We usually say, one night is a love affair. Everything is new. The second night, you settle in. After the third night you start to see the cracks. The small details: perhaps the air conditioning is a little noisy, the hot water takes its time. The fourth night you are ready to check out.
Simply not here. Without a doubt one of the best hotels we have stayed in.
We started with five nights and returned for the last four nights of our trip.
This is a small hotel, 57 rooms. You could easily walk past the entrance from the street.
Once inside, high ceiling and light oak. A check-in desk, sofas and armchairs, the concierge in a wooden alcove to the side, and the lifts opposite the desk.
Small but cosy, and clearly designed. No long corridors, no trail of acorns needed to find the lifts.
That is all there is at street level. Everything else is upstairs on the seventh floor: the restaurant Maison Marunouchi, the bar, the spa, and of course Sézanne, the other restaurant, which deserves a review of its own.
We had booked a Four Seasons Room. We were upgraded to the Marunouchi Suite on the fifth floor, facing the railway tracks and the station.
Yes, you could hear the trains, a slight bumping noise like the old days. Kadunk, kadunk. For us an almost calming sound, and at night no trains leave the station. It did not bother us at all.
But if you want the view from 40 floors up, then perhaps this hotel is not for you. We had a view too, and we loved it.
The whole of Tokyo Station below us, the old red brick station building to the left, and a row of Shinkansen lined up with their noses pointing at us. Ready to stretch out across the country. The artery of Japan. Some want the skyline. We had that too, as a backdrop.
The whole hotel is newly renovated, and it is beautifully done. The room is so thoughtfully designed. It is state of the art, and so are the amenities.
Where you find the hairdryer there are four hair products. Of course there is a comb and a brush. The brush came home with us. My old one went in the bin. It was that good. And actually, wall and bed switches that make sense. How many times have switches driven you mad? Not here.
No room is faultless. On our first stay, we had a single towel setup, and nowhere warm to hang it, just a hook. Shower in the morning and you will find the towel still damp in the afternoon.
We never asked. If we had, we would probably have drowned in towels within two minutes.
On our second night we went to Nadaman, the Japanese restaurant at the Shangri-La, a ten-minute walk along the station. The menu looked good from home.
Only four other guests is never a good sign on a Friday night. Super quiet. We stood up, blamed the jet lag, and walked out. Suddenly there were three or four of them, offering a taxi. We said we would walk.
No reserve plans. So we walked back to our hotel. The restaurant was full, but they somehow managed a table for us, and we had a lovely dinner.
What made it great, what makes this hotel great: the staff. They are simply astonishing.
When we left for Kanazawa they walked us to the station. Through the ticket gates, all the way up to the platform. This is where you stand. Tokyo Station can be intimidating the first time. Not that morning.
No long corridors, no trail of acorns needed to find the lifts.
One more thing. We like it when the General Manager shows up among the guests now and then. Most of them seem to hide in the office. Two did not on this trip, Jens Wycisk here at Marunouchi and John Blanco at Capella Kyoto. A small thing, but it matters. The staff see it, and so do the guests.
Coming back was the plan from the start. But with a catch.
If Marunouchi was not good on the first stay, we would cancel the last nights and move to the Palace Hotel or Aman. We did not cancel.
Could it still exceed our expectations? Would some familiar faces be there from last time? Would we enjoy the breakfast after all the other hotels?
Yes. Familiar faces at check-in. The room was already ready when we arrived.
And the breakfast? The buffet is small but good. Better small and good than big and showy. I remember the peppers, cut thin and with care, not the thick careless slices you get at so many places. Details matter. The quality of everything was spot on.
Besides the buffet, you can also order from the menu. My wife went for the Japanese breakfast, several times. Miso, tofu, and the meat were superb, she said. The fish she got the first time was probably fine, but too much for breakfast.
This time I had booked a One Bedroom Suite. It was my birthday. We hoped for the same view as last time. But they had a suspicious poker face. Perhaps a bottle of champagne was waiting.
They pressed the button for the sixth floor and showed us to the door. Tokyo Manor Suite, 160 square metres. The kind of suite you cannot book online. It says: Please call to book.
We were stunned. I even got a little tear in my eye. Three weeks of Japan had worn us out in the best way. And then this, at the last stop.
We did not know why, and we did not ask. Was it the birthday, was it because they thought of us as nice guests, or because we chose to stay nine nights? We will never know.
We never tell a hotel that we write, and we did not here.
One evening we had a table booked at another restaurant. Loud music, full house. Not for us. So I sent our hotel a WhatsApp. Any chance of a table? Again, there was. We headed back.
We got the best table. Champagne arrived before we had asked for anything. Then we ordered a bottle of wine and two pasta bolognese from the kids’ menu. Another evening to remember.
OK, the pasta was a little cold. A small, small crack, but who cared.
Call me old-fashioned, but I had never owned a handbag. Now I have. It is not a purse, it is European. One day one of the staff, Kyoka, saw the little charm I had hanging on it, Totoro. We talked a little about him. That evening she had set up a DVD player with My Neighbour Totoro (1988). The perfect movie night.
This is what it is all about. The connection between staff and guest. At least for us. We can easily name a few. And that is why we are coming back. This is family.
Night nine. Still not ready to check out.
And kudos to the concierge team who put up with us, trying to help us choose the last restaurants.
So, hands by our sides, a deep bow. Arigatou gozaimasu.
First time, 1 (two stays, same trip)
October 2026
5 + 4
Booked a Four Seasons Room, got the Marunouchi Suite. Booked a One Bedroom Suite, got the Tokyo Manor Suite.
State of the art
98%
Buffet and menu to order. Go for the Japanese breakfast.
No problems here.
Yes
We already did
