Hotel Gracery Ginza

Gracery Ginza is a mid-range business boutique hotel with a simple but pleasant aesthetic that feels both professional and homey. Parts of the lobby looks like a run-of-the-mill business hotel, but the seating area for guests is homelike and pleasant, with a mix of chocolate-hued and taupe crushed-velvet chairs and lovely accents such as a traditional screen, warm wood-paneled floor, and a tall vessel with dried reeds decorating the space. There's also a guest lounge with a similarly warm feel, and there are cute details dotted throughout the property, such as a vintage coffee grinder and milk bottle bearing an image of the Eiffel Tower. Each floor has a different color theme, and bright hallways with contemporary carpeting. There’s also a ladies’ floor and an executive floor, all linked to the lobby via elevators. The hotel gets both business travelers and tourists, mainly from the US and Asia, though some come from elsewhere in Japan and Europe. 

As the name suggests, Hotel Gracery Ginza is located in Tokyo's Ginza neighborhood, a mixed-use area with shopping, restaurants, hotels, and corporate buildings. It's a two-minute walk from the luxury shops at the Ginza Six mall, and a five-minute walk from the Higashi-ginza Station. It's about 20 minutes by public transportation to Tokyo Tower and 25 minutes to the iconic Senso-ji temple. Ueno Park, where many of the city's museums are located, also takes around 25 minutes to reach using public transit. Narita Airport takes over an hour to get to (take the Keisei Narita Skyaccess to avoid changing trains). Haneda Airport is a half-hour by train via the Shimbashi Station. 

Rooms at the Gracery Ginza range in size, from 15-square-meter (159-square-foot) Standard Singles to 23-square-meter (250-square-foot) Standard Twins. Decor is modern and elegant, with textured throw pillows, crushed velvet seat upholstery, shantung silk-style drapes, and subtly patterned wallpaper. Some are highlighted with warm hues like cranberry-red and have dark carpeting, while others have an airier look, with blond-wood furniture and soft hues like pale green and light blue. Some rooms have small seating areas. All units come nicely equipped, with flat-screen TVs and desks, some of which double as makeup vanities with fold-up mirrors and office chairs, plus mini-fridges, electric kettles with free coffee, tea, and bottled water, air purifiers, and free Wi-Fi. Pajamas and slippers are also provided. Bathrooms are a touch less attractive with all-white tile, but they're bright and have shower/tub combos, full-size containers of toiletries, bidet toilets, hairdryers, and extras such as toothbrushes and razors. Rooms on the ladies' floor come with stylish raised platform beds and extras such as face steamers and full-size hairdryers. Rooms on the executive floor add full wardrobe closets and electronic safes. 

There aren’t many features at this hotel, though there is an on-site cafe/restaurant, Bonsalute, offering healthy breakfasts and snacks and coffee drinks throughout the day. Breakfast is available for a fee and can be served in rooms or taken buffet style in the restaurant. The breakfast spread is particularly impressive and includes items that could extend to brunch, such as gazpacho chicken salad and pasta salad with anchovies. There are Western and Japanese choices, plus homemade jams and more than a half-dozen freshly made juices. The coffee served here is made using a high-end Jura espresso machine. Note that the menu changes every three months. Other amenities include automatic/electronic check in and check out, luggage storage and luggage delivery services, valet laundry (but no coin-operated facilities), vending and ice machines on each floor, a currency-changing machine, a smoking room, and free hotel-wide Wi-Fi, plus a couple of computers for guest use. There’s also a small guest lounge with newspapers and magazines, mostly in Japanese.