Four Seasons Marunouchi, Tokyo
- Room Type: Deluxe King Room
- Typical Nightly Rate: 160,000 JPY
- Price Paid: FSPP Agent rate
- Loyalty Program: FSPP
Intro
Four Seasons has something of a proclivity for operating multiple properties in major cities: London, Los Angeles, New York, Dubai and even Cairo all have two Four Seasons hotels.
Tokyo is much the same, with the Marunouchi property having been in operation since October of 2002 and subsequently joined by the Otemachi property, just down the road, in September of 2021.
In simple terms, the locations are identical and what separates these two properties is that the Marunouchi property has a far lower room count and therefore retains a more exclusive and boutique feel, with extremely personalised service.
Below is a brief summary of the key differences between the Four Seasons Tokyo properties:
| Four Seasons Marunouchi | Four Seasons Otemachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Room Count | 57 | 190 |
| Views | Low-rise city views or Tokyo Station train tracks | Panoramic high-rise views of Tokyo in all 4 directions |
| Swimming Pool | NO | YES |
| Bars | The Bar and Champagne Lounge | Virtu (World’s Top #11 in 2024) |
| Restaurants | Sézanne***, Maison Marunouchi | Est*, Pigneto, The Lounge |
Booking
Our clients are able to enjoy Four Seasons Preferred Partner (FSPP) benefits when booking any Four Seasons hotel through us.
An example of FSPP benefits, which may be available on your stay:
- Upgrade of one room category, based on availability at time of check-in.
- Full breakfast, for up to two in room guests. Either at the restaurant or via in-room dining.
- $100 Hotel Credit.
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability.
There are numerous additional offers available throughout the year too, including:
- free nights (most commonly every 3rd night free)
- guaranteed upgrades
Your booking will be direct with Four Seasons. However, since we manage the booking on your behalf, we are able to negotiate all the above extras for you.
Additionally, if you find a cheaper rate elsewhere, we can help to get the price matched AND STILL add the FSPP benefits to your booking!
Arrival and check-in at Four Seasons Marunouchi
Four Seasons Marunouchi is right next to Tokyo station; this means that visitors arriving by either rail or airplane will find the location extremely convenient.
It also means that you have an absolutely monumental selection of shops, bars and restaurants right on your doorstep the moment you exit the property.
The entrance is also very clearly indicated from the street, unlike so many other Tokyo hotels located inside nondescript office blocks or through a warren of tunnels leading off from a Metro station.
FS Marunouchi – Entrance.
In much the same way that great hotel spas use long corridors to create a sense of physical separation from the outside world, FS Marunouchi’s main entrance is located down a long walkway, flanked on both sides by pristinely polished stone.
FS Marunouchi – Entrance.
We were greeted by name by two bellmen the moment we approached the main door of the building. Very impressive, given that we hadn’t supplied a concrete arrival time when making the booking!
FS Marunouchi – hotel entrance.
The overall look and feel of this property is hushed, understated and demure. The staff at the front desk also seemed to know exactly who we were and had already pre-filled as much information as possible on the guest registration forms. This meant that check-in was completed in under a minute.
There is just one front desk at this property, which doubles as both the reception and the concierge. The team here was proactive on a level which I’ve rarely experienced before.
FS Marunouchi – Lobby.
One morning, they noticed me carrying my Sony Alpha with rather a large lens on it and asked how long I intended to be out exploring. When I said I was going to be out of the hotel all day they immediately offered me an umbrella, stating that rain was expected later are around 3pm and they didn’t want my camera to get wet, since it looked expensive!
Having been on the road for a few weeks at this stage, we also wanted to use a local laundry service wash-fold.com to wash all of our clothing in bulk. There was no mention of using the hotel laundry service, since it was understood that we didn’t want to wash 20 pairs of socks at $10 a pair.
Instead, the team arranged absolutely everything seamlessly, including cash payment to the Wash&Fold driver for a minimal service charge.
FS Marunouchi – Lobby.
Back to our check-in: after our paperwork was completed, we were escorted up to our room on the 4th floor. As soon as I stepped out into the hallway, the age of this property was immediately apparent.
In all honesty this colour scheme is more reminiscent of a Sheraton or a Hilton than a Four Seasons.
FS Marunouchi – elevator lobby.
As we continued on towards the rooms, I was surprised to see the design deteriorate with glossy black walls, making the space feel rather claustrophobic and, dare I say, tacky.
