We intentionally choose to stay in Shibuya because of the young & trendy culture here. Also want a hotel that is next to the JR station & the ‘crossing’ - the area's major action spot. Really happy to have chosen Shibuya Tokyo Inn. Fits all criteria & our budget. Just 3 min walk to the hotel from the JR East exit. When back facing the station exit (ie. front facing main road ‘meji-dori’ & bus stop), turn left & continue along the main road to see the hotel sign.
The front desk staffs speak good english. Check in only at 3pm even when we specified early arrival & our friends were given smoking rooms even when non-smoking rooms were reserved. Did get them changed easily when request again. The Double Room is nicely designed, slightly more spacious than usual Tokyo tourist class hotel, feels fresh with clean & quality bed sheets, pillows, carpet & a flat screen TV. The double-size bed is slightly smaller than queen-size. Very quiet room with good air-con (heard that’s available in summer only). Only down side is that there's no view except the back of another building. Enjoyed returning to our room every night or every time we dropped our bags. As for the western/japanese buffet breakfast (included), each dish r well prepared & delicious. Good selections but they r the same for the 3 days we stayed there.
Many local eateries, happening restaurants (including the famous 'Lockup' jail-like restaurant), shops & dept stores to attack in the area. Again, when facing the main road ‘meji-dori’ at the hotel entrance, turn left, continue along the main road & u'll reach Harajuku in 15min. A pleasant walk. On the way to Harajuku, across the road, u'll see the 2 Burberry Blue Label & Black Label Harakuju boutiques just 5 min from the hotel, right after another traffic junction. (PS: Service in the boutiques r better than those in dept stores. They provide proper dust bags & packaging.)
From Narita Airport, we took Narita Express to Shinjuku & change train to Shibuya. Despite previous experience, still make mistakes when changing train, probably overwhelmed by the peak hr crowds. There r direct Narita Express to Shibuya, but only certain schedules in the evening. If arrive early, suggest to take the Airport Limo Bus (3000yen) to Shibuya Excel Tokyo Hotel instead, to avoid the hassle of changing trains & platforms. We took Airport Limo Bus back to Narita Airport from Excel Hotel (book seats at the Tokyo Inn 1-day inadvance). Only 5 min walk betw 2 hotels, or pay about 800yen for a taxi if there r many luggages. Excel Hotel accepts luggage deposit at 500yen/pc.
Overall, excellent location, comfortable & clean room, good price! Perfect if the hotel could provide luggage transfer service to/from Excel hotel on behalf of the guest.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, Girlfriend getaway, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Great pool scene
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Great food / Wine, Shopping