Review: ANA InterContinental Tokyo [Japan] (2024 Renovations)

ANA InterContinental Tokyo has been an established property in Japan’s capital that’s been opened since 1986. I believe IHG in general has a strong presence in Tokyo and is a worthy consideration for value where award availability is much easier than Hyatt and points are easier to earn than Marriott.

I was looking forward to try out this hotel after hearing about its recent renovation that’s completed just less than one month before my stay in January 2025. This is much needed to keep up with current times since the previous renovation was in 2002.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo- Booking

I booked two separate stays of 4 nights and 1 final night in-between my stay at The Ritz-Carlton Nikko. The first stay totaled 154k IHG points with the help of 4th night free from my Chase IHG Business Premier Card. Then, the second stay was with the redemption of a topped up Anniversary Night Certificate from the same card.

Points range can fluctuate so be sure to book as early as possible for a higher chance at better rates!

ANA InterContinental Tokyo- Location

ANA InterContinental Tokyo is located in the Akasaka district where commercial high-rise buildings are dominant. It’s close to landmarks like the Tokyo Tower and Azabudai Hills where TeamLabs Borderless is located. There’s also a good ramen place that I enjoyed called Menson Rage.

The nearest subway station is Akasaka-mitsuke where it serves the Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line. Both lines are great to use to go to Tokyo’s major landmarks and transferring to larger stations, so I’d say that the hotel is conveniently located. Plus, the Exit 13 of Akasaka-mitsuke leads you directly to the hotel!

Airport shuttle is available from/to the hotel, but only for Narita International Airport (NRT). One-way journey costs 3600 Yen and may take 90 minuites to 2 hours. You can charge it to your room if you have the bell desk purchase the ticket for you. They will also gladly assist you with figuring out the shuttle schedules and storing your luggage if needed.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo- Check-in

I checked out at 1pm at the Hilton Yokohama but didn’t get to Tokyo until the evening. The lobby is grand and feels old-school with heavy brown colors and gold accent. It gives similar vibe to the lobby of Ritz-Carlton Tokyo minus the high-rise view.

As an IHG Ambassador, I was escorted to a special check-in room where the check-in process was a sit-down and I was served a sparkling citrus drink. Also, I renewed IHG Diamond for 2025 and selected free breakfast as a Welcome Gift.

I was told I would be assigned to one of the renovated rooms at a high floor. Unfortunately, suite upgrades are quite stingy at this hotel, and I was not able to use my Confirmable Suite Upgrade for a suite here even when calling 14 days in advance. The punchline was getting upsold for a suite upgrade while checking-in. Other than that, the process was smooth.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo- Classic Room, Renovated

On my first stay, I was assigned to the 27th floor. The Classic Room is the base room that’s smaller (28sqm) than other upscale western hotels in similar caliber, but is still nice and cozy.

The renovation certainly made the room more lively with geometric patterns and clean wooden finishes.

The bed itself is on the harder side that’s typical for a Japanese hotel. You can also enjoy the outside view with a comfy sofa by the window.

The TV across the bed unfortunately doesn’t come with modern apps like Netflix or Youtube which I feel is a shortcoming to a newly renovated room.

Next to the sofa are plugs and light controls by the sofa. It includes both USB-A and USB-C sockets. Unfortunately, there’s no 3-prong sockets found anywhere in the room which is another missed mark for a newly renovated room. Luckily, I did bring an adapter, but guests with laptops should keep in mind since computers need a 3-prong socket to charge.

Next to the TV is the pantry where Nespresso machines, complimentary water bottles, and a Japanese tea set is located.

The minibar is below the pantry and I decided to use my IHG Ambassador credit to raid it. In Japan, I only get 2000 Yen food & beverage credit which pretty much meant next to nothing here except for 2 free soft drinks at the minibar possibly. The credit can be used at any restaurants in the hotel except for Sushi Kenzan and in-room dining.

The hotel has 14 dining establishments! But I couldn’t cover them all. Sadly, a 2 Michellin-starred restaurant Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo will permanently close by the time I post this review.

The hotel provides bathrobes, slippers, and pajamas on the closets.

The view itself is pretty nice, but I wished the rooms come with blackout curtains just so I didn’t get waken up by the sunrise when I wanted to sleep longer.

The hotel has an outdoor “Garden Pool” on the 4th floor. But, it was clsoed for the winter so I can’t access the grounds. Luckily, I got a good view of it from my room. The large pool is styled with the InterContinental logo while the small circle one is a hot tub pool if I would guess.

During my second stay, I was assigned to a room with Tokyo Tower view, so it’s possible to get that in this hotel.

Moving to the bathroom, it combines all the basic necessities like sink, shower, tub, and toilet in the same room. The toilet does not come with motion sensor however, compared to most modern hotels in Japan. They still come with bidet controls.

It comes with dental kits so you won’t need to worry about carrying toothbrushes.

The shower pressure was decent, and it uses Byredo Bal D’Afrique toiletries; a standard for InterContinental Hotels.

Overall, I enjoyed the look of the renovated rooms, but it’s puzzling that there’s no 3-prong sockets anywhere in the room of a hotel that surely cater to business travelers.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo- Breakfast

Breakfast takes place at the Cascade Cafe on the lobby floor (2F). The breakfast spread is massive and comes with Japanese dish, western dish, egg station, and pastries. I found it more enjoyable than expected and I highly recommend the yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and the noodle station.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo- Gym

Gym is located on the 4th floor and is open 24 hours. There are strangth training and cardio machines available to get some nice workouts done.

Conclusion

The newly renovated rooms certainly bring a fresh new life to the ANA InterContinental Tokyo. I find the hotel to be quite good mostly because of it. The only questionable parts of the renovation is the lack of 3-prong sockets in the room which you’ll need your own adapter if you’d want to charge your laptops and lacking modern functions on the in-room TV.

Room upgrades are stingy in here unfortunately, and I’ve read very mixed results in applying Confirmable Suite Upgrades here where none of the suites are qualified to be used on. Probably the best complimentary you can hope for is a room with Tokyo Tower View.

Breakfast is also quite good with plenty of offerings. But, I can see that they would get old after a while since the menu stays the same consistently.

I might stay here again, but I’m not in a hurry to do so and would like to check out other hotels in Tokyo before doing so. For what it’s worth, I think the ANA InterContinental Tokyo is better than the Kimpton Shinjuku now, and the former will usually costs less in points as well.