1-104-19 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku, Japan | (888) 252-1244
Huge health club and modern fitness center
Indoor lap pool and hot tub
Full spa with sauna
Large rooms with a classical European decor
Free shuttle to and from Takadanobaba Station every 30 minutes
Three restaurants cover Japanese, Chinese, and Western cuisine
English bar and beautiful lounge that serves afternoon tea
Elegant meeting rooms and banquet halls
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Steep fees to use the pool, spa, and fitness center
Far from most attractions
Breakfast not included
Fee for self-parking
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, are decorated in a classic European style. Its 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, yet it's still only a 10-minute ride on the free shuttle bus to Takadanobaba Station, which offers quick access to the bustling center of Shinjuku. The atmosphere is more bucolic here, and room rates are lower than at more centrally located hotels such as the Hilton Tokyo near Shinjuku Station, but fees for everything from breakfast to the fitness center and pool can add up.
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Scene
Marbled European-style hotel
Richly decorated in marble and gold trim, with lush ornate carpets, the hotel invokes a classical European style throughout. An elegant entrance leads into a lobby with low molded ceilings and chandeliers. Black marble columns separate formal reception rooms with comfortable waiting chairs, where all guests are checked in and then escorted to their rooms. The hotel draws a mix of business travelers in town for events, families visiting the university, and both couples and families in town to sightsee; the free shuttle buses to and Takadanobaba Station are a big draw, and many families appreciate the big suites sleeping up to four.
Location
Outside the city center next to Wasada University
On a busy commercial road, Rihga Royal Hotel Tokyo is right next to Wasada University on the far northeastern edge of Shinjuku. The metro stop at Takadanobaba Station is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel (or a 10-minute ride on the free shuttle bus), and trains connect to Shinjuku within 22 minutes. From there, Shinjuku Station, the largest public transportation hub in the world, provides convenient access to anywhere else in the city. Haneda Airport is about a 32-minute drive, while Narita International Airport is about an hour and 20 minutes from the hotel.
Rooms
Large rooms with European furnishings
The 126 rooms are decorated with a neutral palette and a classic European style. Striped wallpaper and textured carpets with ornate vine patterns pair with wood and upholstered furniture. The furnishings are a mix of deliberately traditional and just plain dated, with some couches, tables, and lamps that look like relics from the 1990s. Rooms start at 25 square meters (270 square feet) -- quite large for Tokyo -- and many rooms are significantly larger, at 38 square meters (409 square feet). Suites can be more than 2,300 square feet, adding extra flat-screen TVs in living rooms with opulent chandeliers; they can sleep up to four. All rooms have small sitting areas and desks, at least one flat-screen TV with satellite channels, along with mini-fridges, minibars, and humidifiers. Marble floor bathrooms have big vanities and shower/tub combos with handheld showerheads, and toiletries.
Features
Indoor pool, full spa and fitness center, elegant ballrooms, and multiple dining options
The Rihga health club is a large facility with beautifully wood-paneled halls and locker rooms. Its well-equipped fitness center has row after row of stationary bikes, treadmills, numerous weight training machines and free weights. It has a full-service spa with treatment rooms and a sauna, and there's an attached facility with a big indoor lap pool and hot tub -- but everything requires an extra fee for entry. The hotel's extensive event space is composed of several different meeting rooms and several classically elegant banquet halls, the largest of which can accommodate up to 1,000 people. The beautiful Garden Lounge has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the gardens and pond outside for afternoon tea or light meals and snacks. Cellar Bar styles itself after a dark English pub with wood paneling, dim lighting and cigars -- regulars have their own whiskey bottles stored for safe keeping in a glass display case near the entrance. Dining ranges from Western cuisine and a breakfast buffet (not included) at Ferio, to Naniwa's traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine, teppanyaki, and sushi. There's also the sophisticated Royal Ryuho, a Chinese restaurant covered in mahogany wood paneling that serves Cantonese cuisine with a view to the gardens outside.
