Hotel Monterey Ginza

My wife, incomparably more competent than I, found this hotel for us and it was perfect. You won't easily find a better room in Ginza in this price range. We stayed here for three of our four nights in Tokyo. It definitely met my proletarian standards: the hot water worked, the shower had soap, the bed didn't keep me awake, no one broke into our room. Good enough. On the “happy wife, happy life” principle, however, I absolutely loved this hotel. She couldn't get over the sheer size of the bathroom. Now I don't come from money, so I don't know how small Japanese hotel bathrooms are supposed to be, but she couldn't believe we were in Japan. She appreciated the bathroom amenities including some beauty products they offered her when we checked in. (Nobody ever offers me beauty products. Am I already too beautiful to need them?) She even liked the bathroom’s cute door. She loved the room slippers so much that she asked to keep them and the hotel staff said yes. The wifi satisfied her except for a moment when the staff were vacuuming the hall and it got really slow. Other reviewers complain that the food is overpriced; we did not confirm that because we had so many other restaurants higher up on our Tokyo list.

The location of this hotel is amazing. You are in a great neighborhood, but also close to the metro station. The rooms are a bit old, a bit small but overall good, no complaints. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was nothing like we are used to in America but it was good and very helpful because most things in Japan open after 11am.

I stayed at this hotel during the New Year holidays in 2024. To avoid affecting any specific staff member, I chose to write this review a year later, as the incident may have simply been due to a long workday or a language barrier. First of all, the hotel is well located, and the facilities were reasonably good. However, I had a slightly unpleasant experience during check-in. I often use the service that sends luggage from the hotel directly to the airport, and the previous night I stayed at Mitsui Garden Hotel, which was able to arrange that service for me. When I asked the front desk at this hotel if they could help me book the same service, I’m not sure if the staff member fully understood what I meant—perhaps due to the language barrier—but his response was essentially that they couldn’t provide it. Up to that point, the interaction was completely normal. However, what made me uncomfortable was that I noticed the gentleman turned to his colleague and muttered, “面倒臭い” (“mendokusai” – meaning something like “what a hassle”). While I spoke in English during the conversation, I do understand some basic Japanese—and unfortunately, I understood that phrase. I don’t know if he was referring to the situation or to me personally, but is it really appropriate to say something like that in front of a guest, assuming they won’t understand? Overall, I had a wonderful impression of Japan during this trip. People were kind and welcoming everywhere I went, and it made me truly appreciate both the country and its people. I even donated to support those affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, hoping to express my own respect and goodwill. This was just a small incident, but it left me with an uncomfortable feeling. I sincerely hope it was just an unfortunate moment and not representative of the hotel’s usual service.