Kimpton hotels are known for their traffic-stopping social spaces, out-of-the-box experiences like nightly wine hours, their pet-friendly policies and clever marketing strategies, such as complimentary perks for guests who know the secret seasonal password.
As the brand’s long-awaited first location in Japan, the 151-room Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo debuted in 2020, promising to be a stylish, youthful hotel, replete with Instagrammable interiors and cosmopolitan vibes. Designed by the eminent New York-based Rockwell Group (who moreover decked out the New York Edition and Nobu Miami Beach among many other projects), Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo emulates the trendy style and creative energy of New York Municipality rather than Tokyo’s futuristic dynamism, which may seem quite odd to Kimpton devotees yawner to sheets lanugo in hotels rooted in the surrounding neighborhood.
The hotel became a favorite with domestic travelers (and their pets) during Japan’s pandemic-related verge closures. But as international travelers have flocked to the country since it reopened and hotel rates have soared over $1,000 a night at many upscale hotels in the capital, the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo has moreover quickly wilt a popular option for guests looking to stay at a stylish hotel, without having to pay sky-high prices.
That said, the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo won’t request to everyone. Some of the rooms are cramped and noisy and there aren’t many family-friendly amenities. Still, at this price point and with often good points availability, the hotel is a unconfined option for many travelers.
Here’s everything you need to know surpassing booking a stay at the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo.
Snapshot
Housed in 17-story art deco-style building, the Kimpton Shinjuku is a 10-minute walk from the epicenter of its namesake district, known for its neon-lit skyscrapers, izakaya (bar)-studded alleyways and anything-goes entertainment.
Set at the intersection of two rented thoroughfares, it’s just virtually the corner from the iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo, and a 20-minute walk from popular attractions like the Yoyogi Garden and Meiji Shrine. The famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Harajuku malleate district are virtually a 15-minute taxi ride (or 40-minute walk) away.
Richly textured rooms and spaces exude the creative flair and playful sophistication that Kimpton’s newer hotels tend to embody.
The hotel moreover nurtures homegrown talent, with dapper tintinnabulate staff uniformed by a graduate from the neighboring Bunka Malleate College and an “impressionism wall” by local versifier Kusumi welcoming guests in the small but inviting lobby. The 17th-floor wedding chapel moreover doubles as an art gallery with rotating works by local artists.
Why you will love the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo
This boutique-feeling hotel is everything Kimpton enthusiasts would hope for — filled with inviting social spaces that unhook trademark municipality views, fun complimentary features (happy hour socials, morning coffee in the lounge, loaner bikes and in-room yoga mats) and genial elements like the “Cocktail to Match Your Mood” menu at the rooftop bar.
The property is moreover home to an spanking-new destination restaurant, District Brasserie, where I ate the weightier breakfast of my eight-day Japan trip, and a moody cocktail bar that provides an spanking-new bookend to an evening exploring Shinjuku. If you segregate well (there are some rooms to avoid), light-filled accommodations are serene, well designed and functional.
My wits at Kimpton properties tends to be that guest rooms work their magic slowly rather than creating an instant wow factor when you first walk in.
That was certainly the specimen here with diamond elements that I didn’t initially notice. There was a Japanese floral inlay that was illuminated when the bedside light was turned on, drawers filled with polished glassware and elegant ware to use with the minibar, a spot-on selection of books well-nigh Japanese art and Tokyo’s subconscious sights by the bedside and a nifty pop-up style closet that housed traditional yukata robes, slippers, a fan and a yoga mat.
The washroom was where the room tipped into the luxury bracket. Framed in glistening gray marble, the deep-soaking tub and walk-in shower were stocked with refillable citrus-scented products by Atelier Bloom and they were divided from the elegant marble-clad vanity and main bedroom and living zone by two screen doors that retracted or slid shut as needed for privacy.
There was a large separate water closet holding a toilet with a heated seat, will-less lid and a well-to-do panel.
Along one wall when in the main room, there was a white panel with a smart TV, a Nespresso coffeemaker, a minibar stocked with a selection of soft drinks, wine, beer and snacks, and a large safe. There was a vital round table and two chairs, but unfortunately, they were not positioned tropical unbearable to the outlets to make it a functional workspace for long periods. In the entryway, there was a large unshut closet with plenty of space to store tons and hang outfits.
Tech-forward features included a bedside tablet to wangle restaurant menus and other hotel information, as well as consoles that controlled the lights and vertigo shades.
