This hotel opened in 2004 as a modern replacement to the original 1924 Marunouchi Hotel. Located 200 m north of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi Exit and connected to the station via underground passageway, it's a convenient choice for those seeking quick access to both Narita Airport and bullet trains to the rest of Japan.
The hotel occupies the top 11 floors of a glass high-rise called Marunouchi Oazo. Reception is on the seventh floor, but arriving guests are apt to feel abandoned since they first have to navigate the elevator and an empty hallway before finding the front desk, off to one side. Clearly, this is a do-it-yourself type of hotel, best appreciated by business travelers looking for less expensive alternatives in one of the world's most
expensive cities. The hotel, decorated in what it calls "Modern Japanism," exudes a Zen-like simplicity in the bare wooden floors and Shoji-like walls of its lobby, which overlooks a terrace rooftop garden.
Also on the seventh floor is a classy teppanyaki restaurant, Daian Club, decorated in black with seats facing the chef and windows looking out onto the city. The next-door Chinju rounds out the options with tempura, sashimi, kaiseki and other Japanese fare, and a bar dispenses drinks and cigars. Wide stairs lead to a casual French-Japanese fusion restaurant on the eighth floor, Pomme d'Adam. Outside the hotel but under direct hotel management are two more nearby restaurants, Tokyo John Bull, a French restaurant dating 
from 1924, and Japanese restaurant Kita no Maru. Room service is from 7 am to 10 pm.
Meeting space in the hotel is limited to a small room with a 16-person capacity, though the Japanese restaurant also has two private rooms that can accommodate up to eight people. There are no recreational facilities.
Standard rooms, averaging 27 sq m, are simple and contemporary in keeping with the hotel design concept, with warm browns and rather small baths. Deep tubs invite relaxation with head pillows. The best rooms are deluxe twins on top floors facing the train station, where triple-pane windows give silent witness to the 
comings and goings of bullet trains. They have the added touch of a "Japanese Living Corner," a tatami area with low seating and a hollow space underneath the table for legs. More than half the rooms are smoke-free, and one is outfitted for the handicapped. Free high-speed Internet connections, videos on demand, fridges stocked with free mineral water, a safe and a trouser presser round out room amenities.
This is a convenient choice for those looking for inexpensive digs near Tokyo Station, but those seeking more facilities and traditional surroundings may be happier at the nearby, but aging, Palace Hotel.
