Introduction to Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya
Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s newest boutique hotels, blending modern design with local culture. In this review, I share my honest experience staying here in October 2023, shortly after it opened.
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Getting to Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya
Travelling with high-functioning autism, navigating Tokyo’s dense crowds and packed trains was a real challenge. I used the Japan Rail Pass to travel from Narita Airport to Shibuya Station, which helped me reach Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya. Shibuya Station is enormous, with confusing signage and countless exits across multiple levels—like five London Underground stations stacked together. After taking the nearest exit for fresh air, I felt lost. Google Street View didn’t make sense because I wasn’t on ground level, and nobody I approached spoke English, not even younger locals. Eventually, I asked a smartly dressed woman in her early twenties for directions.
The Japanese, I later found out are brought up to take ownership of a situation, the young lady who spoke no English and myself with no Japanese, communicated via some app to ‘follow her’, she took ownership of the situation and walked me from door to door of Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya. Firstly, locating the hotel was a challenge. Despite its towering presence, the address provided was misleading. The hotel is accessed via a steep ramp, distinct from the street address, and the entrance is on the 3rd floor, not immediately apparent to newcomers. This confusion is compounded by the reception being on the 12th floor, necessitating a lift from the basement or the ramp entry – a detail not mentioned in any pre-arrival communication.
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Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya: Expectations vs. Reality
Situated in a bustling district, this IHG brand hotel promised an exciting stay amidst the city’s vibrancy. However, navigating through the unfamiliar, crowded environment to reach my destination on October 8, 2023, was a daunting task, pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone and challenging me to adapt in ways I hadn’t anticipated. This travel blog is about embracing such challenges and stepping out of the familiar comfort zones. Despite these hurdles, the experience at the hotel didn’t entirely live up to my expectations for this renowned hotel chain.
Shibrewya Coffee Shop
The hotel also has a cafe on the 3rd floor called SHIBREWYA which is not only a great play on words, but it is also only open during the daytime.
Views of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing
One of the hotel’s selling points is the rooms’ views of the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing. However, this claim seems to be a bit exaggerated. The view from my room on the 17th Floor only included skyscrapers. Below, you can see the view from the Gallery 11 viewing platform on the 11th Floor. It marginally touched one side, failing to capture its full, iconic expanse.
This misrepresentation was a letdown, especially for those expecting a front-row seat to one of Tokyo’s most photographed locations, the hotel had been notified in advance of my intentions but either ignored it or the venue simply doesn’t live up to the hype.
Dining Areas
The hospitality, a cornerstone of the hotel industry, was notably lacking. The front desk staff were unwelcoming and grumpy, a stark contrast to the usual Japanese courtesy. Language barriers further marred the experience; surprisingly, only two staff members – one in the bar and one from the breakfast team – spoke basic English. It was surprising and inconvenient that an international hotel within the IHG hotels and resorts did not have multilingual staff.
The room, though larger than many in Japan, wasn’t without problems. The bed and mattress were quite firm, and the tiny bathroom made moving around a challenge. This was a notable design misstep, especially given the room’s size. On a brighter note, the high-tech robot WC offered heated seats, a range of water jets for massaging your back passage, and other functions I didn’t try. If there’s a competition for extreme bidet’ing, Japan is certainly in the lead. The hotel does have a decent wifi connection, which is complimentary for IHG One Rewards members.
Using Complimentary Hotel WiFi’s
However, it is an open connection and therefore you should always use a VPN connection to access the internet. This is especially so if you are doing anything sensitive like banking apps etc. I have used NordVPN for 8+ years and wrote a full vpn guide for why. I find it reliable on all of my devices and it enables me to connect to so many servers around the world, such that if your in a country that blocks some websites, you can connect to a UK or USA or other server to access that content. I highly recommend using NordVPN. For storing your passwords whilst on the move, I also use NordPass which is not a VPN but useful for storing all those highly encrypted passwords I could never remember if I tried.
The Bizarre Breakfast
Breakfast at Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya was unexpectedly odd. It felt more like a dessert buffet with stale doughnuts, cakes, pastries, a salad bar and cold Mexican dishes. The scrambled eggs with mint leaves were as unappetising as you’d imagine, and there was even a full salad bar like you’d find in a supermarket. The selection didn’t resemble a typical Western or Japanese breakfast – no ramen, miso soup, or sushi. The hotel missed a great chance to showcase culinary creativity by not offering a unique breakfast Bento Box.
As a former professional chef, the culinary choices left me puzzled. The breakfast spread gave the impression that the chefs might be inexperienced or not adequately trained. It appeared they were using ‘leftovers’ from previous days instead of preparing fresh items for the new day. While this practice is somewhat common in Japan, it’s surprising and not quite fitting for a 4-star hotel like Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya.
Conclusion
To sum up, even though Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya opened recently in August 2023, it doesn’t quite meet the high standards you’d anticipate from such a renowned brand and hotel. Marketed as a luxury destination with room rates around £600 per night during my visit, I was lucky to use hotel loyalty points for my stay. Honestly, I wouldn’t have chosen to stay there at the full cash price.
This review is of course subjective and could have been new opening training issues. Generally I have enjoyed other Hotel Indigo stays elsewhere, so try it for yourself.
While the front-of-house team puts in a commendable effort, the reception staff and unusual culinary choices unfortunately detract from the overall experience. Despite being in its prime post-opening phase, Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya falls short of expectations in hospitality, service, and overall guest satisfaction.