Destination dining and cocktail bars
For its small footprint, the Kimpton really shines when it comes to its supplies and instillation options. On the first floor, just off the lobby, Jones Café and Bar has all the chic, ungifted vibes of a New York coffee shop. Behind a marble counter topped with glass cases of succulent baked goods, baristas prepare artisanal coffee concoctions to a soundtrack of ’90s indie music, while locals and guests sink into wall-to-wall brown leather sofas to mingle, read or reservation up on work.
On the second floor, breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the polished District, a brasserie, bar and outdoor terrace, that was packed with locals and tourists during my stay.
To one side, there’s a sunken sitting zone welded by the U-shaped bar where friendly mixologists serve up frisky cocktails, like the Visionless ‘n Stormy Meets China (2,200 Japanese yen, or $16) made with rum, spices and ginger.
Steps lead to the main dining room, which combines vintage and industrial elements. Royal undecorous walls full-length contumely and copper light fixtures, maroon tufted leather chairs front wooden tearoom tables and cozy circular booths requite off the clubby vibes you’d expect of an Edition or Nobu hangout.
Sliding doors unshut onto the leafy outdoor patio area, which was too dank to yank guests during my November stay, but I can imagine in the warmer months it’s buzzing (despite the noise from nearby street traffic).
IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite guests have the option of complimentary breakfast (or a welcome amenity) when checking in. Otherwise, breakfast financing 5,500 yen ($38) per person, which includes a nomination of titbit and main undertow as well as specie and pastries and beverages — a la carte options are moreover available. It’s not cheap, but for the quality, quantity and impeccable service, it’s worth the wits one morning, at least.
Menu options span traditional Japanese fish dishes, wellness-skewed selections like avocado toast, and archetype Western plates, such as omelets and brioche French toast, all with an Asian twist. The Japanese fish plate and signature eggs Benedict topped with fish roe were both outstanding.
For lunch, you can expect lighter fare, such as cauliflower rice with seasonal vegetables and sweet chili dressing (2,750 yen, or $19). Evening prix fix menus (from 9000–15,000 yen, or $63–105 depending on the number of courses selected) and a la carte options like fish of the day with seaweed butter husks served with winter melon and saffron goop (4,000 yen, or $28) and Wagyu tenderloin (16,500 yen or $116).
Social spaces and stunning municipality views
Inviting social spaces are what the Kimpton trademark is known and loved for, and this Tokyo outpost is no exception. While it doesn’t have the kind of grand, wide-open lobby that’s worldwide to increasingly luxe properties, it packs a lot of creative energy into a relatively small area.
Next to the minimalist check-in desk, there’s a tony seating section with a few whimsical decorative objects, which seemed designed to create an unpretentious, fun-loving mood rather than stuff a place you’d unquestionably want to sit and relax. The small concept store moreover felt increasingly geared toward driving social posts than retail therapy.
The daily happy hour social here moreover has the bonus of taking place in the swanky 17th-floor lounge where a small terrace affords sweeping views over Shinjuku.
One floor up on the rooftop, the glitzy 86 bar has increasingly sultry, speakeasy vibes — it’s named without the legendary Chumley’s speakeasy at 86 Bedford Street in Manhattan’s West Village — and serves archetype cocktails like a Black Sugar Bitter Old Fashioned, made with chocolate bitters and sugar (2,800 yen, or $20). You can moreover segregate from the “Cocktail to Match Your Mood” menu; the I Need a Treat mixes Don Julio tequila, Campari Antica Rosso and cherry (3,800 yen, or $27).
Boutique suavities and perks
With light streaming in from floor-to-ceiling windows and a surfeit of blond wood and mirrors, the gym manages to be inviting despite its meaty size. For a municipality gym in this price category, it’s surprisingly well-equipped with a decent selection of weights, two running machines, a bench, a stationary velocipede and an elliptical.
In the lobby there are moreover several bikes that you can infringe to explore the city, which we used to trundling over to the Yoyogi Gardens and Meiji Shrine (a 10-minute ride away) and to explore the Shinjuku National Garden just a few blocks from the hotel. Yogis can moreover make use of in-room yoga mats (unless staying in an Essential room, considering there’s no space to roll it out) and the concept store offers one-off gifts like colorful dog jackets.
Good value, for Tokyo
Hotel prices in Tokyo have skyrocketed since the country reopened post-pandemic, and finding a luxury, inside hotel will forfeit at least $700 per night (and a lot increasingly than that during peak cherry floweret and fall leaf seasons).
