Review: The Tokyo Station Hotel, SLH

As part of my trip to Japan to fly Japan Airlines First Class and ANA First Class, I decided to finally add a stay at a Small Luxury Hotel of the World (SLH), as I had yet to stay at any hotels under this banner since they formed their partnership with Hilton Honors (and I have a few more SLH stays coming later this year).

The Tokyo Station Hotel was an easy choice as a result of its great location, very interesting history, and even more unique hotel rooms. While I found that reviews were sparse online in advance of my stay, I’m always down to check out a new property and try something different.

Let’s take a look at the Tokyo Station Hotel, SLH for everything you need to know about this very unique property.

Booking & Check-in

For my one-night stay, I redeemed a Hilton Free Night Certificate. This free night certificate was earned from an American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US), which offers a free night upon approval and an additional free night certificate at every cardholder anniversary.

American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US)

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American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US)

The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card offers up to a $200 semi-annual Hilton Resort credit, a quarterly $50 airline statement credit, instant Hilton Honors Diamond Elite status, an annual free night certificate, and more.

Check out our American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card review for more details.

OFFER
200,000 Hilton Honors points

MINSPEND
$6,000

EST. VALUE
$1,200+

ANNUAL FEE
$550

FOREX FEES
No

EXPIRY
Jan 13, 2027

When I booked roughly eight months out, I had no issue finding standard award availability to redeem this free night certificate. Typically, standard award availability pricing is around 110,000 Hilton Honors points per night, with cash rates starting at $900 CAD and up. In recent searches, I have found that it can be hard to find standard award availability, so it would be worth searching often to see if space opens up.

After checking out from the Conrad Tokyo, I made my way over to the Tokyo Station Hotel, which, as the name indicates, is located at Tokyo Station with a nondescript and unassuming entrance.

The lobby was always quite busy with guests and staff throughout my stay, so I was unable to get any good pictures. I will note that the check-in process was efficient, and while I was being checked in, I was provided with a booklet that contained information about the Tokyo Station Hotel as well as a very useful map:

I was also provided with details as to what my Hilton Honors Diamond Status entitled me to at this hotel:

Once checked in, a member of the staff escorted me to my room. The Dome Side King rooms are a long walk as they are on either end of the hotel, but the walk was a nice way to enjoy the beautiful design of the hotel and the spaces they have thoughtfully created. There are many informational posters about the hotel and the history of the hotel that provided some added value for taking time to explore the property.

Location

The Tokyo Station Hotel is part of Tokyo Station, a major transportation hub for Shinkansen and local trains.

The location is great with easy access to trains and a seemingly endless amount of excellent places to dine nearby.

Parking

Parking for hotel guests is available at a rate of JPY 2,100 per night. With public transit being extensive and high-quality in Japan, you would be better off taking trains or even a taxi in a pinch if you are travelling with lots of luggage.

Room – Dome Side King

The Dome Side King Room at Tokyo Station Hotel might be the most unique hotel room I’ve yet to stay in. As you enter the room, there are three doorways to different parts of the room. Let’s start with the left doorway, which leads to the walk-in closet.

This area of the room has a small countertop with various glassware, plus the Nespresso coffee machine complete with a selection of pods.

Below the counter is a pull-out drawer that had several minibar items, mostly consisting of spirits.

The mini-fridge is also located below with additional beverages. For what it’s worth, the minibar prices were relatively reasonable for a hotel of this caliber.

The closet part of this space included an iron and ironing board, plus a luggage stand.

Moving back to the entrance and forward into the combined living room and bedroom area, there is a decent-sized living room with two chairs, a desk, and a television.

Two ornate chandeliers decorated the room in such a way that it felt very on-brand with the rest of the design choices.

The two chairs plus small coffee table made for a nice area to hang out in theory, but the chairs were much more focused on form than function, as they were only slightly comfortable.

A desk with a small mirror was on the left-hand side of the living room, and this piece of furniture felt much more functional than the chairs in the previous picture.

Finally, a television with smart capabilities and a Bluetooth speaker were both available.

