Review of Hilton Tokyo Bay in Japan [Great Use of Hilton Aspire Resort Credit]

Known for its unrivaled cuisine, high-end shopping, and excellent nightlife, Tokyo has something to offer everyone. Having been to Tokyo 7 times so far, it was quite an easy decision for me to go back again.

Choosing where to stay in Tokyo was a tougher decision, as the city has numerous accommodation options ranging from capsule hotels to high-end luxury properties. Of course, there are well-known hotel chains, including Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt.

After an incredible Japan Airlines business class flight from San Francisco, I was excited to finally be back in Tokyo. Since hotels in Tokyo can be a bit expensive, I went with the Hilton Tokyo Bay for a specific reason. More on that below.

Let’s take an in-depth look at my experience at the property and what you should know if you’re considering staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay.

Booking

Although I’m not the biggest fan of Hilton’s chain of hotels nor the Hilton Honors loyalty program, I do have top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status because I hold the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in my wallet. The Hilton Aspire card is a premium Hilton card with several benefits, including an annual free night certificate and cell phone protection.

The Hilton Aspire card also comes with statement credits that help offset the card’s $550 annual fee. This includes up to $400 annual Hilton resort credits (up to $200 in statement credits semi-annually) on your card each anniversary year. This credit can only be used at participating resorts within the Hilton portfolio.

Since I had no immediate plans to visit a destination with a Hilton resort, I thought Tokyo would be the perfect place to put this credit to use. Fortunately, the Hilton Tokyo Bay is a participating resort, so I could use my resort credit at the property. I immediately began looking at cash rates to see how much rooms typically go for.

Cash rates for the February 2024 night I was landing in Tokyo were right around $200, meaning I could get this night for almost nothing out of pocket.

With no other plans to use the Hilton resort credit, I booked the Hilton Tokyo Bay for 1 night at the cheapest rate available: a Twin Hilton Room Park room. Since the hotel has more than 800 rooms, I felt confident I would get upgraded to a nicer room as I was a Hilton Honors Diamond member.

The room for this stay came out to ¥30,876 (~$208), including taxes and fees.

I paid with my Hilton Aspire card, as the card’s resort credit would cover most of this stay. The Hilton resort credit is a card-specific benefit, so I didn’t consider any other options. On top of the resort credit, the Hilton Aspire card earns 14x points spent at hotels in the Hilton portfolio.

Hot Tip:

Consider booking your Hilton stay with one of our top recommended credit cards for Hilton loyalists.

Location

The Hilton Tokyo Bay is on the eastern end of Tokyo Bay, on the outskirts of the 2 Tokyo Disney parks — Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. Although a bit far from Tokyo’s city center, the location could not be better for those interested in Disney parks.

Bayside Station, the closest option for the Disney Resort Line monorail, is across the street from the Hilton Tokyo Bay. The hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle to Maihama Station (about twice per hour until midnight), about 1.4 miles away, where you can catch trains to stations all around Tokyo.

Getting There

From Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) Terminal 2, you can take the Haneda Airport Limousine Bus, which goes directly to Tokyo Bay and makes a final stop at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. The journey takes about 55 minutes and costs ¥1,300 (~$9).

You can also catch the Airport Limousine Bus from Tokyo’s other international airport, Tokyo-Narita International Airport.

There are machines available to purchase bus tickets. However, the machines don’t accept U.S. credit cards without a PIN code. I went to a nearby ATM inside the airport to get some cash to purchase a seat on the bus.

Check-In

After the nearly 1-hour bus journey, I arrived at the hotel around 7 p.m. The bus dropped passengers right at the entrance to the hotel, which was under a covered parking area. The ceilings under the massive drop-off area had interesting art designs.

Lobby

I proceeded straight to the check-in counter. The hotel had a separate priority check-in for Hilton Gold and Diamond members.

Although I was in the priority check-in lane, I waited about 15 minutes before a front desk representative greeted me.

The front desk representative apologized for the delay, thanked me for my Hilton Honors loyalty, and upgraded me to a Twin Executive Room Park room. I requested to be moved to a room with a single king or queen bed but was told that none of these rooms were available.

The agent asked if I wanted a later 1 p.m. checkout, a benefit of Hilton Diamond status, to be placed in the system, to which I, of course, said yes. The representative handed me the key cards to the room and showed me how to connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi.

He also explained that I could have breakfast at either the restaurant or in the Hilton Executive Lounge, but he suggested going to the restaurant because it had a wider selection of foods. I thanked the front desk representative for the excellent service and was on my way.

After check-in, I walked around the lobby to see what it offered. I immediately noticed a Disney-themed waiting area on the left side of the regular check-in desks.

Since this is a Disney-area hotel, there were a lot of families with young children, and this little area was extremely convenient for keeping children entertained when waiting to get checked in.

I then turned around, walked through the rest of the lobby, and noticed a massive art-inspired chandelier.