FS Marunouchi – elevator lobby.
FS Marunouchi Deluxe Room
Entrance
Upon entering the room, the signs of Sheraton-chic were even more apparent. A drab sea of beige.
FS Marunouchi – Deluxe Room.
The entrance corridor featured a reasonable amount of storage space alongside the usual Four Seasons slippers, boutique bag, shoe horn and clothes brush.
I love the hangers that Four Seasons uses, they’re right up there with the ones at Ritz Carlton Maldives.
FS Marunouchi – hangers.
Bathroom
Leading away from the entrance corridor, the bathroom was surprisingly spacious and complete, given everything I had seen up until this point.
There was a full sized bathtub in addition to separate glass walled cubicles for the shower and toilet.
FS Marunouchi – bathroom.
There was only a single sink but thankfully this came with a reasonable amount of counter space as well as a couple of glass shelves.
FS Marunouchi – bathroom.
Another pleasant surprise was the presence of Diptyque toiletries, very much a premium brand and far superior to what we had encountered at Four Seasons Kyoto just before this stay.
FS Marunouchi – Diptyque toiletries.
The shower offered excellent water pressure, together with more Diptyque products. Although the space by the shower could have been used to add a second sink, this would have made the space feel too cramped. The layout of the heated towel rail and additional towels was ideal, given the dimensions of the bathroom.
Of course, no Japanese luxury hotel would be complete without a Toto washlet and FS Marunouchi does not disappoint in this regard.
Bedroom
Once again the bedroom was clearly stuck in a time warp, a drab sea of beige with the bed frame providing the sole point of interest in an otherwise deeply uninspiring space.
FS Marunouchi – Deluxe bedroom.
The bedside tables offered ample counter space but no bedside drawers to keep things tidy and out of sight. One Japanese/US style power socket was provided on each bedside table along with lighting controls.
However, there were no USB or universal power ports offered.
At the foot of the bed was a plasma TV, which was rather small by modern standards. Below this was a chest of drawers, which came in handy since drawer space was rather limited.
The fact that there were effectively two separate work desks was very useful, since we both work whilst travelling. However, given that the second work desk is meant to be a makeup area it seemed strange that there was no mirror or additional storage for makeup. This would also have been the ideal spot to place a hair dryer on a stand. Indeed, there is a power socket here that is ready for this.
FS Marunouchi – Deluxe bedroom.
The main desk also featured an array of power options which came in useful when charging cameras, whilst using my mac.
FS Marunouchi – desk power.
Our welcome amenity consisted of a plate of seasonal fruit, which was of extremely high quality, as is often the case in Japan (the land of $100 melons and $50 apples).
FS Marunouchi – welcome amenity.
Additionally, a small note informed us that we could request freshly baked Madeleines, from the kitchen of *** Michelin Sezanne, whenever we desired. These were as delicious as you would expect!
FS Marunouchi – welcome madeleines.
I appreciated the fact that there was a thickly padded window seat running along the length of the room, with views down to the Shinkansen tracks. There is no question that FS Marunouchi is a train spotter’s paradise!
FS Marunouchi – Shinkansen train track views.
Food and Drink at Four Seasons Marunouchi
Breakfast at Maison Marunouchi
Given the hotel’s limited footprint and low room count, it’s perhaps no surprise that breakfast is served in the same dining room as the ***Michelin restaurant Sezanne. However the name is changed at breakfast time so as not to have any impact on the restaurant’s Michelin rating.
FS Marunouchi – Maison Marunouchi breakfast.
The hotel’s bar is also located in the Sezanne dining area and doubles as the buffet at breakfast time. Although the variety of food on offer was somewhat limited, the quality of the ingredients was exceptional.
FS Marunouchi – Maison Marunouchi breakfast.
We opted for booth style seats next to the buffet, facing the windows. I really love the design here, especially the art deco lamps, which I felt were reminiscent of Hector Guimard’s Paris Metropolitain entrances.
FS Marunouchi – Maison Marunouchi breakfast.
Clearly the design of this part of the hotel is cutting edge and completely at odds with the rooms. I can only hope that this will be the template for the inevitable full hotel refurbishment that will take place once demand for Tokyo hotels finally slows down.
FS Marunouchi – Maison Marunouchi breakfast.
