MIMARU Tokyo Hatchobori — Hotel in Tokyo

The Mimaru chain of apartment hotels is known for being able to accommodate more than 3 adults in a room, which immediately earns it a big plus when looking for accommodation in central Tokyo. Even American chains like Hilton, which always offers rooms for 4 with two double beds, is restricted to 3 persons in Japan.||Our stay in a Family Apartment (38sqm) was made much more pleasant with a very thoughtfully planned and laid out room, often not found in even 5-star & luxurious hotels. One of my biggest gripe with hotel bathrooms is that there is never enough towel bars and hooks to hang the bath & hand towels, forcing one to leave them on already tight counter tops (very likely next to the sink) or on the bathroom floor. I loved the position and angle of the hand towel bar, something which may seem trivial, but honestly, I have not come across designs and placements of these in a logical way except for Mimaru here. ||More ingenious room functions:-||Bunk beds, which were on top of each other, had their own non-intrusive reading lights.||The open wardrobe area had a multi clip hanger (absolutely useful!) which can save tons of space & hangers especially when there are 4 persons. This has inspired me to bring one of these in my luggage every time I travel. ||In the absence of bedside tables, due to space constraints, the double bed had a ledge behind running across, thus making it so useful for putting your phones and whatnots within reach from the bed. ||More ingenious placements of usb chargers and sockets right on the bed headboard, and individual ones even for the bunkbeds! There is no need to reach down low on the floor and crouch under a table to connect your devices. ||The substitute of a low couch and coffee table in these apartments with a dining table and sofa sets for 4 augur well for families, and even for 2. It is so much easier and more comfortable to sit at normal height to eat or do your work with such a large table top. In almost all hotels, the presence of the ubiquitous work desk, no matter how large, can all but sit one person. So we found this to be extremely useful, given that there is a kitchenette to do some light cooking.||Lighting made a lot of sense and I loved the fact that there is no digital central control switch (master switch) next to the bed. All switches were manual, and were exactly where they were supposed to be, making it easy to put on and off the light you need. Nowadays, hotels have digital master switches which very often boggle the mind and you end up fumbling to find the right light you need. Modern advancements may not always be better or make things more user friendly; on the contrary, they can be counter productive.||Mirrors - there are mirrors everywhere, full length and otherwise (and even in the shower aea). I really appreciated the supply of a free standing mirror which I could bring anywhere with me. How many hotels have that in their rooms?||The shower head in the bathroom came with two different height slots you can put it at, something I have not come across either. ||All these may be trivial matters, but it made a lot of sense to us, solving many of the problems we face in most hotel rooms, therefore making our stay so much more comfortable. User friendly is the word!||The overall setting of the room was more of function over aesthetics/decor which seems to beset many top hotel rooms - good to look at but not necessarily user friendly. Having said that, the room was pleasant in its furnishing and minimalist style and colour scheme, very zen with clean lines. If I had any gripe, it would be the separate toilet cubicle, which was a distance away from the main bathroom. I wished that they were adjacent to each other. ||The staff was helpful, and location good, within 5 minutes, walk from two stations and 15 minutes to the gigantic Tokyo station. We were able to walk to Tsukiji Outer Market and Ginza in 20 - 25 minutes. There were many minimarts around in close vicinity, Lawson, Family Mart, etc. for grabbing quick bites. And most of all, the room was as quiet as they come, due to the fact that the hotel is on a quiet side street, just tucked away from the main streets. ||We would definitely recommend Mimaru to families looking for decent accommodation in Japan; they are not full fledge hotels offering fancy restaurants (there is none), a pool, or gym facilities etc, but very functional,...