With this being a Dome Side King room, there are no exterior windows, but instead the room has two windows that look into the interior of Tokyo Station. 

This was the highlight feature of the room and was excellent if you are the kind of person who enjoys people watching. The room was also quite soundproof, as there was no train or people noise throughout the day.

On the other side of the room is the bedroom area, complete with a king-sized bed.

Nightstands adorn both sides of the bed, complete with plugs, including USB and USB-C outlets.

There was also a super cool retro-style clock on one of the nightstands with a few room controls.

Moving into the bathroom, you’ll be greeted with a roomy space with the shower and tub in the distance, the sink and vanity in the middle, and the toilet on the right side in a frosted glass room.

The toilet was what you would typically expect in a Japanese hotel, with all the controls, bells, and whistles you would ever need.

The sink and vanity area offered enough counter space and included bathing amenities from Histoires de Parfums and a separate box with additional amenities such as toothbrushes, body towels, shaving cream, and more.

The walk-in shower with rainfall showerhead and bathtub completes the room. I always find the water pressure to be excellent at Japanese hotels compared to elsewhere, and this hotel was no different.

As a solo traveler, I felt that the room was excellent for my needs and had no complaints.

Restaurants & Bars

The Tokyo Station Hotel has no shortage of restaurants and bars, but since the night of my stay consisted of going out for the evening and watching a baseball game, I didn’t have the time to visit any of them during my stay, except the Atrium for breakfast the following morning.

Tokyo Station Hotel has two bars: Camellia Bar & Cafe is an elegant bar offering light bites and cocktails, and Oak, which is a bar focused on Japanese whiskies and whiskies from around the world.

There are also six restaurants on property, including Restaurant Blanc Rouge (French cuisine), Shichi Jyu Ni Kou (Japanese cuisine and Teppanyaki), Sushi Asanogawa (Sushi), Cantonese En (Cantonese), Yakitori Seo (Yakitori), Enoteca Norio (Worldwide cuisine), The Lobby Lounge, and Toraya Tokyo (Cafe).

Atrium – Hilton Honors Gold Complimentary Breakfast

Atrium is the restaurant that is located on the fourth floor of the hotel and is only open to hotel guests for breakfast. The space is gorgeous with vaulted ceilings and lots of natural light.

Upon arriving and being seated, a coffee and tea menu was provided, and I opted for a latte. If you are interested in a made-to-order omelette or eggs benedict, a QR code was left on the table, and you could easily order via mobile device.

Outside of the short made-to-order menu, the majority of the offerings are served buffet-style, and that is where the breakfast offered at this hotel really shines. A wide range of Japanese and Western options were available.

There was a selection of fruit juices and infused flavored water as well.

Finally, there was an entire section with chilled desserts. The mango mousse was the standout winner from all available options.

Breakfast was excellent with such a variety of choices, and the service from staff members was really good throughout.

Facilities

Fitness Center

Tokyo Station Hotel guests have access to the fitness center, more commonly known as the JEXER TOKYO, on the bottom floor. I visited to take a few pictures, but it was quite busy, which is the opposite of how I tend to find hotel fitness centers.

Thermal Bath & Spa

The Tokyo Station Hotel doesn’t have a traditional pool, but instead offers a thermal bath area with an artificial hot spring, a dry sauna, and a steam sauna. This area is available for hotel guests, but there is a cost of JPY 2,000 per person to visit. 

While I didn’t visit during my stay, the area does look gorgeously designed and could be a great option if you are looking to relax for a few hours.

There is also a Spa on the property, but I didn’t indulge during my stay. You can view the menu for the Spa at Tokyo Station Hotel here.

Conclusion

I quite enjoyed my stay at the Tokyo Station Hotel, SLH, and would recommend checking it out if you are a fan of truly unique hotels. Standard Hilton Honors award availability books into the Dome Side King rooms, and if you are staying at a property like this, you probably want to shoot for a unique room like that anyway.

That being said, this might be a “one-and-done” type of stay for me, as there are so many great hotel options in Tokyo that it is hard not to want to try something new every time I visit.