While no longer 'new', I have been staying at the Royal Park Shiodome Tower for my annual visits to Tokyo since the hotel opened. It may not be the fanciest or the most glamorous, it's nevertheless a really reliable hotel that never lets me down. The location in Shiodome/Shimbashi is most convenient with easy access to a number of key subway lines, JR and otherwise. It's walking distance to Ginza, but for me, the highlight is its proximity to the Tsukiji Fish Market. If you're up by 5 am with jet lag, just walk over to the Fish Market, just at the right time when the tuna trade heats up. The whole "Shio Site" (as the locale is called) is a complex of office buildings (Dentsu, Shiseido and ANA have their HQs here), creating a very futuristic "Blade Runner" like environment that's spectacular especially at night. Every room at the hotel has a great window and the view is fantastic - big sky with hawks during the day, and sea of buildings and blinking lights at night. The complex is also packed with both retail stores and restaurants, making it very easy to either eat in your room with store-bought foods or eat out. And typical of Tokyo, even after dark, it's absolutely safe to wonder around the complex. The hotel is reasonably priced, and even though the rooms ARE on the smaller side, it more than makes up for the lack of space with everything else. It also has a small but very accessible gym (it's hard to run outside in this neighbourhood), and even a coin laundry room (convenient for a quick wash). When you book, make sure to secure reservation that includes free breakfast coupons. While I prefer to eat breakfast at Tsukiji (excellent bowl of tuna over rice plus miso soup can be had for less than $10), the hotel has a very nice Japanese restaurant that serves Japanese breakfast, as well as a bright western buffet-style breakfast place that has great views. The staff is mostly Japanese, but are most helpful.







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