Review: Courtyard by Marriott Tokyo Ginza

Tokyo has an endless choice of international chain hotels, though cash prices can be quite high. You can secure the best value by using points or hotel certificates. Alternatively, Japanese business hotels offer more affordable options. Another strategy is to maximize your savings by using fixed points for your bookings.

I wanted to stay in Tokyo’s Ginza district, an upscale shopping and entertainment area. It’s also well-connected to other parts of Tokyo through an efficient subway system. In Ginza, Marriott Bonvoy has a strong presence, with the Edition, AC Hotel, Aloft and Courtyard.

I had a recent wonderful stay at the Courtyard Sarajevo, so I decided to try the Courtyard Tokyo Ginza. Tokyo is also home to another Courtyard, located near Tokyo Station.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Booking

I booked a standard guest room with 2 Twin Beds for four nights. I used my two 35K Marriott Free Night Award certificates, which I had to top up with points, for a total redemption cost of 49,000 points per night. For the last two nights, I redeemed 100,000 points in total (50,000 points per night).

The cash rate for this same room would have been nearly $4,000 CDN for a four-night stay! Even if you don’t have enough points, it’s worth considering buying Bonvoy points during a points promotion.

Tip: always compare the total cost of the points redemption to cash before making your booking, especially for popular destinations like Tokyo.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Arrival and Check-in

We had a late evening arrival and were promptly greeted by the front desk associate. He immediately recognized my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status and apologized that they were fully booked and had no room upgrades available.

The associate provided a sheet outlining the benefits that I could expect as a Platinum member:

• Enhanced room upgrade (when available)
• 4 p.m. late check-out
• Free use of Workspace between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
• Enhanced Wi-Fi
• 50% bonus points on spend
• Elite welcome gift options: free breakfast between 6:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., beverage and snack, 500 bonus points or $10 USD Food/Beverage credit

Kids under the age of 12 also receive complimentary breakfast and an amenity set.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Reception

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Lobby

The associate shared with me that our room would be stocked with four complimentary water bottles daily. He noted that if we requested additional bottles, they would come with a charge. This wasn’t much of a concern given the countless vending machines in Tokyo, but I found the daily limit to be unusual.

He also pointed out a cart across from the front desk stocked with guest toiletries like shower caps and loofahs. Guests can grab from the cart as needed. I found this to be pretty practical and wished other hotels would adopt this system.

Cart of toiletries

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – 2 Twin Beds Room

After a quick check-in, we made our way to the elevators. This Courtyard had an innovative elevator system. It automatically takes you to your assigned floor when you scan your room key. There’s no need to select the floor number, a Japanese efficiency.

The Courtyard Tokyo Ginza had undergone renovations in 2023, with guest rooms receiving updated A/C units and baths. We stepped into our assigned room 605, and immediately to our right was the bathroom.

The bathroom was traditionally designed with a tub instead of a shower and a rounded sink. While the shampoo, conditioner and body wash came in large dispensers, travel-sized body lotions, toothbrushes and mini toothpastes were also provided.

One of the amenities I was looking forward to was the Toto bidet. It turned out to be a disappointment as the water pressure was weak, even when adjusted. There was also a wand that would self-clean after each flush, but it was dirty from the start. It appeared to be one of the items neglected by housekeeping during routine cleaning. It was pretty gross.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Bathroom

Toto Bidet

Being in Tokyo, I was mentally prepared for the room to be the size of a shoebox. I was pleasantly surprised to find it more spacious than our previous room at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile.  The beds were also significantly more comfortable to sleep in. I was grateful that the bed covers were light and not the heavy duvet variety.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – 2 Twin Beds

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Seating

The room itself was modern, and I was glad it wasn’t carpeted. There was also a seating area with a coffee table between two chairs. Across from the bed was a wall-mounted T.V. and next to it was a mini bar area, with a fridge inside the cabinet. Amenities included four bottles of mineral water, Nespresso coffee pods and an assortment of tea bags.

In Japan, it’s common for hotels to provide pyjamas, and this was the case here. They had P.Js placed on each bed. The closet was functional, with enough space to hang our clothes, which also included drawers and shelves. Within the closet was a safe, a hairdryer and slippers.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Room amenities

Closet

Room service was available, though we did not make use of it during our stay. For housekeeping service, it’s not automatic. There’s a “make up room” button that needs to be pressed to signal that you need housekeeping service. Once pressed, it activates a green light outside your room, underneath the room number sign.

Overall, the room was functional, well-designed, with comfortable beds and useful amenities to make for a pleasant stay. The bathroom could benefit from another reno, while the bidet maintenance and cleaning could be improved.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Breakfast

Breakfast is served early at RISTASIX, starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending at 10 a.m. This Asian-fusion restaurant is located on the ground floor, near one of the hotel entrances. The cost of the breakfast is 5,060 JPY per person. It’s complimentary for children under 12 and those with Marriott Platinum elite status or higher.

RISTASIX Restaurant

RISTASIX features a buffet spread with a diverse mix of Japanese and Western dishes. They also had an egg station to cook eggs to your preference and a noodle station with options for udon and pho that you can customize. Hot dishes included sausages, bacon, potato wedges, penne pasta, fried chicken, and sautéed veggies. They also had fried octopus balls, which I wasn’t brave enough to try.

For drinks, they had different juices and a coffee machine with a selection of various caffeinated drinks to choose from. For tea drinkers, hot water and a variety of decent-quality tea bags were available. The breakfast was impressive for a Courtyard. The only negative was the limited bread and cheese selection.

RISTASIX – Raw veggies, fruits and yogurt

Egg and Noodle Station

Hot Dishes

More hot dishes

Pastries and Cereal

Juice and caffeinated drinks

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Facilities and Luggage Services

The Courtyard Tokyo Ginza houses two restaurants and one bar on-site. RISTASIX is open all day until 10 p.m., serving both Asian and Western-inspired dishes. The other dining option is Ginza Muraki, specializing in tempura cuisine that’s also on the ground floor. Bar Konin is located in the basement, serving a premium selection of Japanese whiskey and liquors.

The basement also houses Work Space, a spacious and windowless lounge. Though no snacks were available,  soft drinks and coffee dispensers were available. Another facility is the modern fitness centre, equipped with both cardio and weight equipment.

Courtyard Tokyo Ginza – Bar Konin

Work Space

Work Space – Drinks

One particularly valuable service is the hotel’s luggage transfer service through Yamato Transport. The day before check-out, I visited the front desk to arrange transferring our luggage to our hotel in Osaka. The associate provided a Yamato card with a QR code, which pulled up an online form in English.

After completing the form, it provided me with a code. The associate then scanned this code, printed luggage tags and attached them to our bags. They took care of the rest of the process seamlessly, charging the fee directly to our room.

Yamato Transport Service

Takeaway

As this was our first trip to Tokyo, we spent most of our time exploring this dynamic city. It was nice to return each night to a clean room with comfortable beds. This property checked off other boxes:

• Breakfast at RISTASIX had both a decent variety and quality
• Toiletries were conveniently available for “grab and go” at the reception, eliminating the need to request them
• The luggage transfer service was convenient and saved us from hauling our bags through the busy train station
• Front desk associates were happy to help when we had questions

The location proved ideal for our trip, as we could easily walk to shops in the Ginza district. When it came visiting other districts, we used the subway near the hotel. While the Courtyard Tokyo Ginza wasn’t aspirational by any means, it met all our travel needs and provided excellent value using a combo of my Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award certificates and points.