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Where to stay in Shinjuku: 5 hotels for your Tokyo base
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Where to stay in Shinjuku: west towers, south bus terminal, Kabukicho or sanchome
- Hyatt Regency and Keio Plaza have airport limousine buses to the door
- Villa Fontaine is in Kabukicho; APA Gochome-eki Tower has the big bath
The five
| Best for | Where to book | Score | Weeknight (per person) | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for walking home from Kabukicho — if you can’t decide | Villa Fontaine Tokyo Shinjuku Check price |
73/100 | ¥10,000–21,000 | ¥16,000–33,000 |
| Best value room on the west side | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Nishi-Shinjuku Premier Check price |
71/100 | ¥14,000–35,000 | ¥28,000–33,000 |
| Best for a hot bath at the end of a walking day | APA Hotel & Resort Nishi-Shinjuku Gochome-eki Tower Check price |
68/100 | ¥8,000–17,000 | ¥11,000–34,000 |
| Best room, and the most ways to reach it | Hyatt Regency Tokyo Check price |
66/100 | ¥34,000–71,000 | ¥48,000–71,000 |
| Best for the first and last night of a Japan trip | Keio Plaza Hotel Check price |
64/100 | ¥29,000–41,000 | ¥33,000–47,000 |
Prices are the cheapest per person found on Rakuten Travel for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 2026-11-14 – 2027-01-06, for 2 adults in one room (checked 2026-11-05). They move daily — the link shows live prices.
The booking links go to Agoda, which shows today’s price and lets you pay in your own currency. Its price can differ from the Rakuten Travel figures above.
Best for walking home from Kabukicho
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.36/5 (282) · Google Maps 4.00/5 (529) · Tripadvisor 3.80/5 (219) · Booking.com 4.25/5 (758) · Agoda 8.4/10 (2,251) · 4,039 in total
- Inside Kabukicho, not just near it
- 61 rooms, small for Tokyo
- A few kabuki-themed rooms
- Check-in 15:00, check-out 11:00
Why it made the five
- Three minutes from the north exit of Seibu-Shinjuku station, nine from the JR Shinjuku east exit
- Six minutes from Higashi-Shinjuku station, exit A1, on the Oedo line
- Luggage held free both before check-in and after checkout
- Three rooms come with a private sauna
Getting there: Three minutes from Seibu-Shinjuku station north exit, nine from the JR Shinjuku east exit, six from Higashi-Shinjuku station exit A1.
Language and payment: There is no restaurant in the building — breakfast is taken at a Doutor coffee shop nearby. The hotel can point you to a service that forwards luggage to Haneda or Narita, which is useful on your last night.
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Right for: The closest of the five to Shinjuku after dark, cheap on weeknights, and free luggage storage.
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Not for: No restaurant inside; breakfast is at a coffee shop around the corner.
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Worth knowing: Rakuten shows no category scores except cleanliness (4.4). It is in the middle of an entertainment district, so the street outside is busy at night.
Score breakdown — 73/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Rakuten shows no category scores, so this is our own baseline rating |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 44% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, three minutes from Seibu-Shinjuku, free luggage storage, airport luggage forwarding, sauna rooms |
| Trust | ★☆☆☆☆ | 4.14 across 1,788 reviews on four sites |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | A 61-room hotel inside Kabukicho with kabuki-themed rooms and private saunas |
Best value room on the west side
Daiwa Roynet Hotel Nishi-Shinjuku Premier
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.44/5 (789) · Ikyu 4.38/5 (27) · Jalan 3.80/5 (617) · Google Maps 4.40/5 (1,395) · Tripadvisor 4.40/5 (145) · Booking.com 4.40/5 (5,932) · Agoda 8.9/10 (6,844) · 15,749 in total
- Rooms rated 4.54, cleanliness 4.59
- A straight run to Ginza on the Marunouchi line without changing
- Check-in 14:00, check-out 11:00
- Parking ¥2,000 per night, 34 spaces, height limit 2.05 m (Rakuten listing)
Why it made the five
- Five minutes from exit 2 of Nishi-Shinjuku station; one stop from Shinjuku on the Marunouchi line
- Nine minutes from Tochomae station on the Oedo line
- Nearly all rooms have a separate bath and toilet, and every room has a Simmons bed
- Buffet breakfast with pancakes cooked to order; luggage storage, coin laundry and parcel service
Getting there: Five minutes from exit 2 of Nishi-Shinjuku station, nine from Tochomae. One stop from Shinjuku on the Marunouchi line.
