To kick off our trip to Niseko, Japan, we spent a couple of nights in Tokyo, a city that’s always worth visiting. In the past few years, we’ve seen Marriott’s luxury EDITION brand open two properties in the city — the Tokyo EDITION Toranomon opened in October 2020, while the Tokyo EDITION Ginza opened in March 2024.
I’ve been curious to check these out, so decided to book one night at each. Admittedly this isn’t ideal in terms of actually enjoying the city, especially since I try to be thorough with my reviews (which takes some effort). But still, I thought it would be fun to knock out back-to-back reviews of the two properties.
While I’ll have full reviews in the near future, in this post I’d like to answer the question that I had going into my stays — which of the Tokyo EDITION properties is better? I won’t bury the lede — while neither property is perfect, I’d return to the EDITION Ginza, while I don’t think I’d return to the EDITION Toranomon.
In this post:
What the two Tokyo EDITION properties have in common
The two Tokyo EDITION properties have several things in common:
- Both hotels had the same interior designer; while the Ginza property uses darker colors and the Toranomon property uses lighter colors, there are still lots of similarities
- Both hotels have a lot of foreign staff; nothing against foreign staff, but half of the fun of being in Japan is experiencing Japanese hospitality
- Both hotels lack a sense of place, and pretty cookie cutter EDITION properties; yes, they have some small nods to their locale, but you really wouldn’t know what city you’re in
- Both hotels don’t have much in the way of published elite benefits, as you’d expect from EDITION properties; this is a brand where elite members don’t receive complimentary breakfast, for example
- Both hotels have comparable pricing on most nights, whether paying with cash or points; the rates vary significantly based on the time of year, what’s going on in town, etc.
- Both hotels have some trendy restaurants and bars that are popular with outsiders as well, as is common with the EDITION brand
The Tokyo EDITION Toranomon has beautiful views, but…
We spent our first night at the 206-room Tokyo EDITION Toranomon. For those not familiar, Toranomon is a business district of Tokyo. For tourists, one of the best parts of being in this area is that it offers some of the best views of the iconic Tokyo Tower.
The hotel takes up levels 31-36 of the Tokyo World Gate building, so it’s one of those hotels where you first take an elevator to the lobby, and then take an elevator to your room.
The hotel’s lobby is the hub of the hotel, and you’ll find all the property’s amenities, including all the restaurants, on the same floor.
I booked a standard room here, but applied a Nightly Upgrade Award, and cleared into a suite with a view of Tokyo Tower, which was a huge score. Honestly, the room was the one thing about this stay I really liked. Not only was the suite exceptionally spacious, but the views were breathtaking.
This might just be the best view I’ve had from a hotel in Tokyo, and that’s the one reason I’d consider returning to this hotel.
Until now everything sounds great, so what’s my issue with the hotel? Let me be clear, I don’t think it’s a bad hotel. I just think they’re charging top dollar, yet I feel like there’s room for improvement with most things outside the room.
For example, the hotel has an indoor pool… awesome! But unlike many other luxury hotels in Tokyo, the pool doesn’t have any view, but instead is fully enclosed. You don’t know if it’s night or day. It’s like a sensory deprivation chamber. You wouldn’t even have any clue that you’re in Japan, and there’s no onsen facility.
The lack of light and views is also true of the gym, as it doesn’t have any windows. This is such a contrast to many other hotels in Tokyo, where both the pool and gym have amazing views overlooking Tokyo.
This hotel is also either too big, or just not properly staffed, and I found service to be way too impersonalized for the rates being charged. Don’t get me wrong, the staff were all well intentioned and friendly enough, but staffing levels just weren’t efficient, and you really just felt like a number.
This is a totally minor example, but I was hoping to ask the concierge a question around 9AM. So I approached the front desk, and was informed the concierge doesn’t arrive until 10AM. First of all, that seems really late. Second of all, at a luxury hotel you’d think that they would offer to take down your information and request, and have the concierge get in touch with you. There was no such offer, and it kind of sums up how impersonalized the whole experience felt.
I’d only return here specifically if I really valued a Tokyo Tower view, and specifically if I could guarantee the same type of room I was in. However, in just about every other way, I’d say the Andaz Tokyo is superior to this property. It has a much better pool and gym, a better sense of place, etc.
Not that I place much value on TripAdvisor reviews, but clearly I’m not alone in not being impressed by this property, as the hotel has a 3.5 star rating there. That’s really rough (I feel like a vast majority of half decent hotels are in the 4-4.5 range), but I think that’s totally fair. The hotel just charges too much for what it offers.
