- Introduction: Zipping To Tokyo Via Mongolia
- Review: American First Class Boeing 737 (MIA-LGA)
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: VIP ONE Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Primeclass Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Lufthansa Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Air France Lounge New York Kennedy Airport (JFK)
- Review: Air France Business Class Airbus A350 (JFK-CDG)
- Review: Air France HOP Business Class Embraer E190 (CDG-FRA)
- Review: Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: Primeclass Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Review: MIAT Mongolian Airlines Business Class Boeing 787 (FRA-UBN)
- Review: MIAT Mongolian Airlines Lounge Ulaanbaatar Airport (UBN)
- Review: MIAT Mongolian Airlines Business Class Boeing 737 (UBN-ICN)
- Review: Seoul Incheon Airport Transit Hotel (ICN)
- Review: Oneworld Lounge Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN)
- Review: ZIPAIR Full Flat Business Class Boeing 787 (ICN-NRT)
- Review: Hotel Villa Fontaine Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: TIAT Lounge Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: Japan Airlines First Lounge Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND)
- Review: Japan Airlines First Class Airbus A350-1000 (HND-JFK)
During my trip to Japan via Mongolia, I had a quick overnight in Tokyo. I was arriving at Narita Airport from Seoul Incheon in ZIPAIR’s 787 full flat business class, and continuing the following morning from Haneda Airport to New York in Japan Airlines’ A350 first class.
I knew I’d be zonked at this point in the trip, and I wanted to be at Haneda Airport first thing in the morning. Therefore I decided to book one of the hotels connected directly to the airport.
Specifically, I booked Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport, which opened in early 2023. This is an absolute mega hotel, with a staggering 1,717 guest rooms. I’ll share my thoughts on this property, though let me note that I barely used any of the hotel’s facilities during my brief stay, since I mainly just slept and worked. Still, I think I have a good overview of the property.
In this post:
Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport: Grand vs. Premier
The first thing I wanted to briefly discuss is that Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport is split into two parts — there’s the Grand section and the Premier section. What’s the difference?
- The Grand section is much bigger than the Premier section, as they have 1,551 rooms and 166 rooms, respectively; think of it as a hotel within a hotel
- The Grand section has much smaller rooms than the Premier section, as the base rooms are 194 square feet (18 square meters) and 355 square feet (33 square meters), respectively
- The Premier section rooms aren’t just larger, but also have premium amenities, like a Keurig coffee machine, upgraded toiletries, and more
Really the question comes down to what you’re looking to get out of your stay. I just wanted a convenient place to stay and didn’t really care much about the amenities, so the Grand did the trick for me.
Booking Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport
My one night stay at Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport cost ~$180. That’s not exactly cheap, especially accounting for how small the rooms are, but I thought it was worth it for the convenience. The hotel doesn’t belong to a major global hotel group, so there were no opportunities to earn points here with a major hotel loyalty program.
Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport location
Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport is connected directly to Terminal 3, which is the largest international terminal at the airport. You can’t beat being able to walk from your hotel room to your gate without stepping outside.
When you’re in the terminal, follow the signage in the direction of the Haneda Airport Garden.
This area has all kinds of shops, though they close surprisingly early, given that Haneda has lots of flights departing in the middle of the night.
At the end of the long hall, you’ll find the entrance to Hotel Villa Fontaine.
Reception is located up a level, so you’ll want to take the escalator or elevator there.
Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport lobby & check-in
Hotel Villa Fontaine has quite the shiny and spacious lobby, especially for an airport hotel, with plenty of seating.
The hotel has a bunch of self service check-in kiosks, which the staff insist that you try to use (I first tried to go to the front desk since there was no line, but the front office staff sent me to the kiosks). I went through the entire check-in process on the machine, which took some time, only to have my credit card rejected. There was a staff member overseeing the kiosks, so she asked me to use a different card, which also didn’t work.
When she noticed I was using a foreign credit card (I know, shocking at an airport hotel connected to the international terminal in Japan!), she explained that it might not be accepted with the kiosks, and that I should go to the desk and see an agent… as I wanted to do in the first place. So I think there are some opportunities to make that all more efficient, as I essentially had to check-in twice.
Soon enough I was issued a key for room 6202 in the C Wing, which required going down a long hall.
There are quite a few amenities in this hall, ranging from washing machines, to vending machines, to toiletry sets, to in-room coffee and tea. Use of the washing machines, plus vending machine items, were chargeable, while the other amenities were complimentary.
I then headed to the elevators, and to my room on the sixth floor. The hotel’s rooms are all located between levels two and 11, with the exception of level four, which is occupied by the lobby.
Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport guest room
Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport has what are without a doubt the longest hotel hallways I’ve ever seen. Oh my gosh, you could get all your steps in just walking to and from your room a few times per day. My room was located quite a ways from the elevators, and on the left.
I booked a queen room, which was quite compact, at 194 square feet (18 square meters). I’ve gotta be honest, for a hotel that just recently opened, the rooms here don’t feel particularly modern. However, the space was functional, at least as a solo traveler.