Service was as prompt, polite and professional as one would expect in a hotel with only 57 rooms and a kitchen with three Michelin stars.
FS Marunouchi – Maison Marunouchi breakfast menu.
Having said this, I feel that the price tag of 3500JPY for a croque madam is a little silly when you consider the quality of food that this sum could yield elsewhere in Tokyo.
Of course, our clients don’t need to worry about prices since breakfast is always included free of charge for FSPP guests and perhaps these high prices are designed solely to keep out non-resident guests, to maintain the air of exclusivity.
FS Marunouchi – croque madame.
Kamara ordered the French toast with banana jam, rum cream and bacon, which looked a lot like those sandwiches that Elvis used to wolf down in his later years.
FS Marunouchi – French toast.
Four Seasons Marunouchi Facilities
FS Marunouchi Spa
The Spa at Four Seasons Marunouchi shares changing facilities with the gym, where full-sized lockers are on offer.
FS Marunouchi – Spa.
Again, given the size of the property, there wasn’t a huge amount of space.
FS Marunouchi – Spa.
The amenities on offer were fantastic though and this includes the gundam style Japanese hair dryers!
Although the hotel doesn’t offer a pool, there is a steam room and a sauna in each set of changing rooms.
FS Marunouchi – Spa.
There was also a relaxation area in each of the changing rooms, offering both regular and flavoured mineral water. There were none of the usual snacks and teas that you would expect though.
FS Marunouchi – Spa relaxation area.
FS Marunouchi Gym
I’ve said it countless times but it bears repeating: Four Seasons consistently offers the best gyms of any hotel chain.
They don’t just look at gym equipment as pieces of furniture, they provide the machinery that is necessary for training rather than focusing on video screens and chrome.
Hotel sales people are often incredulous when I’m not wowed by the equipment that the Technogym sales rep convinced them was the best. Invariably I’ll be asked what equipment I would want in my ideal gym.
My answer: ‘a cable crossover and a Smith Machine’. i.e. exactly what you see in the image below:
FS Marunouchi – gym.
Dumbbells here were inexplicably labelled in lbs rather than kg (just like in FS Kyoto). They also topped out at 50lbs, meaning that they are firmly in delts, biceps and rehab territory.
Given the cable crossover and the Smith Machine, I didn’t find this to be hugely problematic though.
FS Marunouchi – gym.
The cardio equipment was pretty old school too but definitely fit for purpose. Always great to see a Concept2 Rower rather than the Technogym models that can’t handle splits or rest periods without shutting down.
FS Marunouchi – gym.
Conclusion
Basics Checklist
– Power sockets near the bed but no universal power and no USB
☑︎ Easy to understand light switches
☑︎ Coffee machine
☑︎ Separate shower and bath
☑︎ Blackout blinds
☑︎ Stable, fast and free Wifi
☑︎ Feather pillows
☑︎ Quiet and powerful aircon
Four Seasons Marunouchi is a rather confounding property. The location is excellent, the restaurant has three Michelin stars and the service is some of the best I’ve ever encountered.
Staying in a hotel with only 57 rooms is a true delight; it is hard to overstate how special it is to feel this sense of tranquility and exclusivity in the world’s largest city.
The room hardware, on the other hand, is borderline unacceptable and just does not live up to the prices that this property commands…
If you are looking for a business hotel that provides best in class service and you don’t plan on spending much time lounging in your room, then this property will be ideal. If however you’re looking for a hotel in which to celebrate a special occasion, you will definitely want to consider alternatives such as Four Seasons Otemachi or Bvlgari Tokyo.
Book Four Seasons Marunouchi Tokyo with FSPP Benefits
Our clients are able to enjoy Four Seasons Preferred Partner (FSPP) benefits when booking any Four Seasons hotel through us.
An example of FSPP benefits, which may be available on your stay:
- Upgrade of one room category, based on availability at time of check-in.
- Full breakfast, for up to two in room guests. Either at the restaurant or via in-room dining.
- $100 Hotel Credit.
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability.
There are numerous additional offers available throughout the year too, including:
- free nights (most commonly every 3rd night free)
- guaranteed upgrades
Your booking will be direct with Four Seasons. However, since we are managing the booking on your behalf, we are able to negotiate all the above extras for you.
Additionally, if you find a cheaper rate elsewhere, we can help to get the price matched AND STILL add the FSPP benefits to your booking!