At the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo, there are 11 room categories to segregate from, ranging from capsule-like Essential rooms (more on that later) to one-bedroom suites (738 square feet) with wrap-around windows and gorgeous bathrooms. TPG paid $427 per night for my Essential room. I was upgraded to a King Premium room, which often runs virtually $100 increasingly per night.
While the Kimpton doesn’t offer the wide-stretching amenities, grandeur and well-honed service standards of properties like the Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental and Park Hyatt, its rates are much increasingly palatable than at those palatial redoubts (around half the price), starting at under $400 per night.
As rates climb during spring and fall, IHG loyalists may prefer to redeem points for ribbon nights that start from 67,000 IHG One Rewards points, over paying mazuma and accruing bonus points.
Opening a credit card like the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (currently offering 140,000 bonus points without spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months) would equate to a self-ruling two-night stay at the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo in that case.
Why you might not love the Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo
The hotel’s website (and measurements) really don’t get wideness how challenging many of the room configurations at this property can be.
Rooms vary considerably, plane within the same category, so if you value space, you’ll definitely need to spend up for rooms in the premium ranks. The hotel’s public spaces and suavities are very much geared toward outgoing younger couples, so families may find its overall diamond ethos and vibe a challenge.
Choose your room thoughtfully — many are meaty and not for light sleepers
My first room at the Kimpton was not room 914 detailed above. It was 516, and it was so small that my firsthand impression upon walking in was that there must be flipside door to a sitting zone of sorts. Tokyo, just like New York, is known for its small hotel rooms, but this felt much, much smaller than the 28 square meters (301 square feet) advertised on Kimpton’s website.
The twin beds scrutinizingly touched each wall and finding somewhere to store and unpack our carry-on tons felt like a jet-lagged game of Tetris. The washroom was an impressive use of space, however, with a separate water closet, a deep-soaking granite-tiled tub and a vanity with shelves to one side that helped alimony our things organized.
Since the social spaces at the Kimpton are warm and inviting, and most visitors to Tokyo often sleep and transpiration in their rooms, the Essential room isn’t a terrible option for solo travelers. Light sleepers, though, would have problems with the persistent traffic noise on the hotel’s low floors which overlook the proximal thoroughfares.
After not sleeping much the first night, I stopped by reception and requested a quieter room. The staff was incredibly willing and since there were no quieter rooms misogynist in the Essential category, they offered a complimentary upgrade to the King Premium room.
Your pooch will be in heaven, your kids not so much
Kimpton is perhaps the most pet-friendly hotel trademark in the world. As was the specimen with many countries during the pandemic, Japan experienced a massive uptick in the number of pet-owning households, who were all keen to travel, eat and drink with their four-legged friends. Talk to any of the staff at this outpost and it’s well-spoken pet lovers were a huge pandemic demographic, and that courtship is very much in evidence.
With no kid-friendly suavities like a pool, play-friendly outdoor spaces or kids’ menus, the Kimpton is geared increasingly toward adults than families. Meaty room designs with varying soundproofing and open-plan bathrooms in many rooms moreover don’t lend themselves well to families with young children. It is worth noting, however, that connecting rooms are offered and can be booked on the website.
Accessibility
Despite its tight quarters and quirky dimensions, the hotel does unbend travelers with serviceability needs. The main entrance, meeting space and restaurants are all wieldy via ramps and there are well-marked and visual alerts in the elevators and hallways. The hotel offers valet parking, too.
There is one wieldy room type that can be booked on the Kimpton website: the (type 2) Twin Studio Suite Additional Living Zone (488 square feet), which features 32-inch doorways and grab rails in the roll-in shower and water closet.
Checking out
Kimpton fans will find all their favorite nature and whimsical diamond elements at this Tokyo outpost. While the Manhattan-inspired diamond concept may not suit travelers looking to connect with the destination through a increasingly immersive hotel experience, this shiny new Kimpton manages to finger increasingly Japanese in spirit than many of its fellow U.S. hotel brands in the municipality thanks to striking trendy Japanese artworks, suavities like yukata robes, the fashion-forward staff uniforms, succulent Japanese-inspired supplies and cocktails and accommodations that are streamlined but cheerful.
There are very few hotels in Tokyo in this midrange price category that combine a inside location with tony spaces and destination restaurants that yank locals with their fraternal environment and spanking-new cuisine — and plane fewer where you can earn and shrivel IHG One Rewards to secure a self-ruling night or two.
Despite a couple of breakdowns in liaison due to the language barrier, the staff was warm, efficient and extremely keen to resolve any problems and respond to individual needs. I wouldn’t hesitate to typesetting a stay again…just not in the Essential room category.