3 Best Hotels in Tokyo, Japan

The Conrad artfully mixes the ultramodern image of Tokyo with traditional Japanese aesthetics, resulting in a luxury hotel that reflects the changing Tokyo of today. Elevators shoot upward 28 floors in the slick, green-hue Tokyo Shiodome Building to a lobby of dark oak paneling and bronze lattices. The high-ceiling guest rooms facing the bay have much more pleasant views than those looking over the city. The Twin Bay View Rooms (a roomy 516 square feet) boast the latest in modern hotel design (granite counters in bath, ergonomic desk chairs) and Japanese aesthetics, such as the charcoal drawing of cherry blossoms above the headboard. Highlights in the bathrooms include dual sinks, rain showerheads, and separate tubs (complete with rubber duckies). Dining options include the award-winning China Blue and the superb Japanese cuisine at Kazahana, which overlooks the Hamarikyu Garden. Be sure to come with plenty of Hilton points (or your best plastic)—room prices are as sky-high as the lobby entrance.

Wedged between Tokyo Bay and an expressway, the InterContinental boasts lovely views, albeit in a slightly isolated setting. All of the rooms are large and dressed in soft neutral textiles; bathrooms include separate showers and tubs. The club floors (20th to 24th) have a breakfast buffet and complimentary evening drinks to go with a dedicated check-in area. The surrounding area's filled with industrial complexes, with nothing in the way of immediate entertainment options, but the hotel still offers great views of the Rainbow Bridge and surrounding Odaiba. Haneda Airport is easily accessible from JR Hamamatsucho Station (an 8-minute walk from the hotel).

Comfortable beds, large bathrooms, and sweeping panoramas of Tokyo or the bay—it's easy to see why the guest rooms of this reasonably priced "artist" hotel remain a tourist favorite. On the downside, guest rooms, many of which have been decorated by local artists, are on the smaller side. Opt for those facing Tokyo Bay, if possible. If whisky is your thing, have a dram at the hotel's bar, The Society, which has more than 100 kinds of single malt and was the first bar in Japan to gain official recognition from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.