- Introduction: Falling In Love With Japan
- Review: ANA First Class 777-300ER Chicago To Tokyo
- Review: ANA Arrivals Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport
- Review: ANA Premium Class 737 Tokyo To Nagoya
- Review: Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel
- Review: Amanemu Resort
- Review: Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
- Review: Aman Tokyo
- Review: ANA First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport
- Review: ANA First Class 777 Tokyo To Chicago
- Why Tokyo Might Be My New Favorite City In Asia
To start off our trip in Japan, we just had a quick overnight in Nagoya. That’s because our first “real” stop in the country was a visit to Amanemu in Shima, and that can be accessed by a direct train from Nagoya.
So we were just looking for the most practical place to spend the night near Nagoya, and that ended up being the Marriott Associa Hotel. This hotel is located directly above Nagoya Station, which is the city’s main train station. This is ideal both when coming from the airport, and when continuing onwards.
The direct train ride to Nagoya Station took just over 30 minutes, and couldn’t have been easier.
Train from the airport
From there we just followed the signage to the Marriott Nagoya Associa, which was easy to find. As you can see based on the below picture, this is truly a mega hotel.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel exterior
While the main entrance is on the ground floor, the lobby is located on the 15th floor, and then the hotel goes all the up to the 52nd floor.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel entrance
The lobby is quite grand, with lots of marble.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel lobby
Reception was along one of the walls. The staff couldn’t have been friendlier, and once they noticed my status they escorted us to the club lounge for check-in. Then a few minutes later they escorted us up to our room.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel lobby
We were also given a sheet of paper outlining some of the amenities offered by the hotel:
Marriott Nagoya welcome letter
For what it’s worth, I booked the stay using an anniversary free night from a co-branded Marriott credit card. The paid rate would have been over $250, so it was an excellent use of the certificate.
We were assigned room 4906, a suite on the 49th floor of the hotel. There were two separate elevator banks — one between the ground floor and lobby, and one between the lobby and guest rooms.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel elevators
The elevator even had a seat, should you get tired. 😉
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel elevator
Once on the 49th floor it became clear that the hotel was quite dated, though in a sort of charming way. That’s to say that it felt past its prime, but not shabby and run down, if that makes any sense.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel hallway
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel hallway
We got an awesome suite upgrade for our short one night stay. Inside the entrance and to the right was the living room, which was huge. It had a couch, a couple of chairs, and a desk.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite living room
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite living room
Then in the corner was a dining table with six chairs.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite living room
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite dining room
There was also a minibar and Nespresso machine.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite coffee machine
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite minibar
Right by the entrance was a half bathroom.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite second bathroom
On the living room table were some chocolates and fruit as a welcome amenity.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel welcome amenity
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel welcome amenity
Then inside the entrance to the room and to the left was the bedroom, which had a comfortable king size bed, as well as a chair with ottoman and vanity.
Marriott Nagoya Hotel suite bedroom
Marriott Nagoya Hotel suite bedroom
Marriott Nagoya Hotel suite bedroom
The room had some incredible views of Nagoya in two directions. Breathtaking.
Marriott Nagoya Hotel view
Marriott Nagoya Hotel view
Then between the bedroom and living room was the main bathroom, which was huge. It had a toilet, a sink, a walk-in shower, and a bathtub.
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite master bathroom
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite shower
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite master bathroom
Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel suite toilet
There was a large selection of amenities, including BVLGARI amenities (I’m guessing those may only be available in suites, because that’s impressive for a Marriott?).
Marriott Nagoya Hotel toiletries
Ford and I were jetlagged, and we ended up going to sleep at around 11PM but waking up around 3AM. We were hungry at this point, but found that room service isn’t available from 12AM until 5:30AM. That just seems a bit odd to me for a 770 room hotel.
Marriott Nagoya Hotel room service hours
You can arrange an in-room massage until 2AM, so it’s a bit odd that you can get a massage in your room later than you can get food in your room…
Marriott Nagoya Hotel massage hours
Anyway, on to the executive lounge. The executive lounge was just recently renovated, and unlike the rest of the hotel was modern. It’s a really beautiful space, though stupidly I didn’t take pictures of the lounge. It was busy in the evening, so my plan was to be there first thing in the morning to take pictures.
In the morning we had the choice between breakfast in the restaurant or lounge, and because we chose breakfast in the restaurant I couldn’t use the lounge at that time. But trust me when I say the lounge is very nice.
Marriott Nagoya Hotel concierge lounge exterior
In the evening there was a solid selection of food and drinks from 5:30PM until 8PM.
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge evening spread
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge coffee machine
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge drinks
Marriott Nagoya Hotel lounge drinks
In the morning we had breakfast at Pergola, the hotel’s all day dining restaurant, which starts serving breakfast at 6:30AM. We got there right as it opened.
Marriott Nagoya breakfast restaurant
Marriott Nagoya breakfast restaurant
It’s a huge restaurant with a lot of seating, though I was amazed by how quickly it filled up — within about 15 minutes the restaurant was almost at capacity. The buffet selection was very good. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
Marriott Nagoya breakfast buffet
The hotel has a gym and pool on the 18th floor. I had the chance to check out the gym, which was well equipped.
