Review: the Conrad Tokyo hotel (Hilton Honors)

This is our review of the Conrad Tokyo hotel, part of Hilton Honors.

After an exceptional stay at the Conrad Osaka last year (review here), I couldn’t resist checking in to Conrad Tokyo to see how it compared. This is the older of the two Conrads in Japan (a third is under construction in Nagoya) and opened in 2005.

As is typical for a high-end hotel in Asia, it occupies the upper floors of an office building; in this case the top nine floors of the Shiodome building:

Thank you to Hilton for arranging my stay for review purposes. The hotel website is here.

The first part of this article series, my review of Japan Airlines premium economy cabin on the new A350, is here.

Where is Conrad Tokyo?

The location is an interesting one. Unlike London, Tokyo is a much less centralised city with a variety of neighbourhoods serving different purposes, from Shibuya to Shinjuku to Ginza, Roppongi and others. Each has unique characteristics but it also means there is no real ‘zone one’ central business district.

Like many other luxury hotels in the city, Conrad Tokyo is in a neighbourhood of high-end offices in Shimbashi; you won’t find much residential or retail in the immediate surrounds and outside of office lunch hours it is a quiet area.

That said, it is just on the edge of Ginza, the luxury shopping district, which is about a ten minute walk via the skywalks (another feature Asian cities have perfect but never took off in London). With access to two metro stations (Shiodome and Shimbashi, the latter of which is also a commuter rail station) you have plenty of options for getting around.

From Haneda, the central Tokyo airport, it’s about a 45 minute journey (assuming you don’t get on the wrong train like I did and overshoot your station!) or by taxi (which is not cheap in Tokyo) about 30 minutes.

Inside the Conrad Tokyo hotel

As mentioned above, the hotel occupies the top nine floors of a 37-storey office block. Entrance is via ground level and up a set of elevators to the 28th floor, which is where you’ll find the main hotel lobby and indeed the hotel restaurants and bar.

The hotel lobby is an imposing double-height space with expansive artworks by Toko Shinoda.

If you’re a Diamond member you can head straight to the Executive Club lounge to check-in. Everyone else checks in in the main lobby.

My arrival on a national holiday meant the hotel was particularly busy but there were plenty of staff managing the check-in process. It all went pretty smoothly and I was quickly on my way.

King Suites at the Conrad Tokyo

I had been upgraded to a King Suite. Unfortunately, as the hotel was fully booked, I was unable to see a standard room which is half the size.

My suite opened up to a large hallway – far larger than it needed to be as I’m not sure what you’d use it for! A single toilet is located here for guests, should you have a business meeting or similar in the living room and not want them to enter the main bathroom. Naturally it features an electric toilet.

On your left have a walk-in wardrobe connecting to the bathroom with ample luggage racks, drawers and hanging space.

The bathroom connects from the walk-in wardrobe to the bedroom and is clad in marble tiles.

It features the usual Byredo Mojave Ghost toiletries:

There’s another toilet inside a frosted glass cubicle as well as a cubicle featuring a shower and bathtub, complete with a Conrad rubber duck. Each hotel has its own different duck to collect.

After the bathroom is the bedroom with a large and comfortable king-size bed with cherry blossom motif above it:

Two big bedside tables were on either side as well as a mains style socket – Japan uses the same two-prong plug as the USA. Two international adaptors were conveniently supplied in the room and were much sturdier than my multi-adaptor which has a habit of falling out.

The right hand side had lighting controls for all the bedroom lights (but not the bathroom or living room) plus the electric curtains / blinds. It was all very intuitive to use which isn’t always the case.

Opposite the bed was a large TV whilst, in the window, a recliner and a small coffee table with a vase of cherry blossom – a nice touch (and my only sight of the Sakura as I was about a week too early!)

Adjacent to the bedroom, and completing a full loop of the room, is the living room. This is very spacious and features a sofa, armchair and round dining table / desk:

and

There’s another wall-mounted TV here plus tea and coffee making facilities (Nespresso) as well as a stocked minifridge.

The room was serviced twice a day, once in the morning and once with a turndown service in the evening. Housekeeping lays out a set of pyjamas you can borrow for your stay – this is a typical Japanese custom.

Conrad Tokyo spa, pool and gym

On to the other facilities in the hotel. The spa, pool and gym are all on the 29th floor, so one story above the lobby. The pool is surprisingly large and has a view of the Tokyo Skytree as well as the surrounding area. You are supposed to wear supplied swim caps during your stay but this wasn’t very clear until one of the staff came in and told me.

The spa features a thermal suite for use by all hotel guests with some hot pools, a steam room and sauna, but sadly no plunge pool. As is customary this is fully nude – there are separate facilities for men and women.

Finally, the gym overlooks the pool from a mezzanine level with large windows. There is a row of running and other cardio machines plus some weight machines and lifting equipment.

Conrad Club

The top – 37th – floor features a Club Lounge for those who have booked Club rooms or are Hilton Honors Diamond members as I am. This is an open-plan space spilling across both sides of the corridor and with views in both directions.

Breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktail hour are all served here, although the selection of drinks is stronger than the food – it’s certainly not enough for a full meal. The afternoon tea selection, for example, included just two types of sandwiches / wraps and two sweet desserts:

Conrad Tokyo dining and breakfast

There are four restaurants on site, all on the 28th floor:

• Collage offers French cuisine
• China Blue is modern Chinese cooking
• Kazahana is classic Japanese
• Cerise is a casual restaurant

During busy periods, all four are pressed into service for breakfast to accommodate everyone, although the selection is the same.

There is a buffet complemented by an a la carte menu. This features things like lobster omelet, eggs benedict, avocado toast, sakura shrimp and bamboo shoot chawanmushi, matcha pancakes and of course eggs any way you like them.

I was surprised to see the eggs benedict feature a spear of white asparagus – something I’ve only ever encountered in Germany:

The buffet featured all the usual items you would expect, including a wide variety of fruit, juices, pastries and similar:

Japanese items included cod roe and chicken yawata rolls:

Dinner at Kazahana

I was invited to dinner at Kazahana, the classic Japanese restaurant. Dishes included tiny squid:

…. and sea bream and squid sashimi:

I love squid sashimi, it has an interesting creamy texture – not rubbery at all. Delicious. The main course was wagyu steak in three different cuts:

Conclusion

Whilst it isn’t quite as modern as the Conrad Osaka, Conrad Tokyo still holds its own next to its younger sibling.

Rooms are beautifully appointed with spectacular city-wide views thanks to their position on the 30th floors and above.

The spread at the Conrad Club is a little sparse but the hotel amenities make up for it with a large pool, well equipped gym and classic Japanese spa.

Rates at the Conrad Tokyo start from around £400+ per night or 100,000 Hilton Honors points if booking a redemption.

If you are booking for cash, we recommend booking a ‘Hilton for Luxury’ package via our luxury hotel partner Emyr Thomas at Bon Vivant. You will receive:

• Complimentary breakfast for two
• $100 equivalent food & beverage credit
• Double Hilton Honors points
• One category upgrade, early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability

…. for the same price as the standard Best Flexible Rate. You pay on departure as usual. You can learn more about ‘Hilton for Luxury’ here and contact Emyr here.

You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.