Disclaimer: In exchange for a hosted stay at the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel, I am writing this review.
Intro & Location
When I looked up the location of the nearly 6-years old Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel, the first thing that I noticed was that it’s a very short walk to Shiomi station on the Keiyo rail line (京葉線). On that note, the name Keiyou refers to the fact that it connects Tokyo (東京) and Chiba (千葉), the area just east of Tokyo.
What’s tempting hotel guests over to Chiba? Tokyo Disneyland, a short Keiyo train ride (<10 minutes) from the property. Not to mention, on the same line, it’s <10 minutes to Tokyo station.
Indeed, that represents the bulk of folks staying. Having already put two and two together, I was anxious that my stay might be ruined by kids running around, and adults ignoring them. While the lobby and breakfast buffet were happening places, it really never came to be that way. Phew.
Even better, if your flight involves Narita Airport, there’s a direct bus from the hotel, with a big Japanese bus company called WILLER EXPRESS.
There’s not a heck of a lot to do in the immediate vicinity, but near Shiomi station are a supermarket, restaurants, and convenience stores, as well as a conveyor belt sushi (kaitenzushi) restaurant. Speaking of convenience stores, there’s a 24-hour Family Mart attached to the hotel; it shares one set of doors with one of the hotel lobbies.
Hotel Themes
There are two dominant themes to the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel.
One is a maritime theme. Much of Tokyo was built on reclaimed land, not to mention its huge collection of bridges. Walk around the lobby, and you’ll see some nods to the sea, be it through shells, anchors, and/or model boats. Artworks, however, tend to go for a floral motif.
Take a self-guided audio tour of the hotel’s designs, after scanning one of these QR codes in the lobby:
The second theme is “old meets new.” In this case, the old is the Edo period, roughly 1603-1868). For example, in the photo below, you have a doorman holding the door for an Edo woman of high status, who is being carried in a palanquin.
Also, throughout the guest room floors, there are neighborhood maps reflecting a point in time in the Edo period, and perhaps on the opposite wall, a map of what that neighborhood looks like today (or at least in 2020 when the hotel opened).
Check-in & Facilities
In spite of being a busy lobby, there was no queue for check-in. The front desk staff were nice, and explained hotel amenities, as well as more about the breakfast buffet.
Since I happened to be staying at the hotel at the tail end of the Tanabata festival season, a tree festooned with hotel guests’ wishes/messages on colorful strips of paper, called tanzaku, was still on display in the lobby.
The Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel laundry, bathhouse, and fitness center are all on the 2nd floor. To be candid, I’m using a number of official hotel photos in this review because rules for photography (e.g. of strangers) in Japan are vastly different than those in the United States.
That said, I did get to see first-hand (well, not the women’s bathhouse) the below facilities.
Moreover, there’s a children’s play area at the lobby level, near the guest room elevators.
My Room
Knowing that it’s a hotel popular with young families, there are a number of rooms suited for that category (e.g. these come with bunk beds).
The room type I was given is called the Superior Twin Room. It was quite spacious for a Tokyo room, but I think what helped this fact is that it’s not exactly in a cramped downtown district.
It had a nice little couch in the corner, and two storage cubbies underneath said couch.
On the left in the cabinet were stored the refrigerator, kettle, and coffee maker.
Oh, right, if you want to check the hours and occupancy rates at the restaurant and bathhouse, you can turn on the TV to check.
Water pressure in the shower was great, both nights I was there I went to sleep within two minutes of hitting the pillow, and the wi-fi was good.
If I had a minor complaint, it would be:
– If two friends are traveling together, the placement of the immobile nightstands makes for a cozy evening. Too cozy.
TIDE TABLE Shiomi (Restaurant)
The hotel’s restaurant is called TIDE TABLE. OK, another Japanese language lesson for which you weren’t prepared. The name of the area, Shiomi, roughly translates as “looking at the tide.” Great, you’ve passed the test.
Anyway, it’s a big place. It offers breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and both Muslim-/kid-forward options.
It is located in the lobby; if you’re a hotel guest, your room key card acts as your ticket (presuming breakfast is already included in your package).
As mentioned earlier, I wasn’t about to cause a ruckus trying to videotape the breakfast buffet with throngs of impatient guests. However, I did talk my way into filming the ambience, and some buffet options soon after it closed for a break.
If you make it early enough — say, around 06:30-7, you might get one of the limited daily cuts of tuna (maguro) sashimi. Don’t forget to try the French toast, and the seasonal items from throughout Japan.
I was quite satisfied with the choices, although I wish I had located bacon and cheese somewhere;
I would’ve made a sandwich with one of the croissants.
What got crazier than the food area was the drinks area. It’s in a different part of the restaurant, and was generally a zoo.
Tally ’em Up
For the most part, the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel was a pleasant stay. Knowing Tokyo well, if Tokyo station were my destination, the Keiyou line wouldn’t be my first choice (it’s quite detached and a couple of levels below the rest of the train lines). Then again, the Shiomi neighborhood was quiet, had a supermarket, and of course (it’s Tokyo), trains were frequent enough.
Staff were overall good, the room was relaxing, and the food better than some of the luxury Tokyo properties I’ve experienced.
