Dormy inn PREMIUM Shibuya-jingumae — Hotel in Tokyo

I recently stayed at the Dormy Inn Premium in Shibuya, and while the hotel has its advantages, I feel that it falls short of the "premium" label in several aspects.

Let’s start with the onsen. For a hotel that advertises itself as premium, I expected the onsen experience to be exceptional. Unfortunately, the onsen water is just regular water—nothing particularly special about it, and it lacks the mineral-rich, healing properties you might find at other onsens around Japan. If you are looking for a genuine, rejuvenating onsen experience, this might be disappointing. Moreover, there is no outdoor section for the bath, which, for me, is one of the highlights of onsen bathing. The joy of soaking in hot water while breathing in fresh air and looking at the sky is simply not available here.

Adding to the underwhelming onsen experience is the fact that the hotel broadcasts a looped video in the bath area. I’m not sure of the intent behind this, but it definitely takes away from the serenity and relaxation one would expect in a bathhouse. Instead of soothing, it feels somewhat commercial and repetitive, which, again, doesn’t align with what I would expect from a premium stay.

On a positive note, the hotel’s lobby is spacious, especially for those who travel with lots of luggage. I found this particularly helpful during check-in and check-out, as the large luggage storage area made it convenient to move around freely without feeling crowded. It's clear that Dormy Inn considered the practical needs of travelers when designing the lobby, and it’s one of the features I appreciated.

The location of the hotel in Shibuya is excellent, making it easy to access the vibrant district with its shops, restaurants, and famous crossing. If you're in Tokyo for sightseeing or shopping, the convenience of staying here cannot be overlooked. However, if you're primarily interested in a premium hotel experience and high-end amenities, you might want to reconsider.

To conclude, Dormy Inn Premium in Shibuya offers convenience and practicality, especially for those with luggage or those who want to be close to the heart of Shibuya. However, the premium label feels like a stretch given the lackluster onsen and the distracting bathhouse atmosphere. I would suggest the hotel more as a practical option rather than a destination for relaxation and premium comfort.

It was good! Edit 2025 July,...

This hotel is OK. But there are bigger, better rooms at similar price levels to be had in Tokyo. It is also right next to very busy train tracks. They do seem to know that, and try to make up for it with little cute extras like free ramen in the lobby at night. Things like that do make stay here more pleasant. First, the positives: 1) It's very, very clean. At the same time they seem to have adopted the horrible policy many hotels in Japan go by these days where they don't clean your room unless you turn the "please clean my room" light on before 10AM. Otherwise, they just leave a bag of towels hanging on your door. When they do clean your room, they do an excellent job. 2) Beds are really very comfortable. Some of those cute extras I refer to include a pillow menu and I think a soap menu. However, they don't tell you about this. So please be informed by this review that they do exist, and don't hesitate to ask. (I only know because I had stayed here before COVID and the various types of pillows were available for the taking, outside the bath house.) Neutral: 1) The rooms--at least those I've stayed in--have no baths (which is not typical for a Japanese hotel), and the showers are so small, I mostly went down to the bath house to wash. Which is OK; the hours of the bath house are very liberal, it was never crowded, and they do give you cute pajamas. Now the negatives: 1) Desolation. The hotel is in a very busy area during the day. And if you want to use most of your time shopping in Omotesando and Harajuku, I won't talk you out of it. However, no one lives near the hotel. So at night there is not a soul to be seen outside. Even though it's safe, because it's Tokyo, my companion was afraid to set a foot out onto the street except during daylight hours. 2) Noise: unless you are in the very front of the hotel, there are huge train tracks with many busy line for trains going directly in back of the hotel, and soundproofing is not sufficient. You will hear very noisy trains going by every few seconds (you read that right: every few seconds) between about 6AM til after midnight. If you are in a room in the back or side of the hotel (which most are)...

We had a 20-hour stopover in Tokyo and a transfer from Haneda to Narita Airport, so we decided to stay for one night in Tokyo to do some shopping. We chose Dormy Inn Shibuya because it was one of the closest hotels to Harajuku, where my daughter wants to go. This turned out to be an excellent decision.||The hotel is only about 10 mins walk to Takeshita Ave, the iconic and fun-filled epicenter of Harajuku. The walk there takes you through interesting shops and restaurants. After shopping, we got back to the hotel and found that they provide complimentary cook-to-order ramen (with seaweed and onion) from 9:30pm till maybe midnight? It was yummy and really hit the spot after a whole day of rushing around.||Since I was having jet lag, I went to the Onsen at 4am and met another jet-lagged visitor who told me how to get to the Narita Airport. The onsen is open from 3pm-10am, so it’s very convenient if you’re having trouble sleeping. After the soak, you can treat yourself to an icicle or a yakult drink, all free right outside the onsen room. There’s also a shelf of Japanese manga for you to peruse.||The room itself was tiny but well appointed. They only gave 2 pillows which were low and hard, but the bed was firm and comfortable and you could probably ask for more pillows if you want.||Final highlight - we paid for breakfast and I’m so glad we did. The breakfast was so good that that itself would have made our stay worth it. There’s Japanese and Western breakfast, everything from sashimi to cook-to-order fresh toast with a dollop of fresh cream and sprig of mint on top. Simply decadent - felt like a 5 star hotel breakfast.||It’s also very close to Shibuya station, which, if no one has told you, is where you can catch the JR line Narita Express to go to Narita Airport. Have some cash for the train, because your foreign credit card might not work on the ticket machine. If that happens to you, go to the JR ticket office just outside the gates and someone will help you.||I would stay there again in...