Review: ANA InterContinental Tokyo

Overall Rating

By James Fordham, August 21 2017
ANA InterContinental Tokyo
Country

Japan

City

Tokyo

Hotel

ANA InterContinental

Rating

5-Star

Room

Premier King Room

Notes
The Good
  • Club Lounge level offers plenty of perks
  • 2-Star Michelin restaurant on-site
The Bad
  • Decor can feel a little dated
X-Factor
  • Mid-range prices in the heart of Tokyo
Location
Rooms
Meals
Overall

Introduction

If you’re looking for a 5-star business hotel in Tokyo with mid-range prices, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo offers up a large selection of rooms (over 800) on its 35 floors located in Akasaka, just a stone’s throw from Shibuya and Roppongi. With a Club InterContinental Lounge for business travellers, as well as a 2-Michelin Star restaurant on the 36th floor, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo is a popular choice if you’re heading to Tokyo on business.

Join us as we put the ANA InterContinental Tokyo to the test.

Location & Impressions

From Haneda airport, you’ll be able to reach the ANA InterContinental Tokyo in about 25 minutes by car or around 1.5 hours if you’re heading in from Narita airport.

The ANA InterContinental Tokyo is located on the Ginza line, just a few minutes’ walk from Tameike Sanno station. In close proximity to the U.S. embassy, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo is part of the Ark Hills complex, with a plethora of shopping and dining options nearby. It’s also not far from the Imperial Palace and a number of government buildings and financial institutions.

The warmly-decorated lobby of the ANA InterContinental Tokyo features a large restaurant and stores, as well as hotel staff dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos to welcome you – a nice touch after a long flight. 

Room

The ANA InterContinental Tokyo offers 3 different room types and a number of suites, starting at the basic Classic room, as well as the Executive Deluxe room and the room type that we stayed in, the Premier room.

All rooms are around 28 – 32 square metres, with the higher priced Executive Deluxe and Premier rooms offering better views of downtown Tokyo from the higher floors of the hotel, as well as extra amenities.

Inside the Premier room, you’ll find simple Japanese-inspired design – but nothing that really stands out.

Some of the décor feels a little dated, but the overall design works well together. Each Premier room has a king bed (or a twin configuration if required)...

...a sofa with ottoman...

...and a large window with views over central Tokyo. We also love that there’s a large working desk and a proper ergonomic office chair, rather than just a dining chair.

At 32sqm, it’s not exactly a large room but we have to remember that we’re in Tokyo where space is at a premium. Despite the size, the room doesn’t feel claustrophobic thanks to plenty of natural light and a well put-together layout.

Bathrooms are small – certain Premier rooms only come with a shared tub/shower, while others have a separate shower and bath.

In either case, you’ll also find a typical Japanese toilet with plenty of buttons and settings, plus seat heating and a flat screen TV.

Despite the room’s compact size, there’s lots of storage space in the closet and luggage racks, and the provided umbrella in the closet comes in handy on days when it’s drizzling.

Also standard in Premier rooms is quick, free Wi-Fi, complimentary bottled water, a Keurig coffee machine, and an iPhone dock for charging and playing music. As part of the Premier service, you’ll also get a late checkout of 2PM, and a 20% discount on laundry services. 

Work

The complimentary internet is fast, even when there’s multiple devices connected to it. While the desk and ergonomic chair are comfortable to work out, we had a better experience setting up in the Club Lounge.

High-end furniture and plenty of room makes the Club Lounge a bit more interesting to work at rather than staying cooped up in the room – there are also snacks and refreshments on offer, and the lounge staff are able to assist with basic facilities like printing.

If you opt for the Club Lounge package, you’ll also get two hours usage of a private meeting room which can come in handy, and there’s even showers available as well as complimentary ironing of two garments per day.

The ANA InterContinental Tokyo also has a separate dedicated business centre, where you can take care of things like photocopying, faxing and printing, and you can also use the hotel computers if you need to. It’s also possible to rent a mobile phone, and use the business centre’s courier / messenger services as required. 

Eat

As part of the Club Lounge package, we had the à la carte breakfast with stunning views over Tokyo from the 35th floor.

The Club Lounge also offers à la carte options throughout the day, and complimentary drinks and snacks in the evening . You can also order entrée-sized dishes during this evening service, which means you can have dinner a little later than usual.

On the 36th floor you’ll find the 2-Michelin star restaurant, Pierre Gagnaire. There’s also a teppenyaki restaurant on the 37th floor, as well as Mixx bar on the 36th floor for cocktails and drinks.

On the lower levels are a few more restaurants, including a steakhouse and Japanese-style restaurants.

If you’d rather head out, there’s plenty of options at Ark Hills and in the immediate vicinity as well – Nobu Tokyo is just a couple of minutes away, not to mention a number of high-end, mid-range and casual options.

Conveniently, there’s a supermarket located next door if you don’t feel like eating out. 

Relax

The ANA InterContinental Tokyo features a garden pool on the 4th floor, and a fitness centre as well. The fitness centre can get crowded early in the morning - there’s a limited range of cardio machines, and a small number of weights, so you’ll need to plan ahead if you want to get a workout in.

The pool area could do with a revamp as it feels a little tired, however it’s not a bad spot for a quick dip when it’s warm.

On the 6th floor you’ll find a THANN Sanctuary Spa, offering up spa treatments including massages, facials and aromatherapy.

For us, it was hard to look past the Club Lounge for relaxing, with a great selection of drinks in the evening and nibbles throughout the day.

There's also a large screen setup if you want to unwind while watching a sporting event.

All things considered, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo is a good launching pad thanks to its central location and range of business focused amenities. Although some aspects of the hotel are beginning to feel a little dated, the mid-range pricing makes up for it. If the location in Tokyo works for you, the ANA InterContinental Tokyo is a quality accommodation choice.

james_fordham

James has been interested in aviation ever since his first flight. When he’s not travelling, he’s still on the road indulging his motoring hobby, or trying a new whisky.

Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club

16 Jun 2017

Total posts 35

Great summary. Have stayed there on numerous occasions, and have the club lounge package. The staff in the lounge are great, especially when it comes to booking restaurants etc. There are also a number of izakaya's within 5 minute walk of the hotel.

Qatar Airways

06 Jul 2016

Total posts 47

If you're taking the Airport Limousine bus in the morning, I commend grabbing a hot chocolate and croissant from the small Pierre Gagnier cafe shop on your way down to the bus stop exit; divine.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

30 May 2013

Total posts 18

Great hotel, agree the lounge is a good option


A dizzying array of dining options in the hotel - more than 10 restaurants if I remember correctly.

Agree some of the hotel feels a little tired, the bathrooms could do with a spruce up, but generally speaking it's a great hotel and I keep returning


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