On the right side of the check-in area, behind some dividers, was another seating area with several tables. Although this area was supposed to be reserved for the Segafredo coffee shop, it seemed like guests didn’t know that.

Walking further along the grand lobby, I saw a parking ticket machine and a money exchange machine.

The hotel’s elevators were directly across from the machines. However, 4 elevators were insufficient as they were constantly in use and often had long queues.

The hotel lobby was massive and had ample seating areas for those waiting to check in to their rooms. I liked how there were priority check-in counters for those with Hilton Honors elite status. However, it was hard to know if guests were in the correct lines, as they were incredibly busy.

Amenities

As expected from a massive property, the Hilton Tokyo Bay had some unique facilities, including a Disney store, coffee shop, 24-hour convenience store, and recreation room.

Disney Fantasy

The property featured a Disney Fantasy store not too far from the entrance to the hotel lobby. A large statue of Mickey Mouse was placed right outside.

The Disney Fantasy store sells many souvenirs and snacks that are available in the Disney parks.

In addition to classic Disney characters, Baymax from Big Hero 6 was prominently featured.

Recreation Room

The Hilton Tokyo Bay featured a unique recreation room with several arcade-style game machines and a snack vending machine.

The machines had various items available, including a machine dedicated to different types and flavors of cotton candy.

Oddly enough, there was also a vending machine serving fresh orange juice. Although I didn’t try it myself, I did see some hotel guests enjoying their fresh drinks.

Lawson Convenience Store

The hotel also featured a 24-hour Lawson convenience store. The market had a ton of precooked meals, snacks, and drinks. It also featured beauty products, fragrances, and various electronics, including battery packs and travel adapters.

Parking

Parking is available for ¥3,100 (~$20) per day.

Fitness Center and Pool

Lastly, the Hilton Tokyo Bay had an incredible fitness center facility with an indoor swimming pool, spa, and yoga room.

The fitness center was one of the largest I had ever seen in a hotel and had all types of workout equipment.

Although I didn’t use the gym, I was in awe of how many types of workout machines were available. The gym was enormous, so I was quite surprised that not a single person was inside.

There was also an immaculate, well-maintained 55-foot indoor pool, and a lifeguard was present to ensure hotel guests’ safety.

The pool was surrounded by glass windows, with a ton of natural light shining through.

I was surprised that the 2 separate times I went to the pool, not a single other hotel guest was around.

The Room

After a few minutes in the lobby, I headed to my room on the 11th floor. After exiting the elevator, I walked through the long, narrow hallway to my room.

Although I was upgraded to a nicer room, it was still quite small. However, I immediately noticed the Japanese-inspired decor with modern design elements.

The foyer was relatively small and led almost directly into the room. The 2 twin beds were aligned against the left wall, next to the bathroom. A single bedside table separated the beds.

Thanks to the high-quality bedding and thick pillows, I found the beds extremely comfortable. Since I was traveling alone, I moved the 2 pillows from the other bed to mine.

The room also featured a spacious round dining table, oddly placed right in the middle of the pathway. I used the dining table as a desk, as there was plenty of space.

The dining table was relatively large in comparison to the size of the room. It was so big that there was barely any space to get to the end of the room.

A large and comfortable lounging sofa was against the back wall and window.

The room had a nice panoramic view overlooking Tokyo Disney Resort.

After admiring the view, I couldn’t help but laugh at the placement of the dining table. However, given how small the room was, it was understandable.

Next to the dining room table, there was a storage area along the length of the back wall. This is where the room’s telephone and a notepad were located.

I then returned to the foyer to see what was inside the room’s closet. On the far left section of the closet were 2 shelves containing a Nespresso coffee machine, a kettle, and an ice bucket.

Glassware was in a drawer with packets of instant coffee and green tea.

Below the drawer was another compartment containing a minifridge. It was reasonably big, but I didn’t use it at all.

Next to the minifridge was another compartment with 2 dresser drawers. The top drawer contained a set of pajamas. However, the bottom drawer was empty. The pajamas were surprisingly high-quality and comfortable.

The hotel also provided sanitized slippers for use in the room. I loved this small touch, as it reminded me that I was finally back in Japan.

Bottom Line:

Overall, the room was incredibly basic and small, with outdated decor. Nothing in the room was particularly interesting, but I found it cozy, and the bed was extremely comfortable.

Bathroom

Although quite small, the bathroom was well-maintained and clean. It was divided into 3 mini-rooms with privacy dividers: 1 for the toilet, 1 for the sink, and 1 for the shower and tub.

In the main section of the bathroom, there was a large sink with a mirror behind it. A small mirror, extra glasses, and towels were on the counter.

The hotel provided Crabtree-branded hand wash and body lotion, which were luxurious.

I found the hairdryer, a tissue box, and the trash can beneath the sink. The hotel also provided some toiletries, including lotion, a dental kit, and a shaving kit. A scale and step stool were also placed on the floor.

