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!
What are you talking about? I’m in a celebrio ocean room now.. the bed is rock hard it’s disgusting.
About to move to the Sheraton..
“If there’s interest in a full review of this”
PICTURES! PICTURES! PICTURES!
… I mean yes, please.
I agree that the train rush into Maihama is awful in the mornings and evenings, but one often-overlooked option is buses! The trains are so efficient in Japan that folks seem to forget that its buses are also very clean, very efficient, timely, and well-organized. We often take the bus from the Shinjuku bus terminal when moving over to a hotel in the TDR resort area, but we stayed in Ikebukuro in an Airbnb on our last visit. It was absolutely no trouble at all to take a direct bus from Ikebukuro bus terminal directly to TDR first thing in the morning, and a direct bus home at night, for multiple days in a row. It’s excellent because you can even squeeze in a nap on the bus which feels like heaven after a long day!
I would love to hear more about the lounge and restaurants. I’m a Hilton Diamond and will be at the Hilton Tokyo Bay in March for the first time. Really hoping you are planning on refreshing more of your TDR posts in the next couple of weeks! Thank you for all you do.
Would love to hear a review of the executive club lounge!
Would love to hear of the Dimaond benefits at the Hilton : )
Finally headed to TDR in May and will be staying in a Celebrio Room thanks to your info. Were you able to get your park tickets at the Hilton or is that still not possible?
We are planning a June 2023 trip here and identified this hotel as a good option since we also HH Diamond status and around 350k point to use. So I for one am interested in details of the perks you got from Diamond status. For example, did you book those Celebrio rooms or did you get them from a free upgrade due to being a Diamond member? We are look at spending five nights here (with 5th night free) as part of our trip back to Japan next year and will likely spend all of those in the parks since it will be our first time (we will want to take it slow and soak it all in). My one worry about our late June 2024 target date is I think the new DisneySea fantasy land is targeted for opening not too long before that. Could be crowded, but also we would be able to experience the new land.
We started specifically booking the Celebrio rooms because the free upgrades were to the “Happy Magic” rooms, and I’m not a fan of those. Out of pocket, they’re often around $10 extra per night, which is relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. (We’ve never used points for the stay itself.)
Is it better than the Park Wing rooms at the Sheraton? Those infinity bathtubs are to die for!!!
We haven’t stayed in the Park Wing at the Sheraton yet, but I’m guessing that’s better. We actually haven’t stayed at the Sheraton since 12/2019, and it looks like they’ve totally wrapped up the room overhauls. All of the rooms that I disliked now appear to be gone (took long enough!). I guess we ought to book that again.
This is probably a dumb question, but I can’t find an answer online anywhere. For a family of four, there is a Twin Bed and a King Bed option on the Hilton website. I understand for the Twin Bed room there will be four beds in the room if you book for four people. But what about the King Bed option? Will there be two king beds, or a king and two twins? Thanks for your help.
Just booked this hotel for my May 2020 trip! It was Travelocity’s deal of the day, so I just went for it! Might as well stay somewhere nice for my first ever out of country vacation! And my mom feels much better about me traveling alone when I stay on-property.
I really appreciate all the information you have on visiting Tokyo Disney. I’m seeing prices around $200-250 for this hotel for travel in early December–is it best to wait a bit longer to book? Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
I thought I would give some advice in case Tom doesn’t reply. I see that he arrived in Kyoto a couple of days ago just before I left there.
I have just checked into the Hilton today. I booked my room in late January and managed to get it for around US$120pn. I found that it made a huge difference depending on which and how many days you want to book. For me it was coming up a lot cheaper if I booked 4 or more days during the week. It was a lot more expensive booking on weekends or for less than 4 days. It also varied from week to week. So if you are flexible, try checking dates across a few different weeks.
You won’t regret booking this hotel. It is one of the nicest hotels I have stayed at. Got a free upgrade to a Celebrio room too. I guess this must be fairly common during the low season.
Good luck,
Mike
Hi Tom,
Thanks for this thoughtful review! I live by your guides when travelling to a new park.
Question about this hotel — we will be four adults looking to stay in a room and Expedia is telling me that the double twin rooms would accommodate four adults. In your experience, were the “twin” beds big enough for two adults to sleep in?
When you book a room for 4, they add two more beds to it.
Hi Tom
I’m planning a trip with our 4 and 5 year old to Tokyo. How far is this hotel from Tokyo itself? Was wondering if we could just stay here for 5 nights and do the park plus Tokyo and maybe do two nights at Disney sea before we head off to Kyoto ?
Hi Tom.. thank you for your very informative review on the Hilton Tokyo Bay! I am in the process planning a Tokyo Disney trip for my family for next June 2019. It will be for me and my husband and my two teenage daughters. I had a question about the bed sizes in the rooms. – We prefer at least a queen-size in American standards to share.
– Are the beds in the rooms twin size only? From pictures would you recommend the bunk bed family rooms for the 4 of us? –
– Also is this hotel close to DisneySea also? I’d like to stay in one hotel and go to both parks for convenience sake.
– Lastly which airport is closest to the parks?
Thank you for your help!
Hi there,
My daughter and is booked in Hilton Tokyo Bay which is closer to Disneyland where she will celebrate her birthday. I hope there will be a complimentary upgrade for us since we will stay for 5-nights.
My concern is, how difficult to use the train going to Hamamatsucho bus terminal? Most of the meeting point for tours are far in Hilton Tokyo Bay, will you still recommend to stay in this Hotel?
We have another booking in Tokyo Prince Hotel but I am still undecided the good thing is guaranteed pass available in Hilton to Disneyland.
Please advice.
Thank you and regards,
Is there any early access to Disney parks staying at this hotel?
Can anyone explain the sizes of the Japanese hotel beds? The Miracosta says twin but they look like double or queen sized. We are a family of 5 – it looks like 2 rooms at Disney hotel but maybe one at Hilton Toyko Bay?
That sounds so great. We’re planning our first trip to Japan, we have two children, one with autism. We’re just getting quotes/prices from travel agents now. We initially requested the Hyatt in Tokyo but they’re booked out for when we want to travel (Jan 2016). So we’re still looking for accommodation in Tokyo for three or four days we want to base ourselves there. But we’ve requested the Hilton Tokyo Bay for its proximity to Disneyland and ease of getting to and from the park with the kids. Thanks so much for the info, its really been very helpful!!