Language and payment: Nothing here depends on speaking Japanese, but it is a business hotel rather than an international one — expect a functional check-in rather than a concierge.
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Right for: High marks for rooms and cleanliness at a weeknight price well under the average.
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Not for: Too far to walk to Shinjuku station comfortably; you will use the subway. No communal bath.
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Worth knowing: Our lowest price came from a Rakuten sale, and Saturdays cost considerably more.
Score breakdown — 71/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | The categories Rakuten does show average 4.49 |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 55% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, five minutes from the subway, luggage storage, coin laundry, parcel service |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 4.36 across 8,905 reviews on six sites |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | Pancakes cooked to order at breakfast, and a separate bath and toilet in almost every room |
Best for a hot bath at the end of a walking day
APA Hotel & Resort Nishi-Shinjuku Gochome-eki Tower
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.33/5 (1,572) · Ikyu 4.16/5 (36) · Jalan 4.30/5 (414) · Google Maps 4.10/5 (3,406) · Tripadvisor 3.50/5 (230) · Booking.com 4.15/5 (7,292) · Agoda 8.6/10 (15,920) · 28,870 in total
- A 710-room tower
- Check-in 15:00
- Parking ¥3,000 per night, 31 spaces, no reservations (Rakuten listing)
Why it made the five
- One minute from exit A2 of Nishi-Shinjuku-gochome station; two stops from Shinjuku on the Oedo line
- Large communal bath and open-air bath on the second floor
- Outdoor pool on the eighth floor in summer
- Buffet breakfast with more than thirty dishes; coin laundry and parcel service
Getting there: One minute from exit A2 of Nishi-Shinjuku-gochome station, two stops from Shinjuku on the Oedo line.
Language and payment: The bath is a Japanese communal bath: you wash first, then soak, with no swimwear. Tattoo rules at APA hotels are stricter than at many places, so ask at the desk before going down. Guests report it is crowded after 10pm.
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Right for: The cheapest of the five, with a communal and open-air bath, one minute from a station.
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Not for: Checkout is at 10:00, earlier than the rest. The bath gets busy after 10pm.
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Worth knowing: Too far to walk from Shinjuku station — the Oedo line is part of the plan. Our lowest price came from a Rakuten sale.
Score breakdown — 68/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | The categories Rakuten does show average 4.34 |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 43% of the median of everything we compared — the cheapest of the five |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | One minute from the subway, communal and open-air baths, summer pool, coin laundry, parcel service |
| Trust | ★☆☆☆☆ | 4.15 across 12,950 reviews on six sites |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | A 710-room tower with communal baths, an open-air bath and a pool — rare in this part of Tokyo |
Best room, and the most ways to reach it
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.76/5 (2,394) · Ikyu 3.85/5 (14) · Jalan 4.40/5 (836) · Google Maps 4.20/5 (6,589) · Tripadvisor 4.30/5 (335) · Booking.com 4.45/5 (1,929) · Agoda 8.6/10 (1,836) · 13,933 in total
- Full renovation finished in 2025
- Rooms from the 24th floor up look over the park and the city
- Rated 4.76 overall and 4.89 for breakfast, the highest figures in this guide
- Check-in 14:00, check-out 11:00
Why it made the five
- One minute from exit A7 of Tochomae station; four from Nishi-Shinjuku; nine from the JR Shinjuku west exit
- Limousine bus from Haneda in about 70 minutes, Narita in about 120, straight to the hotel
- Free shuttle bus from the Shinjuku west exit, every day
- Children aged 12 and under stay free
Getting there: One minute from exit A7 of Tochomae station, nine minutes on foot from the JR Shinjuku west exit. Free shuttle from the west exit; limousine bus from Haneda about 70 minutes, Narita about 120.
