Property: Hilton Tokyo
Nights: 3
Status: Diamond
Booked: King Hilton
Received: King Executive
Rate: Two nights standard reward rate (70k HH per night) + one night Aspire
Comments: Very thankful to have secured the room with points during peak cherry blossom season AND get an upgrade. At the time of booking the room rate was 50k JPY++ per night, a month out it had risen to >100k JPY, and a few days before arrival the hotel was fully booked.
Hotel was heaving as expected but well staffed. We arrived very early (8am) and while the room wasn't ready, we were given access to the fitness centre to use the shower facilities which were excellent. It was an onsen style shared shower/bath arrangement but I didn't see a single other guest in the ~30 minutes I was using it.
The room was ready shortly after midday. It was exactly what I expected for a King Exec room at a Hilton, although I found it interesting that the room didn't have a bath which is normally essential for the Japanese market.
The EL is not massive, and it was sometimes difficult to find a table during breakfast and evening drinks. The food and drink selection was quite good, the canape spread in a particular had a changing daily selection including grilled chicken wings, salads, makizushi, pizza squares, pasta, etc. Beer was available in the EL soft drink fridge all day - not just during evening drinks.
On a clear day it's possible to see Mt Fuji from both the EL and the west facing rooms numbered XX01-XX06.
I took breakfast at the lobby restaurant on the 2nd and 3rd day, and found it more comfortable, less claustrophobic, and had a better buffet selection and layout compared with the EL. While there was often a queue of 3-4 groups at the EL during the peak 7:30-9am breakfast period, the lobby restaurant rarely had a queue, and barista coffee was proactively offered with no surcharge (although they did warn it could take 10-15 minutes - which it did)
Compared with my stay at Conrad Tokyo about 6 months ago, I think they both offer similar value for money/points, and next trip I would probably pick whichever is most convenient for my Tokyo itinerary. Service levels at both were on par, and while I got an upgrade at the Hilton but not the Conrad, the Conrad provided a welcome gift which the Hilton did not.
The direct Airport Limousine service to/from Haneda Airport is good, but unfortunately does not start until mid morning, so we had to catch a cab to Shinjuku Bus Terminal (900 yen) and an airport limousine from there. Nishi Shinjuku and Tochomae Stations can be reached via underground walkway, although they are about 5 and 10 minutes walk respectively with some steps to navigate. There's also a free shuttle bus to Shinjuku station that runs every 20 minutes from about 8am to 9pm.
