Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel Review

Hilton Tokyo Bay is an official hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort, located within a few hundred yards of the monorail to the parks. This review features room photos, how this compares to other accommodations, and thoughts about our many experiences staying here during trips to Japan. (Updated February 11, 2023.)

Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and the ocean are all within view of the Hilton Tokyo Bay, meaning that just about every guest room has a great view. It’s also a less-expensive on-site alternative to the Disney-branded properties: Hotel MiraCosta, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, Ambassador Hotel, Toy Story Hotel, and DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel.

Hilton Tokyo Bay was the first hotel at which we stayed on Tokyo Disney Resort property, and it’s still our favorite non-Disney resort. We’ve stayed here over a dozen times in the last decade, in a range of different room types. This and the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay are our top two recommendations; we prefer the Hilton Tokyo Bay, but that’s in large part because we have Hilton Diamond Status, which affords us better benefits and upgrades when staying here.

I still fondly remember staying here during our first trip to Japan. We started in the city, booking Japanese-style accommodations in Shibuya. Our room there was the size of a large closet, and that’s no exaggeration. We were thus prepared for the worst with the Hilton Tokyo Bay, at least in terms of room size.

I was pleasantly surprised when we opened the door and found a room that was more spacious than a typical hotel room. Definitely larger than even any standard Deluxe tier room at a Walt Disney World resort hotel. We were upgraded at check-in to the Celebrio Select rooms, which was a room with modern, retro-futuristic stylization.

There are other categories of rooms, including a “Happy Magic” category, which is themed to a fairytale forest to appeal to kids. For this review, we’ll take a look at the Celebrio rooms. Although we’ve stayed in a few other room styles at the Hilton Tokyo Bay over the years, this is the one we return to time and time again for a couple of reasons.

These rooms were designed by acclaimed Tokyo interior designer Asao Nakayama of the W Design International (ironically, known as “WDI” in Japan). The rooms had a predominantly white look, with aqua and black accents to give it a very clean and crisp aesthetic.

As of the time of our latest update to this review, the Celebrio Rooms at Tokyo Disney Resort are over a decade old. Given that the style is intended to be futuristic, you might be inclined to think they’re dated as a result. Personally, I don’t find that to be the case. The rooms are in undeniably good condition (thanks to respectful Japanese guests) with almost no wear and tear.

More subjective is how well the Celebrio Rooms at Hilton Tokyo Bay have aged. Since it’s a retro-futuristic, almost alien style, I don’t think it looks like it’s from any particular time period. As such, we find them looking as good in 2023 as they did in 2013.

The rooms also have a lot of curved lines and colored lighting that guests can control to help change the mood. Just about everything lights, from the headboard of the bed, to the underside of ledges, to edge accents throughout the room. If you look at the reflection in the mirror of the bathroom photo below, you’ll notice this mood lighting in the shower.

As someone who is impressed by bright objects, I think these are awesome touches, and are some of my favorite aspects of the room. In seriousness, though, I really do like dynamic lighting like this and also Googie/futurist architecture and design, so I definitely have a bias towards this style of room.

The bathroom in the Celebrio rooms is fantastic. Even though there’s only one sink, the bathroom is spacious enough for two people to get ready at the same time, which is not true of most hotels in Japan. (As compared to Western hotels, it’s more or less normal–maybe a bit on the larger size.)

Of course, my favorite feature is the smart toilet. This puppy is packed with features, and has a counter-mounted control panel (right next to the TP). You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the joys of a Japanese bidet!

Turning back to the main area, the beds are incredibly nice, with high quality bedding and great pillows. Hilton Tokyo Bay advertises these as using Serta Suite Dreams bedding; it’s more plush than the rock-hard mattresses found in many hotels in Japan.

There are also docks for iPhones that enable music to be played throughout the room, even in the shower. Televisions were flat, LCD displays, that featured a number of all-Japanese stations, including Tokyo Disney Resort TV (again, only in Japanese…but if you go, this station is a must-watch for its humorous Duffy segments).

The room also included a fridge, marginally-comfortable sofa, iron, hairdryer, and other amenities.

Aside from the fun, futuristic aesthetics, the main reason we favor booking the Celebrio room is because the ocean-side rooms are significantly larger than the parkside rooms: 430 square feet v. 377 square feet. It’s a noticeable size difference, and also allows the ocean rooms to accommodate more guests.

Speaking of which, we’ve done stays in these rooms with 4 adults.

As is fairly common in Japan, extra beds are simply added to the room for additional adults. If you do 4 in a Twin Celebrio Ocean room, for example, they’ll add 2 more twin beds–forming what’s essentially an uninterrupted row of beds with almost no space between them.

On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance from the ocean view rooms. I’ve spent many a morning gazing at it while working on that uncomfortable aqua chair (it’s actually not that bad for lounging, but it’s awkward if you’re trying to sit upright and use a laptop).

