E Hotel Higashi Shinjuku

The 14-story E Hotel Higashi Shinjuku sits on the corner of a busy Tokyo street made up of similar high-rise buildings. Renovated in mid-2015, the hotel's reception area has a sleek and modern look highlighted by a lively geometric rug in primary colors, black and wood-paneled walls, and black furniture. The illuminated reception counter, black hanging lamps, and red-velour sofa seating along the length of one wall add to the contemporary ambience. Public spaces include the lobby and the adjacent coffee shop, where guests can mix and mingle. This mid-range hotel caters to budget-minded travelers, drawing many young tourists, along with business travelers.

E Hotel Higashi Shinjuku is located on a busy city street in a lively neighborhood of many restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, and department stores. Transportation links are excellent: It's a three-minute walk to Higashi-Shinjuku subway station, making this a convenient place to stay.

• Three-minute walk to Higashi-Shinjuku subway station
• Seven-minute walk to Golden Gai nightlife district
• Eight-minute walk to Kabukicho entertainment district
• 10 minutes to Shinjuku train station by public transportation
• 15 minutes to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden by public transportation
• 23 minutes to Meiji Shrine by public transportation
• 26 minutes to Yoyogi Park via public transportation
• 30 minutes to Tokyo station by public transportation
• 33 minutes to Tokyo Imperial Palace by public transportation
• 34 minutes to Senso-ji temple by public transportation
• 34-minute drive to Tokyo Haneda International Airport
• 44 minutes to Hara Museum of Contemporary Art by train

The 253 rooms at E Hotel Higashi Shinjuku were renovated in 2015, and have a simple, modern style. A notable downside is their size: They're only 129 square feet, and small windows give the rooms the feel of a student dorm. Walls are covered in soft-gray and light-yellow wallpaper, while floors are carpeted in dark gray, and purple or blue curtains hang at the windows. The minimalist furniture is black or pale wood, and purple chairs add spots of color in some rooms. Folding mirrors are cleverly concealed in the desktops, revealing storage spaces that hold hairdryers. All rooms are air-conditioned, and they include electric kettles, mini-fridges, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms are tiny, fitted with small sinks and Japanese-size bathtubs (half the size of American bathtubs) with showerheads. Twin Rooms, at 258 square feet, tend to be larger, with small sitting areas with sofas. The hotel's location on a busy street means ambient street noise reaches some of the rooms, and guests have complained about the smell of lingering smoke in some of the nonsmoking rooms.

E Hotel Higashi Shinjuku is a mid-range hotel with few facilities. There's no breakfast service, although guests are directed to the adjacent Tully's Coffee cafe, which is managed by the hotel and serves coffee, drinks, and snacks. There's no fitness center either, but it does have a small business center with two Internet-connected computers for guests' use. And Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. A coin-operated laundry and vending machines selling drinks are also available to guests. Other services include luggage storage and dry cleaning services (for a extra). Bus tickets to Haneda and Narita Airports can be purchased at the front desk.