The Hilton Tokyo is a luxury business tower with a bustling atmosphere and around-the-clock facilities (including a 24-hour spa, fitness center, and business center) in Shinjuku's office district. The hotel's enormous meeting spaces frequently host big conventions, with attendees taking breaks at the indoor pool or rooftop tennis courts. The 815 rooms have modern decor, 40-inch flat-screen TVs, minibars, mini-fridges, bedside iPod docks, and glass-topped work desks with adjustable lamps and roller chairs. In the decadent bathrooms are soaking tubs, walk-in showers, and Peter Thomas Roth toiletries. It may be worth upgrading to Executive Rooms for the extra perks, like free Wi-Fi and free breakfast (especially nice considering the hotel's inflated restaurant prices).

If the Regency brand wasn’t a giveaway, the Hyatt Regency Tokyo's vast lobby -- with crystal chandeliers, glass whiskey cabinets, live bands, and a granite front desk -- confirms the hotel's luxury status. The 746 tastefully decorated rooms come with minibars, mini-fridges, electric kettles, and coffee- and tea-making supplies; higher floors have spectacular views. Lower-category rooms can still have fantastic city views, but they suffer from some oddly dated decor. Another downside, routers in all rooms must be requested at the front desk for Wi-Fi access. The eight on-site dining and bar options are stellar -- though expensive. Fees can also crop up for spa and pool access, breakfast, and parking, though these are waived for Regency Club guests. This hotel is perpetually booked solid, but doesn’t feel crowded, as the large space and calm atmosphere maintains an elegant vibe. Business travelers and couples make up most of the clientele, drawn by the property's location and its broad range of features.

The four-pearl RIHGA Royal Hotel Tokyo is surrounded by the green space of Okuma Garden, next to Waseda University. The rooms are large (especially for Tokyo) and, like the rest of the hotel, decorated in a classic European style. The atmosphere is more bucolic here, and room rates are lower than those at more centrally located hotels, but fees for everything from breakfast to the fitness center and pool can add up. RIHGA Royal's out-of-the-way location isn't convenient for much beyond visiting the university or attending on-site events in the hotel's elegant banquet halls. However, a free 10-minute shuttle ride brings guests to Takadanobaba Station, which offers quick access to Shinjuku's bustling center.