Marriott Nagoya gym
Marriott Nagoya gym
They even had sneakers in the gym that you could borrow.
Marriott Nagoya gym shoes
The only other thing I took a look at during our stay was the lobby bar, located right next to reception.
Marriott Nagoya lobby lounge
Marriott Nagoya lobby lounge
We ended up taking an 8AM train from Nagoya to Shima, so we left the hotel at around 7:30AM, meaning we were only there for about 12 hours.
Marriott Nagoya Associa bottom line
The Marriott Nagoya isn’t the most modern hotel out there, but we had an excellent stay. It has an unbeatable location if you care about transportation, the club lounge and elite recognition was very good, the breakfast buffet was extensive, and the service was friendly.
Every staff member we interacted with couldn’t have been more professional. For example, in the morning I needed some money from an ATM, so I asked the concierge. He explained that there was only one ATM nearby that accepted international cards, and he personally walked me there, even though it was quite a haul.
So I’d return to the Marriott Nagoya in a heartbeat.
If you’ve stayed at the Marriott Nagoya, what was your experience like? Do you have a favorite Nagoya hotel?
I was there last week, and was assigned a recently renovated room. My SNA didn't clear but I was perfectly happy with the modern room. It seems your suite still hasn't been renovated yet. I would prefer a renovated room to a suite any day!
While I am a Marriott man through and through the Nagoya Tokyo Hotel is my main choice in town. The Associa is great due to the station location but the Tokyu isn’t far from the Main Sakae district and a connecting train stop.
Also the Hotel Nagoya Castle (formerly a westin) has some great views of the Castle and the attached park if that’s more your speed.
The shoes in the gym were likely semi-compulsory, though it may not have been signed that way but Japanese folks would've known. If you go to Gold's Gyms, or the like, in Japan, they'll often require (and ask you to prove) that you have a pair of shoes worn solely within the confines of that particular gym. Not just "gym shoes" as in sneakers, but actual shoes that you use just in the gym.
On my last two visits to the Marriott Nagoya Associa I was not able to get an upgrade. I was told the hotel was 'nearly full'.
I usually stay at the Nagoya Hilton and, as a Diamond Member, almost always get upgraded there even though this hotel also runs at a 'nearly full' level much of the time. I find the staff at the Nagoya Hilton to be more accommodating and personable. Two years ago...
On my last two visits to the Marriott Nagoya Associa I was not able to get an upgrade. I was told the hotel was 'nearly full'.
I usually stay at the Nagoya Hilton and, as a Diamond Member, almost always get upgraded there even though this hotel also runs at a 'nearly full' level much of the time. I find the staff at the Nagoya Hilton to be more accommodating and personable. Two years ago I had to spend Christmas there and they put special decorations on my table to make my dinner more cheery.
You can catch the Hilton shuttle bus immediately across the street from the main train station.
Half of the Marriotts in the US look like this w/the "classic" vibe
Thanks for making the effort to review this even though you were there less than 12 hours!
Overall, can anyone tell me what a 6-person dining table it doing in a room?
We recently stayed at the Associa Takayama. The Nagoya one is modern compared to that! And there was no Marriott branding we saw.
Japan cookie cutter points hotel price always give me a heart attack, while unless it’s Ritz or IC always feature drab, drab room.
Hard pass.
@Mike
If you get upgraded that often you can always trade rooms with me.
Suites normally are in a better location, have better amenities. It's not just about the size.
Do you feel hot and stuffy at home too? It might be you not the suite. In Asia it might be a ghost or demons.
"...because we chose breakfast in the restaurant I couldn’t use the lounge at that time."
Why is that? Lounge access is your guaranteed benefit as Plat (or above), it doesn't have anything to do with restaurant. You can have breakfast in both. I do it all time - for the sake of reviews on my blog, of course ;)
Pity you didn't have time to check out the hotel Onsen. It was one of our favourite in Japan.
We had an awesome Gold upgrade to a high floor extra large room. Great hotel.
Good to know there are Marriot hotels in japan you can redeem the free night certificate. I’d almost given up looking.
"You can arrange an in-room massage until 2AM, so it’s a bit odd that you can get a massage in your room later than you can get food in your room"
You might want to think about that a little more ;)
Quick question to Ben and others- why is a suite so much better than a normal room for a single night stay?
You won’t be hosting a 6 person dinner or anything, so that doesn’t add much ch value. What I started to realise lately is that I don’t sleep well in suites. At all. Can be the fact that the bedroom proper is smaller, or the way ventilation works, but I keep waking up felling hot and stuffy.
Lucky almost every 7-11 in Japan has an ATM that will work with American cards. And there are a LOT of 7-11s!
The care they put into cutting and plating the welcome amenity fruit platter, and the excellent upkeep of a hotel that has been around for a while. Only in Japan.
I just want to point out that you redeemed the equivalent of 35,000 points to avoid paying $250. This values your points at about 0.7 cents per point, which is about what you say anyway. So this all makes sense.
It's not that Marriott was great. It was the Japanese that was great.
Good late night food in Japan, just head to a convenience store. 7Eleven, Lawson etc.
I love the Japanese bidets. So civilized. Better than the ones in Middle East.
Looks like a time capsule!