Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo

This was my first trip to Tokyo, and being loyal to SPG properties, I selected the Sheraton Miyako. In making my selection, I spoke with the hotel’s concierge, who assured me that the hotel was centrally located, and that as an SPG Platinum guest, I would be treated very well. This was enough for me to book the hotel.

Unfortunately, the hotel is not centrally located. It is located in a quiet residential neighborhood, well south of the main parts of Tokyo. While it is convenient to Haneda airport (just 25 minutes by taxi), the convenience stops there. The hotel is several rail stops or subway stops away from any of the popular business and tourist areas. And the Meguro station is at least 2km away from the hotel, so it is quite a walk. The hotel does run free shuttles every 15 minutes, but not during the full operating hours of the subway or the Japan Rail. But because of the distance of the hotel from the rail station and the main sights of Tokyo, each trip wasted more than an hour in transit time. (The Shirokanedai subway station is a bit closer – about 1km from the hotel – but if you want to take the Japan Rail Yamanote line, which is the main circle line through Tokyo, you still have to take the subway to Meguro from Shirokanedai.)

The hotel itself is worn and dated. In a country like Japan which prides itself on cleanliness and appearance (you could literally eat off the floors in the Tokyo subway), the Sheraton Miyako just felt dirty. Chipped paint and wood, peeling wallpaper, worn (and dated) carpeting, and mildew/cracks in bathroom caulking, all made the property unappealing.

The room itself was probably the smallest room I’ve ever had. It was so small that the bed had to be pushed up against the wall so that a single nightstand could be placed on the other side of the bed. While I was only one person, and therefore could exit the bed from the side which wasn’t up against the wall, this would have been quite a challenge for anyone sleeping with a significant other. The only way for the second person to get out of bed would be to climb over the other person (or ask him/her to get up.) And there was also no power outlet anywhere near the bed for charging a cellphone.

The bathroom was also quite small (and very worn and dated). It had a small tub/shower combination, a single sink, and a toilet, all crammed into a very small area (and with minimal counter space). Drawer space was minimal, and I had to leave many things in my suitcase because there was simply no room to unpack everything.

When I checked in, I was told that I had been upgraded as a Platinum member. The room I received, however, felt more like a downgrade. Looking at the various room types on their webpage the day after I checked in, I saw that every other room type was larger, and that there were sections of the hotel that were recently renovated and upgraded. As a Platinum guest, I’ve never received such a poor room from any hotel in Asia.

I probably should have complained about the room being unacceptable as soon as I checked in, but it was late and I was tired. (I had advised the hotel well in advance that I would not be arriving until after 11pm so that they could block a good room for me and keep it held until my late arrival). I regret not complaining, because my whole stay was miserable.

The breakfast offered to Platinum guests (in the 2nd floor club lounge) was quite minimal, and things were not re-stocked with any speed or frequency. Compared to the excellent hotel buffets found in other SPG properties throughout Asia, this one was a serious let down.

The hotel caters to both Asian and Western guests, so most of the signage (which unfortunately is limited and not terribly useful) is in both Japanese and in English, and a good number of the staff speaks enough English to make most communication feasible. The staff, however, was not very friendly, and was a bit too cold and sterile for my liking. I don’t think that I ever saw a smile in 4 days.

And while 2 of the main hotel restaurants did have bilingual menus, the Japanese restaurant did not. I would have lied to try a Japanese meal at the hotel, but without a menu that I could read on display, this wasn’t going to be possible. And the staff made no effort to try to accommodate me with translations or an English language menu. If the hotel were part of a local Japanese chain, or some independent hotel, I wouldn’t necessarily expect English language menus (although I would certainly appreciate it if they did). However, this hotel is part of a U.S.-based chain, and as such, caters to Western travelers, so to expect bilingual restaurant menus is not unreasonable.

Speaking of food, I should also share one other horrible experience with the hotel concierge. One evening, I asked the concierge to recommend a restaurant which served authentic Kobe beef. Rather than offering a reservation, the concierge said: “Oh, that’s very expensive. Are you sure that you can afford it?” Taken aback by this wholly inappropriate comment/question, I responded by stating that I was well aware of the cost of real Kobe beef and that I could afford the meal. Not leaving well enough alone, the Concierge continued by asking: “Are you sure you can afford it? What is your budget?” I responded by telling the Concierge that she shouldn’t worry about the price, and that I could afford the well-known high price tag for Kobe beef.

Apparently, many of the better restaurants serving Kobe beef are closed on Sundays, and this was a Sunday. But rather than trying to find a restaurant that was open (a good number of restaurants are still open on Sunday), the concierge then proceeded to try to tell me that Kobe beef wasn’t worth the price and that regular cuts of Japanese beef were just as good. She went as far as to say that Kobe beef is really just a tourist scam. I suspect that most foodies would disagree. (I should also note that because of the hotel’s inconvenient location, the better known restaurants specializing in Kobe beef, even if they had been open, would have been an hour away based on the transportation paradigm I discussed above.)

At this point, I thanked the concierge for her time, and told her that I’d just do my own research and find a restaurant that served what I was looking for. And indeed, I did that.

I would really like to be able to find one good thing to say about the property, but frankly, I can’t come up with any positives. This hotel was a serious disappointment, and not worth any price (and certainly not worth the rates that they charge!)