Chasing Sakura: Hilton Yokohama River View Room Review

This is the last hotel I stayed in during this trip to Japan. I have decided to stay in Yokohama for a night before making the trek to Narita Airport rather than staying in Yokohama itself. I was considering staying at Hilton Tokyo or here. I decided on this given that the rates are cheaper, the hotel is newer and I would also like to take the opportunity to check out another city. The golden rule is, that it is always nice to stay somewhere newer. The Hilton Yokohama is one of the latest additions. It only opened in Q3 last year. It is a very new hotel. The location is ideal and very well located to Yokohama Station. It is within walking distance. Yokohama is a lovely change of scenery from the usual Tokyo. Things are also slightly cheaper. I wish that I had stayed here longer. 

Booking Process & Pre Arrival 

I got some information from the hotel regarding the transportation and the rooms. I booked directly from Hilton for this stay and will be staying here for 1 night. I paid around 19,000 yen for a night or around 172.83 SGD. This is pricey but much more affordable than Tokyo. You can always scoot around if you stay near the Yamanote line. The night before my stay, I saw that I had been upgraded to a River View Room. this is a mid-tier room over here. It is also the more spacious one. Late check-out is also preemptively extended till 2pm which will come in handy for my 7pm flight later in the evening. Hilton Yokohama comes with 339 guest rooms and suites spread across 13 categories. You can check out the breakdown below. 

Rooms	Executive Lounge Access	Bathtub	Room Size	No.of Rooms
Deluxe	No	Yes	31 Sqm	63
Deluxe High Floor	No	Yes	31 Sqm	42
Premium	No	Yes	39 Sqm	75
Premium High Floor	No	Yes	39 Sqm	42
Premium Family	No	Yes	39 Sqm	18
River View	No	Yes	46 Sqm	9
River View High Floor	No	Yes	46 Sqm	6
Executive	Yes	Yes	31 Sqm	28
Premium Executive	Yes	Yes	39 Sqm	32
River View Executive	Yes	Yes	46 Sqm	4
Executive Suite	Yes	Yes	81 Sqm	9
Executive Suite High Floor	Yes	Yes	81 Sqm	10
Presidential Suite	Yes	Yes	158 Sqm	1

Checking In

The weather was quite bad on the day of the arrival. We got the Shinkansen from Kyoto and transferred to a local train to Yokohama Station. The hotel is within walking distance or a 5-minute stroll from Shin Takashima Station. But since there is no cover, we got a taxi instead which cost around 1000 yen. This might be a better idea if you are in groups or have huge bags. I got to the hotel at around 2pm. Upon arrival, the staff came over to help me with my bags. The hotel has a very understated entrance with the ground floor being a reception area. There are some seatings here. 

The actual lobby is located on the third floor. I was immediately helped by the staff and after verifying my details, they escorted me to the executive lounge on the 5th floor for checking in. The lobby area is very chic and gorgeous. There is plenty of seating by the side of the desks. This is nicely done and polished. We were invited to sit and offered drinks as they completed the procedure. More on the lounge later on which is gorgeous. I was thanked for being a Diamond member and all details are reconfirmed. My room was ready. 

River View Room

I was assigned a room on the 15th floor. I got room 1520, a river view room that measures 46 Sqm. It is the last room on the floor. River view rooms are the largest rooms over here besides the suites. The room comes with a broad L-shaped entranceway. I love that they have a full-length mirror over here which allows you to check on your fit. It could use an additional stool or something here. 

The room has an open-concept bathroom with a shower and main basin to the right. The toilet is in a separate room on the left. It comes with a typical Japanese-style bidet toilet and a small basin here.

The shower and main basin area are completed with two sliding doors to cover up if you need more privacy. There are plenty of counter space with all sorts of toiletries and amenities. As usual, they are in large pump-size bottles from Crabtree and Evelyn. Both the standing shower and bathtub are in the shower room. This is my preferred configuration as you can get from the tub to the shower easily. It comes with both a handheld shower head and a rainforest shower shower head. The water pressure and temperature control is excellent. 

