Four Seasons Marunouchi – Tokyo, Japan: The Four Seasons Marunouchi is located in the upper stories of the Pacific Century Place glass tower next to the Tokyo railway station. One of the smallest hotels in the Four Seasons chain, Four Seasons Tokyo is a luxury boutique-style hotel. (Click here to see over 40 pictures of the Four Seasons at Marunouchi in Tokyo.)

The Four Seasons in Tokyo is just a three-minute walk from the Yaesu South Exit of Tokyo Station. This prominent location of the hotel in the Marunouchi central business district offers guests easy access to the Marunouchi Building, Tokyo International Forum, Imperial Palace and Ginza, Tokyo's upscale shopping district.

The Four Seasons in Tokyo offers 57 spacious rooms, including 9 suites. The hotel follows a warm, contemporary design that makes use of silver-birch bark wall textures and ebony wall panels alternatively. Each room is well laid out with contemporary furnishings and equipped with a 42-inch plasma television, CD and DVD player, iPod docking station and internet access. All rooms feature floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows. However, the rooms don’t offer any spectacular view of the city as the windows either face the surrounding buildings or the busy railway station.

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First Impression/Lobby: The beige-and-bronze lobby of the Four Seasons in Tokyo is located on the top floor and is furnished in a simple manner with deep-pile carpets, brocade sofas and armchairs. This lobby is quite small and doesn’t provide too much space, be it for people watching or for relaxing.

Reception: Check-in was fast and carefree and within minutes we were on our way to the Chairman’s Suite located on the 6th floor.

The Suite: The 1722 square feet Chairman’s Suite was spacious and consisted of a king bedroom, separate living and dining area, guest powder room, a mini bar and a bathroom. The living area was appointed with a sofa, coffee table, executive desk, a wall-mounted 52-inch 3D TV with built-in Blu-ray player, an accompanying home theater system and Bluetooth technology. The dining area was furnished with a 10 seat dining table that was perfect for holding private dinners.

The work area in a corner of the living room featured high-speed Internet access, two-line speakerphones, a data port and facilities for printing, copying, faxing and scanning.

The bedroom was decorated with contemporary furnishings. The king bed was outfitted with down duvets and pillows and the brown-leather-covered headboard continued halfway across the ceiling to provide a canopy effect. The bathroom was spacious and fitted with a tub, a hand-held shower, separate shower stall, private toilet stall and full-length tri-panel wardrobe mirror.

The floor-to-ceiling windows offered only views of the busy Tokyo Station. This dampened our spirits considerably. Also, even though the suite was spacious, it missed some of the luxuries that I have come to expect from the Four Seasons, especially when staying in the best suite of the hotel. Even the bathroom was a bit sparsely done for my taste. I am sure most of the guests would love this minimalism, but not me, I found it lacking a bit.

Room Service: They did not offer as wide a selection of International or Western fare as we had hoped for. Hence we mostly headed out for some true Japanese food. We however ordered breakfast in our suite on one occasion and it was delivered on time and presented perfectly.

Housekeeping: The twice-daily housekeeping paid attention to the most minute detail and was executed to perfection.

Concierge: The concierge staff were knowledgeable and gave us great recommendations. We were even able to get a couple of hard to get reservations with the “pull” of the Four Seasons.

Restaurant: The ekki BAR & GRILL offers premium Japanese beef, fresh seafood and quality vegetables in an informal atmosphere. Located on the seventh floor, this restaurant also offers a boutique New World wine list and creative cocktails. The afternoon tea is very popular and consists of seasonal dishes and a variety of teas and beverages. Brunch served on weekends consists of a tasting menu made of signature appetisers and main courses, sweet treats and hot beverages.

The Lobby Lounge and Bar on the seventh floor has a bar made of Australian walnut and floor-to-ceiling windows. A number of drinks and light snacks are served here in a contemporary setting.

Pool/Spa/Activities: The Spa at Four Seasons Tokyo offers massages, body and facial treatments in its two private treatment rooms. The Spa also has a spacious lounge, a steam sauna, jet showers and a traditional Onsen bath.

The 24-hour Fitness Center is well equipped with cardiovascular equipment, weight-training equipment and free weights. The Business Centre at Four Seasons Tokyo is appointed with cellular telephones and computers. Wired and wireless internet access is available in meeting rooms.

Check-Out: Our departure was as efficient and quick as the check-in process.

Overall Impression: The Four Seasons Marunouchi could have easily been a Bombastic hotel, but it lacked any “wow” factor. A major minus point was the train station view from almost every location in the hotel. Service was overall good, but the hotel just lacked that special something that makes a five-star hotel Bombastic. Our rating for the Four Seasons Marunouchi is Between Bombastic and Not.

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