The room had a queen size bed, a wall-mounted TV, a not terribly comfortable seating area, and then an exposed closet space.
Near the entrance there were also two bottles of water, plus a kettle (and then you can get the tea or coffee from the lobby yourself, to actually prepare drinks).
There were a couple of robes on the bed, for those who want to visit the hotel’s onsen.
When I first walked into the room, I was confused, because I saw a curtain along the far wall of the room. I wondered where the bathroom was, since my assumption was that there was a window behind the curtain. Well, no, that curtain actually separates the bedroom from the bathroom, as there’s otherwise just a glass shield between the rooms.
The bathroom had a sink, a Japanese toilet, and a walk-in shower. The water pressure was excellent, and toiletries were in reusable containers. The bathroom does have a small window looking outside, but that’s the extent of natural light in the room.
There was one other quirk I found with the room. In order to access Wi-Fi at the hotel, you have to get an access code, which can be found on the TV. But the TV is set by default to be in Japanese, so it can be a bit of an adventure to navigate that. Wouldn’t it be more convenient if they just gave the guest the code at check-in?
So yeah, what can I really say? The room did the trick but wasn’t exactly great, and there were definitely some oddities to the experience.
Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport gym
Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport has a gym on the sixth floor, though as I discovered when I tried to snap pictures of it, it’s not open 24/7 (I usually like to take gym pictures at night, since it’s likeliest to be empty). So below are some pictures of the gym from through the glass door. It’s a pretty decent gym, though as you can tell, it has more of a focus on cardio than weights.
Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport spa & onsen
While I didn’t have the chance to use it, Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport has a spa, which even has an open-air, rooftop onsen. This is open 24/7, except between 10AM and 12:30PM daily, when it closes for cleaning.
The onsen is open to the public, but the fee differs depending on whether you’re staying at the hotel or not. Hotel guests can use it for a fee of 2,000 JPY (~$14), while outsiders have to pay 4,800 JPY (~$32).
While I would have loved to visit it, I didn’t have time, and I also knew I couldn’t take any pictures to share. Below is a picture from the hotel’s website.
Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport restaurants & bars
Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport has a few restaurants. I didn’t have the chance to visit them, but you can read all about them here.
If you’re not happy with the dining options at the hotel, note that the public area of Terminal 3 also has several restaurants that you can easily access. I should also mention that there’s a 24/7 Lawson convenience store just outside the entrance to the hotel. I found that to be super handy, because when I woke up at around 12AM to start my workday, I went there to grab a coffee.
Bottom line
Hotel Villa Fontaine Haneda Airport is a good choice if you want the most convenient airport property. The hotel consists of the massive Grand section, with 1,500+ rooms, and then the more premium and boutique Premier section.
I’d say the rooms at Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand are fine, though definitely on the compact side. There are some quirks to the experience, like the kiosk check-in, needing to get the Wi-Fi code from the TV, having to get coffee pods and tea bags from the lobby, and the non-24/7 gym.
But still, if you value convenience, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this property. I almost wish my stay had been longer, so I could have checked out the onsen.
What’s your take on the Hotel Villa Fontaine Tokyo Haneda Airport?
I was booked to stay here before an early morning flight to Sydney and very much looking forward to the onsen before the flight. Very disappointingly schedule changes meant I had to switch to a PM flight ex-NRT instead.
Still going to a nearby onsen before the flight, but by golly I'm looking forward to the convenience of Villa Fontaine Haneda next time I do have a flight ex-HND
Those kiosks do not accept my AMEX card and having learned that a few months ago, I now proceed directly to the check in counter and when they insist I try the kiosk first I advise them that my card does not work with the kiosk. How very annoying of the agent to ask you to try another card. Really? The mall shopping area opens at 10a and closes at 8p. The eateries one level...
Those kiosks do not accept my AMEX card and having learned that a few months ago, I now proceed directly to the check in counter and when they insist I try the kiosk first I advise them that my card does not work with the kiosk. How very annoying of the agent to ask you to try another card. Really? The mall shopping area opens at 10a and closes at 8p. The eateries one level below seem to be open until or maybe a little passed 9p based on my layover there last week. I've stayed at the Grand side and it suits my needs. The rooms closer to the elevators are bigger than the rooms you reported on, but even the room you're in is fine.
"When I first walked into the room, I was confused, because I saw a curtain along the far wall of the room. I wondered where the bathroom was, since my assumption was that there was a window behind the curtain. Well, no, that curtain actually separates the bedroom from the bathroom, as there’s otherwise just a glass shield between the rooms."
lol.. this was the same experience I had when I arrived after a late...
"When I first walked into the room, I was confused, because I saw a curtain along the far wall of the room. I wondered where the bathroom was, since my assumption was that there was a window behind the curtain. Well, no, that curtain actually separates the bedroom from the bathroom, as there’s otherwise just a glass shield between the rooms."
lol.. this was the same experience I had when I arrived after a late TPAC from the US. My first thought was 'where's the bathroom? I need to go'
Also same experience with the check in kiosks. It wouldn't take my CSP.