I booked a Pokémon-themed room on their website for myself, my husband, and our three children (ages 10 and 7-year-old twins). Upon arrival, we were informed by Risa that we couldn’t stay in the room because our party exceeded the allowed number of occupants. I explained that I had booked the room without any issues and showed the confirmation. The staff member stated that their policy considers children aged 6 and under as “children,” while those older than six are regarded as “adults,” and the room could only accommodate five adults. I pointed out that this information was not included in my email confirmation, but she claimed it was on their website in the fine print.||||When I asked about our options, she said we could either upgrade to a more expensive room or my husband and I would need to book a separate room at the hotel next door. My husband ended up booking a room at the neighboring hotel and stayed there.||||In the middle of the night, we received an email asking if my husband had booked another room. He confirmed this and forwarded the booking confirmation.||||The next day, when I went downstairs to pick up a food delivery, I discovered my key had stopped working. The same staff member, Risa, was there. When I asked why my key wasn’t working, she told me, “There was a problem, and you can only have one key.” Confused, I asked for clarification. She explained that since my husband wasn’t staying at the hotel, he couldn’t have a key and had to leave no later than 10 p.m. I asked where this policy was documented, but she couldn’t provide any information.||||I then sent an email requesting to shorten my reservation by one day due to these issues. The same woman (who had been extremely rude for the past two days) replied. Though I can’t be 100% sure it was her, it seemed like it was. She claimed it was my fault for not reading the fine print and mentioned that the building had cameras to ensure my husband left by 10 p.m.||||I feel like this hotel is a scam. Why allow me to book the room for my correct number of guests, only to inform me upon arrival that it wasn’t permitted? Suggesting my husband stay at a different hotel seemed very shady and inappropriate.||||I asked to speak to a manager, but I was told none were available. I requested a manager to call or speak with me, but this didn’t happen until we were literally leaving for the other hotel. The manager, Surah, said he tried to call us that morning in the room, but we had been out exploring. He claimed he had only just been made aware of the situation. I asked why he hadn’t been notified earlier, as this issue had been ongoing for three days. There were many ways to contact me: my cell phone, email, or text. The staff had no problem emailing us to harass us about my husband’s booking at another hotel, but somehow couldn’t contact me about resolving this issue?||||As we were getting into our cars to leave, Surah finally offered to move us to a 6-person room for one night. This was incredibly disrespectful — why wasn’t this option offered on the first day? The only solutions given initially were to pay more money or have my husband stay at a different hotel.||||The only positive aspect was that the room was cute (though it could use some touch-ups), and my kids loved it. However, they were stressed and upset because their father wasn’t with us.||||Thank you for making my first three days in Tokyo stressful and unpleasant. Please teach your staff proper manners,...

I booked a Pokémon-themed room on their website for myself, my husband, and our three children (ages 10 and 7-year-old twins). Upon arrival, we were informed by Risa that we couldn’t stay in the room because our party exceeded the allowed number of occupants. I explained that I had booked the room without any issues and showed the confirmation. The staff member stated that their policy considers children aged 6 and under as “children,” while those older than six are regarded as “adults,” and the room could only accommodate five adults. I pointed out that this information was not included in my email confirmation, but she claimed it was on their website in the fine print.

When I asked about our options, she said we could either upgrade to a more expensive room or my husband and I would need to book a separate room at the hotel next door. My husband ended up booking a room at the neighboring hotel and stayed there.

In the middle of the night, we received an email asking if my husband had booked another room. He confirmed this and forwarded the booking confirmation.

The next day, when I went downstairs to pick up a food delivery, I discovered my key had stopped working. The same staff member, Risa, was there. When I asked why my key wasn’t working, she told me, “There was a problem, and you can only have one key.” Confused, I asked for clarification. She explained that since my husband wasn’t staying at the hotel, he couldn’t have a key and had to leave no later than 10 p.m. I asked where this policy was documented, but she couldn’t provide any information.

I then sent an email requesting to shorten my reservation by one day due to these issues. The same woman (who had been extremely rude for the past two days) replied. Though I can’t be 100% sure it was her, it seemed like it was. She claimed it was my fault for not reading the fine print and mentioned that the building had cameras to ensure my husband left by 10 p.m.

I feel like this hotel is a scam. Why allow me to book the room for my correct number of guests, only to inform me upon arrival that it wasn’t permitted? Suggesting my husband stay at a different hotel seemed very shady and inappropriate.

I asked to speak to a manager, but I was told none were available. I requested a manager to call or speak with me, but this didn’t happen until we were literally leaving for the other hotel. The manager, Surah, said he tried to call us that morning in the room, but we had been out exploring. He claimed he had only just been made aware of the situation. I asked why he hadn’t been notified earlier, as this issue had been ongoing for three days. There were many ways to contact me: my cell phone, email, or text. The staff had no problem emailing us to harass us about my husband’s booking at another hotel, but somehow couldn’t contact me about resolving this issue?

As we were getting into our cars to leave, Surah finally offered to move us to a 6-person room for one night. This was incredibly disrespectful — why wasn’t this option offered on the first day? The only solutions given initially were to pay more money or have my husband stay at a different hotel.

The only positive aspect was that the room was cute (though it could use some touch-ups), and my kids loved it. However, they were stressed and upset because their father wasn’t with us.

Thank you for making my first three days in Tokyo stressful and unpleasant. Please teach your staff proper manners,...