Hi,
Where might I find good deals and expected rates for hotels in Tokyo?
I'm going in a group of six in late Feb and my task is to find bookings for the group.
I've never made hotel bookings before, let alone an oversea one.
Any advice would be great. Thanks
i saw in the news those one night capsule beds. Those things look awesome!!!! (wouldn't be very good for long stays)
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/accommodation/a/tokyocapsule1.ht…
sounds like a once in a lifetime experience.
If you're adventurous, try capsule hotels!
Otherwise, look for an apartment. I went to Tokyo about 5 years ago with my wife and 2 other couples and it was much cheaper than 3 hotel rooms. They tend to be a little further away from the major attractions of the city, but the metro system is very efficient so travel wasn't a problem for us.
You can also try to book ryokans, they are more traditional style guest houses (sleep on futon mats). They can be cheaper and gives you a different experience. We stayed in one in Asakusa… Shigetsu I think it was and they catered very well for tourists.
I've stayed in the capsule hotel, ryokan and a normal hotel, a few years back. Keep in mind the capsule hotels are usually all male, so if there is a female you may want to skip this option. If its all male then definitely go for the capsule hotel but be prepared to shower and bathe naked together.
Some pics from my experience:
My capsule
Looking out from the capsule
lol 3 consecutive posts about capsule hotels :P
I think if you visit a local travel agent they can show you pics and give you prices right there.
also a lot of travel agents- travel a lot and can give you first hand info. on places like tokyo.
I stayed at Shinjuku at the Hyatt and loved it also the Hilton was very nice
Both times I've been there I've used http://www.hostels.com - whilst the traditional hostel type accomodation is available they also have plenty of budget hotels, private rooms, rooms with ensuites etc. Otherwise Tokyo can obviously get quite expensive. I've stayed at the Sakura Jimbocho (http://www.sakura-hotel.co.jp/) twice and it was fine. And for a treat stayed at the Tokyo Dome hotel (http://www.tokyodome-hotels.co.jp/e/)…with the good exchange rate it's probably not so expensive and it's always great to have a roller coaster onsite!
I was told, when in Tokyo, that capsule hotels were mainly used by drunk men to save them trying to get home - usually so drunk that it doesn't matter how comfortable it is! (Maybe we need these in Australia?)
also businessmen who work late
Yeah, that's what the guidebooks say and I guess that may be true on the weekends, not sure. The process was quite relaxing, check-in, put all your stuff into a locker and put on just a robe. Sit, read the paper, watch tv, get a massage, whatever then go to the communal bath/showers. Sit down and wash yourself then go into a bath where I guess you would bond with other naked men(I skipped the bath part). Head into your capsule, where there is usually a TV, alarm clock, phone, and light. Go to sleep. By the way, the capsule doesn't seal like a tank or a morgue, its usually just a curtain which may or may not be a good thing.
I wanna try a night in one of those tiny shelf-type "rooms" they have in japan. ie, just the bed.
Anyway, try a travel agent to get advice, but don't book with them.
Then try different websites
expedia
wotif
lastminute
agoda
hotelz
some hotels' direct websites
there are too many ways to list here