I used the onsen twice last year when I stayed, and when I was on transit. I would say that the onsen is overpriced if you are not staying, but otherwise a nice onsen.
The reality is you are spoiled for choice when it comes to hotels at Haneda. There are 4 landside attached hotels (2 for T3, 2 for T1/T2), and 1 airside hotel (operated by 1 of those landside hotels).
If you have...
I used the onsen twice last year when I stayed, and when I was on transit. I would say that the onsen is overpriced if you are not staying, but otherwise a nice onsen.
The reality is you are spoiled for choice when it comes to hotels at Haneda. There are 4 landside attached hotels (2 for T3, 2 for T1/T2), and 1 airside hotel (operated by 1 of those landside hotels).
If you have a bit more time on a layover, say a few hours before you have to go to bed, I really recommend heading to Kamata (you can get there on the Keikyu line) and staying there. A lot better prices than at Haneda. There's also hotels that are 1/2 stops away, such as at Tenkubashi that will cost half the amount of the attached hotels, so I don't think the attached hotels are vastly superior in terms of convenience.
Also! A key thing to know: early check-in or late check-out will cost you extra, calculated by the hour. They are not flexible on this - this is how business hotels work in Japan, and you might be surprised to experience this, especially at an airport hotel with so many rooms.
We stayed at the premiere part last year and loved it. No check-in kiosk, straight to a desk with a person. The room was super comfy and wasn't showing any signs of age. The lobby was so much more peaceful that the grand side appeared to be. The restaurants closing early was a surprise though! Pricier, yes. But worth it!
I stayed in the Grand last June. I think I had a regular room but I requested a room with river view and it had a proper bathroom. This October I’m staying in the Premier to give it a go. The extra cost was covered by some cc hotel rebate.
The Onsen was delightful especially at 5 am. Empty with fresh air soaking pools.
This is the norm nowadays for wifi code on TV at all major Japanese business hotel chains
Just checked out of the Grand side and had the same no foreign cards at the kiosk experience. That said, agree with most of the comments. Disappointed to find most eateries closed at 9PM. As Japanese hotels go, particularly in Tokyo, the rooms are typically small, but immaculate. The Onsen is gigantic to accommodate the volume of guests, but has lots of options AND a 24 hr restaurant. We stay here every time we depart...
Just checked out of the Grand side and had the same no foreign cards at the kiosk experience. That said, agree with most of the comments. Disappointed to find most eateries closed at 9PM. As Japanese hotels go, particularly in Tokyo, the rooms are typically small, but immaculate. The Onsen is gigantic to accommodate the volume of guests, but has lots of options AND a 24 hr restaurant. We stay here every time we depart Tokyo on a morning flight; vastly superior to airport hotels not attached to terminal. OTAs have better rates, and since there’s no loyalty program, we use them.
Yea this is a perfectly fine airport hotel for when you want to be close to Haneda T3. Worked out well on my last trip.
Stayed here very recently. Onsen was the best bit! To have a proper bed, plus onsen, then wake up refreshed and back on the plane (via JAL first lounge...) was the best decision I made doing JFK > SIN
Also a great sushi restaurant in the basement where there are various shops and restaurants.
Maybe I missed something, but do you need to clear immigration to access this hotel?
Yes. The hotel is landside, as part of the Haneda Airport Garden section. It's technically a separate building from T3 itself, connected by a walkway from the arrivals area/train station.
I had no problem bypassing the kiosks and going straight for the desk. Granted, it was very late at night. And I was checking in to the “Premier” side of the hotel. Which I think had a different desk?
T2 also has international flights as our HND-JFK flight on ANA is departing from there next month.
Haneda Airport garden including the hotel was completed and supposed to open in April 2020, but the opening was postponed because of COVID. Some part of the hotel was used as a quarantine facility during COVID days. Maybe that is why you felt the hotel is already showing its age.
This is a great airport hotel. The onsen alone is worth the price of admission. If I’m ever transiting through Haneda in the future, I’ll lengthen my stopover and stay here longer. Absolutely loved it!
Agree with Andre. Personally, while I get Ben's raised eyebrows, the little quirky things is what makes Japanese hotels so much fun to stay at.
I know that a lot of traveler's enjoy the fact that most hotels in the world feel very "global" (i.e. American) but I like the cuteness of the Japanese institutions keeping their own flavour.
Note to Ben and other readers: in many cases, when a Japanese person acts...
Agree with Andre. Personally, while I get Ben's raised eyebrows, the little quirky things is what makes Japanese hotels so much fun to stay at.
I know that a lot of traveler's enjoy the fact that most hotels in the world feel very "global" (i.e. American) but I like the cuteness of the Japanese institutions keeping their own flavour.
Note to Ben and other readers: in many cases, when a Japanese person acts surprised (like with the foreign credit card), it is not because they are dumb or never seen this before. It's a very elegant way of not saying their system is not great, while also not suggesting the customer should know better. It's a common expression in Japan, and again, what makes it so special