The Tokyo EDITION Ginza is boutique, has great service
We spent our second night at the 86-room Tokyo EDITION Ginza. For those not familiar, Ginza is a shopping district of Tokyo, so that’s typically the biggest draw for visitors. The hotel is in a standalone building, so when you enter the door, you’re directly in the lobby.
I’ll be honest — when I was looking at the hotels, I figured I would like this one less, so let’s discuss the negatives first. For one, this hotel has a lack of amenities. Yes, there are great food and beverage outlets, but the hotel doesn’t have a pool, and the gym is uselessly tiny. Like, it doesn’t even have a treadmill. Guests can use the amenities at the other property, but I don’t want to drive 15 minutes to go use a not-great pool.
Also, the hotel doesn’t have good views. This is true of most hotels in Ginza, as they’re not very tall, and the area has buildings so close to one another. It’s almost like you’re in Midtown Manhattan. For example, below is the view we had from our suite.
Speaking of our suite, it wasn’t as impressive as at the other property, but was still very nice (I also secured this using a Nightly Upgrade Award).
But the Tokyo EDITION Ginza has some real redeeming qualities that make me like it. For one, the service is truly flawless, and the staff across the board showed such warm hospitality. Every single employee we interacted with was kind and invested in making sure that guests had a great time and left happy.
To me, that’s one of the most important things that shapes my impression of a hotel stay. At the end of the day, you want to feel like you’re welcome, and like you’re more than a number, and this hotel knocks that out of the park. The contrast between service at the two properties is night and day.
For example, when I couldn’t get help from the concierge at the other EDITION property, I called up this property, and asked to be put in touch with the concierge. She was there much earlier, and couldn’t have been more helpful, and had recommendations for me via WhatsApp within minutes.
That also ties into the second point. This hotel feels boutique and intimate, and I really like that. There’s something I appreciate about walking straight into the lobby, being greeted in a personalized way, and going straight up to my room.
I also really liked the hotel’s restaurant on the top floor. Admittedly the other EDITION also has great restaurants, but what made this better to me was that the same personalized level of service applied here as well.
Would this be my first pick of hotels in Tokyo? No, because I do value basic amenities (like a proper gym and pool), and I also really like a hotel with amazing views and more of a sense of place. However, I’d absolutely consider returning here, as the level of service and boutique feel makes this a special property.
Since I mentioned above that the Tokyo EDITION Toranomon has a 3.5 star rating on TripAdvisor, let me mention that the Tokyo EDITION Ginza has a 4.5 star rating, and I think that relative rating is fair.
Bottom line
There are two EDITION properties in Tokyo, and while they have a lot of similarities, they also have a lot of differences. I just completed a stay at both of them, and was happy to have the opportunity to experience them firsthand.
The EDITION Toranomon has amazing views of Tokyo Tower, and has a decent number of amenities, from a pool and gym, to several restaurants. However, with 200+ rooms, the property lacks personalized service, and I have a hard time justifying the price point. The EDITION Ginza doesn’t have views and lacks amenities, but has a boutique feel, and impeccable service.
Neither hotel would be my first pick in Tokyo, though I definitely prefer the Ginza property to the Toranomon property. I’d only stay at the Toranomon property if I specifically wanted that view, which is a treat, admittedly. But other than that, I think the nearby Andaz Tokyo is better. Or if price is no object, there are more luxurious properties in the city.
What’s your take on the two EDITION properties, and which do you prefer?
Just stayed at the Toranomon Edition, 5 days during January, simple it’s not worth it to stay in non Japanese brand hotel, you feel more in Las Vegas than in Japan, zero respect to the local culture in so many ways, and besides the hotel is getting old fast, foreign brands want their return on investment fast and out.
I work near Toranomon, and there really isn't much to do there outside of enjoying the view of Tokyo Tower.
on the topic of foreign staff in Japan. Due to the absolute massive growth of tourism, there is a lack of Japanese speaking staff. These seem to be also much more willing to work at Japanese hotels, hence why a Tokyo Station Hotel has 100% Japanese staff, whilst I encountered a lot of foreign staff at international hotel chains. Nothing wrong with that, the same way that is is actually pleasant to have perfectly English...
on the topic of foreign staff in Japan. Due to the absolute massive growth of tourism, there is a lack of Japanese speaking staff. These seem to be also much more willing to work at Japanese hotels, hence why a Tokyo Station Hotel has 100% Japanese staff, whilst I encountered a lot of foreign staff at international hotel chains. Nothing wrong with that, the same way that is is actually pleasant to have perfectly English speaking staff at Haneda or Narita to guide tourists on arrival.
