communication Problems with Hotel Staff
Posted: Fri, Jul 18 2008
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!!

Convenient to Big Site Convention center
Posted: Tue, May 02 2006
Very convenient if you're going to the Big Site Center (5 min walk), but it takes 30 minutes on the monorail to get downtown. While there are a few restaurants in the hotel and nearby, the area around the hotel left me somewhat flat. Rooms are standard size for Japan, and don't expect any amenities like a gym, a pool, or a lounge/bar. The TV system will allow you to buy a few movies in english, once you figure out the remote (Japanese), but don't look for CNN or any english regular TV. On the bright side, Breakfasts are included, each room offered internet access, and a few of the staff could converse in english.