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?
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