Travelling isn’t just about seeing new sights, meeting new people and exploring new cultures. A bulk of the travelling experience is also made up of your personal experience at your lodgings. After all, it’s the place where you unwind after a long day, and it’s where you’ll spend a considerable amount of time, be it sleeping, readying yourself for the day ahead, or just relaxing. Whilst factors like convenience, price and service are of course important to consider, Tokyo’s unique take on hotels will have you thinking twice about where you book your stay.
Hen Na Hotel Maihama
Hen in Japanese means strange, and this hotel certainly is. For one, it is entirely staffed with robots. There are robots manning the front desk as receptionists, robots ferrying your luggage to your room, greeting you at the door, and even robot fish swimming in the tank at the hotel lobby. Just a taste of how futuristic Tokyo really is. These robots aren’t just made to resemble humans, there are also dinosaur robots wearing hats and bibs ready to bow and be at your service.
Your luggage is stored away by a robotic arm and later delivered to your room by robotic attendants. The rooms are nice and spacious, resembling the rooms of a traditional hotel, but even then there’s a tiny robot butler seated at your table, ready to give you the day’s weather forecast or to play the latest hits of the day. For a glimpse of what hotels in the future might be like, you have to stay at Hen Na Hotel.
First Cabin Hotel
For most, getting off the plane to your wonderful new destination is arguably the best part of your trip. But if you relish the time spent thousands of feet up in the sky, then you should check into this Tokyo-based hotel. The hotel itself is considered a capsule hotel, meaning guests are only offered a capsule space as their lodgings, for a relatively affordable price. This particular capsule hotel is aviation-themed, and there are seven different locations to choose from, making it cheap and convenient.
There are several rooms available, ranging from Premium Economy (traditionally stacked capsule beds) to First Class (with wider beds) and Premium Cabin (a single suite for two people). Rooms are cleaned throughout the day and rest assured, bathrooms are nothing like those found in actual plane cabins. You also get complimentary pyjamas, disposable toiletries and compartments to store your belongings in.
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
In the 1954 film, Godzilla, an enormous lizard creature swoops down on the city of Tokyo and ravages it. The film has since become a cult classic, and Godzilla fans will be thrilled to know the monster still lives on in modern-day Tokyo, and it resides in Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. You won’t miss the massive Godzilla head sprouting out of the building’s roof. You’re free to go up the eighth floor and take pictures if you’re a hotel guest.
For the full experience, book the Godzilla room for a night. Rest your head under Godzilla’s menacing claw, though it’s unclear if you’ll get a good night’s rest with such terror looming over your head. The room is stocked with Godzilla memorabilia, including a life-size Godzilla beside your bed and you’ll get to take home exciting merchandise like figurines, mugs and tote bags.
Keio Plaza Hotel Tama
Hello Kitty fans were stunned a few years back when the creator announced that everyone’s favourite white-furred feline was not a cat, but a girl. Whether she’s a cat or a girl, Hello Kitty sure is one thing-- adorable. If you’ve got a soft spot for Sanrio's best selling character, Keio Plaza Hotel Tama has just the room for you. Choose between the more traditional and elegant Princess Kitty Room and the fun, colourful Kitty Town Room.
The first comes with all the frills and everything is doused in dark pink, Hello Kitty’s signature colour. A primly dressed Hello Kitty makes up the bulk of the headboard, along with satin curtains, and bow-shaped cultures. You’re sure to feel like royalty in a hotel room like this. The second room is a more modern take on the Hello Kitty theme. The floor is patterned in the graphic style of comic books and the room is decorated completely in pastel colours, with wallpaper depicting Hello Kitty’s day out at a funfair. There’s even a giant Hello Kitty plush standing in the corner of the room to welcome you in.
Park Hotel Tokyo
Park Hotel Tokyo focuses on offering the traditional Japanese experience of hospitality through its colourful and intricately painted wall murals. Why wait until you hit the streets for sight-seeing when you can admire the delicate nuances of Japanese art from your hotel room? At Park Hotel Tokyo, you can choose from a whole range of rooms based on your preferred art style. There’s a whole floor dedicated to these rooms, called the Artist Floor.
There are rooms that feature simple designs, such as flowering cherry blossom trees, so you can feel like
you’re having your own picnic or hanami. There are also rooms covered in sprawling murals that are far more elaborate. These murals tell the story of Japanese folklore and depict traditional myths known to the Japanese people. The hotel commissioned artists to paint directly on the walls for their guests, so you can unwind on your holiday by admiring the intricate brushwork. The Artist Floor also has an exclusive lounge, reserved for those who book these rooms called The Gallery Room. There you can see new works on display and peruse more art.
Lotte City Hotel Kinshicho
Who didn’t love Koala March biscuits as a child? For the unacquainted, these are the equivalent of Hello Panda, fun bite-sized biscuits filled with flavoured cream. The biscuits had pictures of koalas printed on them. Since then, Lotte has designed rooms in their hotel Lotte City Hotel Kinshicho centred around these adorable koalas for fans of the treat.
The rooms have koala march emblazoned on the bedcovers, as well as on the pillows. You even get pillows in the shape of koala cookies to hug to sleep. The ceilings are lined with the pattern of koala biscuits, and the hotel even provides a stuffed koala march sitting by the window. There are also rooms featuring Koala March’s female counterpart, Walts, but decked out entirely in pink, resembling the strawberry variation of the snack. The fun doesn’t end there. The Morning buffet spread also includes Koala shaped waffles to munch on.