Park view rooms have views of Tokyo Disneyland. Be warned that these views are not as good as they were a few years ago due to construction of Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel plus additions in the two parks. This used to be a clean view of Space Mountain and Cinderella Castle as there was only a parking lot between the Hilton and Tokyo Disneyland. That is no longer the case–so if you see view photos elsewhere that look pristine…they’re outdated.

As is the case pretty much everywhere in Japan, the staff at the Hilton Tokyo Bay is great. I have had several late nights and early mornings, and I am always greeted by someone each time I left or arrived who was eager to find out if I needed any assistance or anything for the room.

The hotel also has a coffee shop and several restaurants, including the main one where breakfast is served. This buffet is fantastic, and can be added to your reservation for a slight surcharge. Alternatively, it’s included if you’re a Hilton Diamond member. The one warning we’d offer here is that the line can be long at peak hours–so eat early or skip this. (Guests with Hilton status have an ‘express’ line that offers almost instant seating.)

Guests staying in Celebrio Select Rooms and Suites access to an exclusive lounge that offers complimentary breakfast, refreshments, evening cocktails and a private check-in and check-out service.

Again, Hilton Diamond members also have access to this–we typically do breakfast (and often dinner) here rather than the main restaurant because it’s faster and most of our favorite foods are also here. If there’s interest in a full review of this, please let me know in the comments. (It’s a very niche topic, so I’m guessing there isn’t.)

Likewise, the hotel had numerous other amenities we did not use, such as a pool and conference rooms. You can read about those amenities on its website.

In addition to monorail transportation to the parks, there are also official Disney buses that provided transportation from the hotel to the monorail station (we seldom use these, as it’s less than a 5 minute walk to the monorail station).

The hotel also offers a shuttle about twice per hour to JR Maihama Station. This is really convenient if you have luggage and are transferring to or from the city. You probably won’t want to haul your suitcases onto the monorail, especially when it’s busy.

Bringing the comparison back to Walt Disney World, I’d rate the Hilton Tokyo Bay on par with the best Deluxe Resort options in Florida, and we’ve stayed at every single hotel there. Obviously, this room lacks any Disney motifs, so if that kind of thing is important to you, one of the three hotels mentioned above is a better option.

However, it does has its own very distinct theme, as mentioned here, and it almost reminded me of something Stanley Kubrick might dream up for a set in one of his films. The room is not stereotypically Japanese, but it’s very much in keeping with the kind of quirky and striking styles you’ll find throughout Japan. It’s fun and we highly recommend the Celebrio rooms as a result.

Given the size and quality of its rooms, plus the location of the Hilton Tokyo Bay on the monorail loop, I think it’s fair to compare this hotel to a Walt Disney World Deluxe hotel. The biggest difference besides the lack of Disney branding is the lack of Disney pricing.

We’ve frequently paid around $150 per night at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which is around half of what we typically pay at a Walt Disney World Deluxe resort-hotel. (We’ve found rooms for under $100 when Hilton has a flash sale or during the off-season, and have paid over $200 during holiday weekends.)

This is the big reason why we’ve said that a Tokyo Disney Resort trip might not be more expensive than a Walt Disney World vacation if you’re used to staying in Deluxe resorts (while the airfare will be more, this cheaper room might compensate for that).

If you can’t find a good price at Hilton Tokyo Bay, there are several other official on-site hotels along the monorail loop. You absolutely want to book one of those, and not an off-site hotel. If you plan on spending time in Tokyo, do a split stay; the commute from Maihama is lengthy (45 minutes or longer) and can be unpleasant during the morning or evening rushes.

Ultimately, the Hilton Tokyo Bay is our go-to hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort. We return here year after year, and have easily logged a month or two worth of nights here in the last decade-plus. That should really say it all in terms of whether we recommend this resort. Still, this review barely scratches the surface and there’s so much we haven’t covered–like the Christmas village in the lobby that not only features a model train and little shops, but also Shinkansen, aerial tramway, balloons and so much more.

Suffice to say, we prefer the Hilton Tokyo Bay to any of the other third party on-site hotels at Tokyo Disney Resort, including the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. That’s also an exceptional hotel, but the Hilton gets the slight edge from us. (And that was true before we were Hilton Diamond members–so it’s not simply about status perks.)

The only hotels at Tokyo Disney Resort that “beat” the Hilton Tokyo Bay for us are Hotel MiraCosta and Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. We’d rather stay here than at Toy Story Hotel or Ambassador Hotel, and that would also be true even if money were no object. (As of our latest update, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel is not yet open, but I’m guessing that’ll also surpass this.) Hilton Tokyo Bay is a truly exceptional hotel, and is on par with the best on-site Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World. It’s like if Swan & Dolphin were fresher and on the monorail loop.

Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.

Your Thoughts

If you have stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Bay or any hotel at Tokyo Disney Resort, we’d love to hear about your experience with your hotel (including your room category)! Do you plan on staying at Hilton Tokyo Bay? Have any additional questions? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share in the comments!