I have stayed in both properties, the main difference is that the staff was more international in Ginza, and the service more of a generic international style, where Toranomon was more Japanese in its service. (I am a Tokyo resident by the way)
I found that the team manning the counter downstairs are very good at recognising and remembering guests. They usually also remember me between stays. I find the teams at both properties very...
I have stayed in both properties, the main difference is that the staff was more international in Ginza, and the service more of a generic international style, where Toranomon was more Japanese in its service. (I am a Tokyo resident by the way)
I found that the team manning the counter downstairs are very good at recognising and remembering guests. They usually also remember me between stays. I find the teams at both properties very proactive, and a lot of details about preferences and requests are remembered between stays.
There are so many great hotels in Tokyo, these seem so cookie cutter.
The craziest part is that both hotels share the same GM in Mr. Kaul!
I stayed at the Ginza EDITION last fall and absolutely echo Ben's review here; the service was just absolutely incredible. So attentive, and they genuinely remember you if you're there for multiple days. I certainly made friends with the punch room team by the end of our stay!
I stayed at the Ginza Edition and it was very er average and for £1000 a night it really shouldn't be.
Funny, we had an incredible stay at the Toranomon Edition. We didn't use the pool (as your review states it's a little impersonal/weird) but the gym was well equipped, which I'd take over a view any day. There was also someone that replenished the towels every 15 minutes when I was working out and made sure everything was in order. Really solid F+B. We were having drinks at the bar and the F+B manager spent...
Funny, we had an incredible stay at the Toranomon Edition. We didn't use the pool (as your review states it's a little impersonal/weird) but the gym was well equipped, which I'd take over a view any day. There was also someone that replenished the towels every 15 minutes when I was working out and made sure everything was in order. Really solid F+B. We were having drinks at the bar and the F+B manager spent some time with us asking how our stay was, etc. Agree on sense of place though... You might want to check out the HOSHINOYA for a cool hotel that really has a sense of place, although I have to say I preferred both the Edition and Andaz.
What was incredible, besides someone taking care of the gym (which is what you expect)?
I’ve been in a lot of nice hotels, but if a gym isn’t staffed, it’s pretty rare to have someone come in every 15 minutes to replenish towels and make sure every. piece. of. equipment. was put back in its exact right place. Especially when I was the only person in the gym each time I used it (didn’t seem to be a high traffic facility).
White I really like the Edition style now I have a feeling they’re not going to age well.
Probably better than some Ws but I bet similar to a lot of older Ritz properties that just feel stuck in time.
How would you rank the decor/ambiance of the various Marriott properties that have some level of standardization (albeit I know they can still vary quite a bit)
London Edition opened in September 2013 - so almost 12 years ago. I would say the style will remain looking relevant for at least another 10+ years... So 20 years is a good run. Before then, the hotel will be due for some kind of renovation that should refresh it. Same with the other Editions.
I LOVE the London Edition. Was just there once again. The staff is always wonderful, the food is amazing and the best vibe.
Agree. Really enjoyed our stay there!
Out of curiosity, would you rank either of these above the Ritz in Tokyo? Trying to figure out which one to use an 85K certificate.
@ Ani -- So the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo has an amazing club, so if I could pay to upgrade to the club, I might choose that. Otherwise, the hotel has great service, but it's also quite outdated, so it wouldn't be my first choice.
But... like... if you were going to spend money on that upgrade, wouldn't you rather take the same $$ and use it at a local bar or restaurant? What am I missing?
I get that the club can be handy if you already have access, but I find them (literally all of them, the good, the bad, the nice and the ugly) to be very sterile with the most uninteresting crowd.
No treadmill and no elliptical but two bikes? Weird.
Stayed at the toranomon one, really felt like it was staffed by 'it's my fist job in hospitality' foreigners... Like the employment criteria was "are you young and good looking and foreign? Great you can be GM"
Everyone is perfectly friendly but most of the staff really didn't seem to know how to do their job
Haven't been to the Ginza one but won't be returning to the Toranomon one
Sounds like both properties have significant drawbacks, and that's consistent with Edition hotels overall. Do you feel you can justify staying at either of these hotels again, when there are so many superior properties in the city at similar price points?
@ When in Tokyo -- EDITION definitely isn't a brand that provides great value. So no, in terms of price, I don't think I could justify staying at either property again. But I could see a situation where I might redeem points at the EDITION Ginza.