Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ginza Sanchome — Hotel in Tokyo

The location of Fresh Inn is fantastic—just a minute away from the shopping mall and around a 4 to 5-minute walk to Ginza Metro Station. It takes about 6 to 7 minutes to walk to Ginza Sta., which is located downstairs of the mall near the 3 Coins store. From there, you can reach Narita Airport in 75 minutes.The staff at the hotel are nice, and both the check-in and check-out processes are speedy. You can even do self-checkout when you leave, which takes only about 30 seconds. Additionally, you can leave your baggage at the hotel; although they don’t have a concierge, the front desk staff will assist you.The room itself is small, but it is quite spacious for Tokyo, especially in Ginza. I was able to open my 29-inch suitcase easily. However, the room is quite old, and the restroom is especially outdated, featuring a bathtub with a shower curtain. The walls are plastic, which felt a bit odd to me. The bed is a double bed with very thin pillows and a hard mattress, making it difficult for me to fall asleep on my first night, even after a long day of travel. I brought my own bedding sheet, but I still developed some skin rashes during my stay, possibly due to the carpet or the towels—I’m not sure. There’s nothing inside the room, and you need to go to the second floor to get toiletries like shampoo, masks, tea bags, etc. They do provide filtered water, so there are no bottled waters in the room. Cleaning is done every three days unless you request maid service.I have been assigned to a higher floor, specifically the 8th floor of the 9-level hotel, which made me happy. However, since I traveled alone as a female, being placed in a connected room made me feel a bit insecure and uncomfortable.Breakfast is served on the ground floor, where the hotel's only restaurant is located. You have three options every day: shabu shabu, tofu shabu shabu, and a Western-style breakfast that includes pancakes, sausage, and eggs. These options don’t change, so if you plan to stay for two days or more, it’s best not to pay for breakfast.While the hotel is convenient due to its location, it’s quite old and needs a deep cleaning or renovation. I paid around 26800 yen per night (including breakfast but before tax), which I found to be quite costly, especially given the overall experience. For me, this hotel is only worth 15000 yen at most...

I've stayed here for about 4 weeks total in the past year (2024-2025) and for me it's a great value when you consider the location, price, necessities, etc. It's a business hotel type of vibe, so you won't get anything plush and it does feel a little dated, but if you're looking to get around Tokyo - for tourism or for work - this place is great, along with a super friendly staff. ||Location: It's in the heart of Ginza and located to all the metros (Tokyo Metro & Yamanote) within like a 5 minute walk. If you need to go to Tsukiji or Toyoso Market or Big Sight (for expos), there's a bus that goes direct for 200yen right there. Really can't beat the location of this place. It's also close by to all the typical shopping meccas, so it's great to be able to buy a bunch of stuff and drop if off at the hotel nearby.||Food/Drinks: the hotel doesn't really have food, but there's a Lawson's, Family Mart, Seven-Eleven right there, so you can get anything you need there. There's a breakfast option available for extra $ but it's shabu-shabu and that might be a little intense for breakfast. There's a bunch of nice cafes nearby too like Roar Coffee and Teron that are open for breakfast options. If you're into specialty coffee like myself, Glitch, Bongen, Turret are all right there. I like to go running in the morning, so it's a few blocks from the Imperial Palace, which is a popular running area.||Staff and Amenities: Traveling solo, I always stay in a double, which is pretty small but you can get a super big suitcase in there and you'll probably have to open it on top of your bed. If you need an iron, for example, you can borrow it from the front desk. I did laundry in the coin laundry space this time and it's super simple and all-inclusive (don't wash-dryer is the same and detergent is included). Just drop in 300-500 yen (depending on weight) and it'll do it's thing in an hour or two. If you can't be there to pick up your laundry when it's done, the staff will put it in a bag and hold it for you so that others can use it too.||Overall: if you're looking for a great location in Tokyo with quick access to get your adventures going and good functionality out of a hotel for a great price, I couldn't recommend Fresa Inn...

I chose this hotel because of its proximity to my favorite coffee shop - Cafe de L'Ambre. Of course, L'Ambre doesn't open until noon, so I wouldn't get back to Ginza until the evening. Good thing L'Ambre is open until 10pm.||It a very convenient location that's not too far a walk from Shimbashi station which will take you all over the city. It's also in the heart of Ginza, so whatever you need is at the ready.||The lobby is on the second level (or third?) but not on the ground. There's a restaurant in the building which I did not try and a Family Mart, which is very convenient and great for quick cheap eats. The hotel is modern with nicely appointed rooms, but typical Japan sized rooms. This means that if you want spacious, western style rooms, you might consider the Park Hyatt. My room is good for me, my two large suitcases with a desk, bed, tv and bathroom. Small, but comfortable. And modern - at least it was in May 2019 (I'm writing this from May 2022). My experience was enjoyable enough that I look forward to staying there again when we can get back to Japan after this pandemic.||I really like the hotel. Clean, modern, friendly staff, great location. What more do you really want? And at a very reasonable price. When I stayed here in 2019, it cost about $80/night. Looking now in May 2022, it's about $55-80/night. In the fanciest of neighborhoods in the world's biggest and cleanest metropolis??? NYC and London are losers...