In the left room was the toilet. As you’d expect to find in Japan, the toilet featured a bidet system.

Several controls adjusted everything from the water stream to the water temperature and the pressure. I liked how the toilet was divided from the rest of the bathroom.

The walk-in shower, which had tremendous water pressure, and the bathtub were in the room to the right. Crabtree bath products included shampoo, conditioner, and hand and body wash.

Bottom Line:

Overall, the bathroom was relatively simple. However, it provided me with everything I needed, and I liked that the bathroom was divided into separate rooms.

Food and Beverage

The Hilton Tokyo Bay’s food-and-beverage options ranged from a full fine dining experience to a relaxed snack and cocktail in the lounge.

The Square

The hotel’s main on-site restaurant, The Square, is accessible through the lobby. It is a massive buffet-style restaurant offering cuisines from all over the world. Hilton Diamond members can also have their complimentary breakfast there.

Upon entering the massive restaurant, I was pleased to see a dedicated priority line for Hilton Honors elite members. Although the sign did not mention this, a restaurant representative confirmed that the priority lane was solely for Hilton Honors Diamond members.

I was given a card to keep until leaving the restaurant. A separate list of drinks was also made available, and I selected an iced tea.

The massive restaurant had several seating areas that could accommodate more than 250 people at once. As you can imagine, breakfast was quite hectic with many families.

Fortunately, a dedicated seating area for Hilton Diamond members was nestled into a corner of the restaurant. I put my belongings at one of the corner tables and proceeded to the breakfast buffet.

The breakfast buffet had a fantastic selection of food available, divided into separate sections. The first section featured rice congee, braised chicken and vegetables, and braised sweet potato.

The next section had grilled salmon, fried rice, and bean curd. I made sure to grab plenty of the salmon.

Next was a selection of meats and cheese. Salmon salad, chicken bologna sausage, sliced ham, and sliced American cheese were available. The salmon salad was exquisite, with the perfect balance of lemon and salt.

There was also a station with slices of bacon, chicken sausage, and chicken curry. The curry was fantastic, and I could taste the spices and herbs.

An entire section was dedicated to bread and numerous spreads, including jams, jellies, butter, and cream cheese.

There was also a Kids’ Station that featured Disney-themed tableware.

The Kids’ Station had some delicious mini waffles and toast.

Across from the Kids’ Station were a few Kellogg’s branded cereal and milk options.

Bottom Line:

Overall, breakfast was quite delicious. I loved how there was such a wide selection of food available. However, it did feel overwhelming at times. It didn’t help that the restaurant was packed, which also contributed to that feeling.

Hilton Executive Lounge

As with many Hilton resort hotels, there was a Hilton Executive Lounge. The lounge could be reached from the lobby and featured a grand entrance with a spiral staircase around it. Hilton Diamond members and those booked in an Executive-level room get complimentary Hilton Executive Lounge access.

As I walked into the lounge, a hotel representative greeted me and checked me in.

After checking in to the lounge, I walked around and looked at the various seating options.

The lounge was relatively empty at 7 p.m.

There was a small selection of snacks, including pretzels, cookies, dried fruits, and candy, and dispensers of citrus and lemon water.

There was a decent selection of beverages, including soda, fruit juices, and beer.

Segafredo

A Segafredo coffee shop in the lobby served everything from cappuccinos and lattes to sparkling water and craft beer. The shop also had a small gelato counter.

Service

Although I didn’t have many interactions with the hotel staff, I was thoroughly impressed by the exceptional level of service provided. As expected in Japan, the staff were all incredibly welcoming and constantly smiling. They seemed to enjoy their jobs and took pride in providing excellent Japanese hospitality to hotel guests.

Upon arrival, the front desk representative greeted me with warm smiles and genuine hospitality. He even apologized that I had to wait a few minutes before I could check in to the room. This wasn’t something he could control, as there were a lot of guests checking in. However, it shows how genuinely thoughtful the hotel staff was.

Final Thoughts

The Hilton Tokyo Bay is a solid family-focused Hilton property worth considering for those visiting Tokyo’s Disney parks. The hotel is perfect for children, with many Disney touches throughout the hotel.

The location is ideal for those visiting the Disney parks, but if you aren’t, it’s not optimal, and there isn’t much to do around the hotel. Although the room was small and a bit outdated, it provided me with the comfort I needed for the night.

I found the staff to be welcoming and helpful, which always makes hotel experiences that much better. The genuine warmth and friendliness exhibited by the staff truly stood out to me.

Breakfast was also fantastic, and there were so many different options available. I especially liked the private seating area for Hilton Diamond members.

I must also commend Hilton for treating its elite members right, as I was upgraded to a nicer room without even needing to ask. Nowadays, with programs being stingier with upgrades, it’s nice to see Hilton still value its elite members.