ANA Intercontinental, Tameikesanno Station

For some strange wonderful reason which I would not complain about, I was given an upgrade to a higher class of room from the single classic room that I reserved at the ANA Intercontinental next to Tameikesanno Station. 

 

Now, I've stayed at two of the three Intercontinental in Tokyo, but I don't think I would ever get the chance to stay at the Intercontinental at Tokyo Bay.

 

While ANA Intercontinental is right next to Tameikesanno Station across a small slip road, it is a far cry from the very conveniently located Strings at Shinagawa Station.

 

For one, the exit to ANA Intercontinental from the fare gates at Tameikesanno Station is a good 20 mins walk away.  Yes, 20 mins.  I kid you not.  To add insult to injury, there is a one-storey high flight of stairs before an escalator at the exit.  I wasn't expecting this and hesitated when I had to lug my trolley case up that flight of stairs.

 

If a guest at ANA Intercontinental could afford taxi fare from Haneda Airport, staying at the hotel would be a much less painful, albeit expensive experience.

 

My upgraded room was certainly much bigger than the classic room, with a nice sofa thrown in.  And plenty more cushions.

The bathroom reminded me of that at the Via Inn at Okayama, where there is a pane of glass replacing a solid wall.  While this pane of glass is convenient to continue watching TV while I wash my hands, it can be quite a hassle to draw the blinds every night before bedtime. 

There was also a strange nook at the entrance of the bathroom, and I kept knocking into a cabinet next to the table.

The view from my room was better than that at the Strings, and I could see the Suntory Hall.

Breakfast at ANA Intercontinental is a happier affair compared to the Strings, where there is a huge buffet spread of Western, Japanese and Asian food to try.

One drawback of ANA Intercontinental is that there is no bookstore in the hotel building, unlike the Strings, so I had to take a subway train out to another station for a bookstore.

Another is the location of ANA Intercontinental.  Having stayed at The Strings last year, I appreciated the convenience of the Shinkansen, JR and subway all converging at one crazy big station.  Tameikesanno Station is like in the middle of nowhere with no affordable lunch and dinner options nearby (even the bentos at Family Mart near the Tameikesanno Station's exit to ANA Intercontinental was unexciting).  I had to take the subway to Shinbashi for dinner.

A third drawback is that unbelievably, the bedroom slippers were not replenished daily.  I had to make do with a pair of slippers that grew thinner by the day for 5 days.  Is ANA Intercontinental on a cost-saving measure?