This is a big, glossy commercial hotel that has everything going for it except the better waterfront location that its nemesis, the similarly priced Nikko, claims. Located on Odaiba, reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, the 30-story building aims for a magnificent and monumental look, with no shortage of marble inlay, columns, balustrades and domes, all neoclassically grand but rather out of place at this leisure destination. The industrial-chic design of the adjoining atrium proves jarring in these surroundings, made even worse by being an empty space that serves no function other than as spillover space for meetings and exhibitions.
The most comfortable lounging area is downstairs in
the meeting-room foyer. On the lobby level is Ro-Lan, serving Cantonese dishes and dim sum, along with a casual cafe specializing in buffets and a bar. One floor up is Oshima, serving Japanese food, along with a sake bar and karaoke lounge. On the panoramic top floor is the sky lounge Star Road, offering breakfasts, buffet lunches, and evening cocktails with live music along with sweeping views. Room service runs 6 am to noon and again from 5 pm to 1 am.
A small shopping arcade, including a circular art gallery and a 24-hour convenience store, keeps guests entertained. The fitness center with cardiovascular equipment, weights, a three-lane indoor pool and fourth-floor 
outdoor pool draws plenty of locals on weekends. In addition to a business center and 17 meeting rooms, a ballroom can host 2,400 in a reception. A complimentary bus shuttles guests to Hotel Pacific Tokyo (across from Shinagawa Station) and Disneyland.
The small guest rooms, including two for the handicapped and five floors for nonsmokers, show elegant appointments done up in the same somber imitation French style as the public areas, with regal colors, striped wallpaper running up to high ceilings, and no-nonsense armchairs and dressers. Rooms are fitted with LCD TVs, data ports with free Internet access, and single or double beds with duvets and plenty of pillows. Baths have patterned marble floors, choice toiletries, tubs and stall showers, and big mirrors. Premium rooms add more space in bedrooms and baths, and Club President guests delight in a richly appointed lounge offering drinks. For these guests, admission to the fitness center is free as well. Views from higher floors overlook the Nikko to the waterways and Rainbow Bridge beyond.
For waterfront accommodation near central Tokyo, this polished beauty registers as more formal than the casual Nikko but is not quite as sophisticated as the InterContinental.
