Hotel Gracery Shinjuku

Hotel Gracery Shinjuku is a large tower hotel set in a busy shopping and dining area of Shinjuku. Some might be surprised to find a giant statue of Godzilla on the terrace, but the building is also home to Toho Cinema, the studio behind the Godzilla franchise. There are some Godzilla-view guest rooms too, a hit with kids and fans of the monster.The lobby sits on the 8th floor, a large, sleek, wood-floored space with multiple check-in kiosks and a bank of elevators. There's an elegant, contemporary seating area that has the feel of a quiet library thanks to large wooden bookshelves stocked with tomes. The hotel's Cafe Terrace Bonjour has the same kind of sleek look, with floor-to-ceiling windows illuminating the space and overlooking the lovely terrace outside where guests can dine alfresco. Overall, it's a solid mid-range property that's well-suited for business travelers, but also attracts plenty of leisure tourists from both Japan and overseas.

As the name suggests, Hotel Gracery Shinjuku is situated right in the heart of the busy Shinjuku neighborhood, less than a 10-minute walk from Shinjuku Station. The area is full of of shops and restaurants and can be exceptionally busy during the daylight hours, though things tend to quiet down quite a bit come evening time. It's easy to get to area attractions from the hotel using public transportation. Tokyo Tower takes about half an hour to reach by metro, while Ueno Park -- with attractions such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Le Corbusier-designed National Museum of Western Art -- is around 35 to 40 minutes from the hotel via public transportation. It takes about an hour to reach Haneda Airport via public transportation, or between 30 to 60 minutes by taxi, depending on traffic. Narita International Airport can take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours to get to on public transportation, and it takes about the same by taxi.

Rooms are small, starting at 194 square feet (18 square meters) and going up to 344 square feet (32 square meters). Decor is rather bland and generic, consisting of dark carpeting, light-wood wall panelling and furniture (including small desks), and soft accents like olive-green throws and brown cushions. Despite the design and cramped size, the spaces are clean and tidy, plus all have large windows -- many with decent city views -- as well as wispy curtains and blackout shades. There's not a lot of storage beyond a few racks with hangers and a couple of tiny drawers. All rooms feature a similar set of amenities, including mini-fridges, electric kettles with tea and mineral water, electronic safes, flat-screen TVs, and air purifiers. Bathrooms are tiny but clean and modern, equipped with shower/tub combos, ionic hairdryers, Toto fixtures and electronic toilets, and a good selection of bath amenities such as razors, bath salts, and toothbrushes. Godzilla View Rooms offer views of the creature outside. There are also female-only floors (Standard Singles) for solo women travelers who prefer this.

Amenities at this hotel are sufficient, though be aware that Hotel Gracery Shinjuku lacks both a gym and spa. On-site dining options include the main Italian restaurant, Bonsalute KABUKI, which serves a Western and Japanese breakfast buffet (for a fee) and reopens again for Italian dinners (including wood-fired pizzas). There's also an all-day cafe, Terrace Bonjour, on the eighth floor. The cafe opens onto a lovely terrace with seating where guests can dine alfresco.Other conveniences includes a large laundry room with coin-operated washers and dryers, as well as vending machines and an ice dispenser. There's a business center with a few laptops that guests can use for a fee, plus free hotel-wide Wi-Fi for travelers with their own devices. Loaner smartphones are also available, free of charge, and the hotel offers late check-out depending on availability, for an extra fee.