Moving on to the main space of the room, you have an open-concept wardrobe. There are plenty of hangers, an ironing kit, Japanese pyjamas, bath slippers and a portable luggage rack if you need it for your bigger suitcase. Below the wardrobe, there is also a rack that can fit small cabin-size baggage nicely. I love the chic room. It is in a rectangular configuration. It comes with a minibar area in the corner, there is a proper coffee machine, a kettle and an ice bucket. There are also some packaged tea and coffee capsules. In the cabinet below, you can find glassware and a mini fridge left empty for your use. 

The high-quality smart screen television is mounted on the wall. It comes with a nice number of both local and cable TV channels. Most of them are in the Japanese language. It is a good size for the room and great when viewed from the bed. 

The plush king-size bed takes up the centrepiece of the room. It was extremely comfortable. I had a great rest. I love that the bedding is on the firmer side which I prefer. The mattress offers great back support. We also got some harder pillows for better neck support. Controls for the lights and power outlets are within reach. It is a lovely set-up. 

By the side of the bed, you can find some skincare products. 

Right next to the bed, there is a little sitting area that consists of two armchairs as well as a coffee table. This could be classified as a mini junior suite. It is always nice to have a seating area other than the bed itself in your room. 

Nearer to the window, there is also a working desk. This comes with a chair that provides decent back support for short periods. Power outlets are within reach and the wifi works very well in the room too. I had access to the premium wifi and this would be a good setup to get some work done. 

The room comes with a good view of the river by the side and is quite peaceful. 

Fitness Centre

The fitness centre is located on the 5th floor. You can easily access it with your key cards. The fitness centre is open 24 hours a day for guests above 16. You can find it just beside the executive lounge. The place is on the smaller side but comes with all the necessary equipment for your use and a good view of the surrounding area. This will be handy for a workout if needed.

Executive Lounge

The executive lounge is open from 7am to 8pm. It is located on the 5th floor. I was escorted here to check in right after arrival. This is such a chic and cool place. I love the automated sliding door entrance. It feels like a private club. Heading in, you can find many shelves with reading materials. The lounge is very spacious and comes with numerous seatings. There is also an outdoor terrace area that might be open when the weather is good. This is one of the biggest lounges that I have been to in Japan. Check out some pictures of the lounge here. 

All-day drinks are offered throughout the lounge opening time. I am extremely impressed by the selections. This is one of the most extensive collections of high-quality non-alcoholic drinks I have seen at a Hilton hotel. It is even better than some Conrad out there. Seriously, check out the water collection you not only have a local Japanese option but a New Zealand one too. 

Evening cocktails are offered from 5pm to 8pm. It is nice of them to offer an extensive 3 hours of drinks. One of the best out of all the Japanese Hilton hotels I have ever stayed at. Similarly, the drinks options are extensive. They have some sparking wine, red wine, white wine and non-alcoholic options. A rose is also available. There were spirits that you could use to make your simple cocktails. In the fridge, there are also both foreign and local beers and ciders. 

Sadly, I can’t say the same for the food. There were barely any hot food or canapes at all. All they had was some snacks and nuts. This is rather appalling. It seems like they might have won the race on drinks but it is very much lacking concerning the food. A hot snack or two surely won’t hurt! 

Breakfast at Parade Restaurant

Breakfast is served at the hotel‘s signature restaurant on the third floor. It is offered from 7am to 10am. The restaurant is located on the other side of the hotel and you will have to transfer to another lift on the second floor to reach the restaurant. It is quite complicated. I was down for breakfast at around 9am and it was quite crowded. We had to wait a while before being shown a table. 

Here are some pictures of the buffet line. The selection is quite broad but I didn’t find the food quality that great. This was the most lacklustre breakfast I had throughout the entire trip. They also did not have anything special for Hilton elite members. I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. 

Conclusion

I can see myself coming back for a stay again in the future. It is a great alternative to staying in Tokyo. The location is near Yokohama Station with affordable taxi transfers or a 15-minute stroll. The price here is much more acceptable when compared to Conrad Tokyo or Hilton Tokyo. You will get more value for your money. You are looking at a 30-minute journey to Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station. This is a slight inconvenience for paying 40 to 50K for Hilton Tokyo rather than 20K for this. That is a lot of money if you have multiple nights stay. I have nothing but good things to say about the staff here. The hardware and executive lounge drinks are excellent. It is always nice to stay in a Hotel this new. I would love to see some improvement in the breakfast and hot snacks in the executive lounge.