Japan Tokyo Crowne Plaza Metropolitan Shinjuku-Ikebukuro

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I stayed 3 nights at the Crowne Plaza Metropolitan in Ikebukuro from March 3-6, 2007. My winning priceline bid was $95.

The hotel is located in Ikebukuro, in the northwest of the of the Yamanoate line that circles Greater Toyko. It is across the street from the Metropolitan Plaza which has an escalator leading to the rail/metro station. It is also one of the stops for the airport limousine bus from Narita which costs about the same as the JR Narita Express train (3000 Yen) but runs a bit more frequently than the train and is also more convenient if one has luggage. My journey aboard the bus took 115 minutes in traffic on a Saturday night. However, I understand that Japan Rail is putting out a tourist pass at the end of March 2007 which will include airport transfers aboard the Narita Express for only 1500 Yen and also a Suica card with 1000 Yen on it, good for transport on most rail, buses, and subways in the Tokyo area. This pass will only be available for tourists at the Narita Airport. When departing Tokyo, I took the Yamanoate line to Shinagawa where I connected with the shinkansen to Kyoto.

Upon check-in, I was greeted by a staffer who spoke English well. Since I booked through Priceline, the booking was for the standard double room. I had emailed the hotel in advance requesting a nonsmoking room with larger bed (apparently nonsmoking rooms can be difficult to obtain in this hotel