Language and payment: An international chain with the English and the card handling you would expect, and children under 12 stay free — the easiest of the five if you arrive late with family and luggage.
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Right for: The best guest ratings and breakfast here, and more ways in — station, shuttle, airport bus — than anywhere else.
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Not for: The most expensive of the five. No communal bath.
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Worth knowing: Shinjuku station is a nine-minute walk; at busy hours the shuttle or the subway is easier.
Score breakdown — 66/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | The categories Rakuten does show average 4.75 |
| Value for money | ★☆☆☆☆ | 145% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, free shuttle from Shinjuku, one minute from the subway, airport buses to the door, children under 12 free |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 4.37 across 12,097 reviews on six sites |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | Renovated in 2025, with rooms above the 24th floor looking over the park and the city |
Best for the first and last night of a Japan trip
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.38/5 (5,962) · Agoda 8.8/10 (16,599) · 22,561 in total
- Opened in 1971 as Tokyo’s first skyscraper hotel, facing the Metropolitan Government towers
- More reviews than any other hotel in this guide
- Check-in 15:00, check-out 11:00
- Parking ¥1,000 per night, 509 spaces, no reservations (Rakuten listing)
Why it made the five
- About five minutes from the JR Shinjuku west exit through the underground passage; one minute from Tochomae station
- Limousine buses from Haneda and Narita stop at the hotel
- A 47th-floor lounge, ‘SKY PLAZA IBASHO’, on reservation with qualifying rates
- Convenience store and pharmacy in the building, parcel service at the desk
- Website and service in English, Korean and Chinese
Getting there: About five minutes from the JR Shinjuku west exit via the underground passage, one minute from Tochomae station. Limousine buses from Haneda and Narita come to the hotel.
Language and payment: The most clearly set up for overseas guests of the five — multilingual staff and website, shops inside the building, and a bus that takes you to the airport without a train change.
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Right for: Close to the station, the airport bus and the government towers at once, with a long and steady review record.
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Not for: No communal bath, and the bath score on Rakuten is a low 4.18.
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Worth knowing: Our lowest price came from a Rakuten sale. Views differ a lot by wing and floor.
Score breakdown — 64/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | Room, bath and food average 4.41 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★☆☆ | Around the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, underground walk from the station, airport buses to the door, 47th-floor lounge, shops and parcel service, multilingual |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 4.38 across 5,962 Rakuten reviews |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | Tokyo’s first skyscraper hotel, opened in 1971, facing the Metropolitan Government towers |
Know before you book
- The west-side skyscraper district is served by Tochomae and Nishi-Shinjuku stations; some hotels are a five-minute walk from the JR west exit entirely underground, which matters in rain.
- Limousine buses from Haneda and Narita stop at the west-side towers themselves. Haneda takes about 70 minutes, Narita about 120.
- The south exit sits beside Busta Shinjuku, Japan’s biggest highway bus terminal — you can be three minutes from both the station and the coaches.
- If you plan a day trip to the Fuji Five Lakes, the bus leaves from Busta Shinjuku and reaches Kawaguchiko in about 1 hour 45 minutes. Early departures are easier from the south side.
- For a night out in Kabukicho, stay on the Seibu-Shinjuku side; the JR east exit is about a nine-minute walk away.
- There is real hot-spring water in Shinjuku: an open-air bath about eight minutes from Shinjuku-sanchome station, filled with water trucked in from Hakone.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: every property in Shinjuku, Tokyo listed on Rakuten Travel — 1355
- Passed the review filter (counts and averages on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area): 37
- Met every condition below: 19
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Where the facts come from
- Facts: Rakuten Travel property information (in some articles, each hotel’s own site too)
- Prices: Rakuten Travel live availability, Wednesdays and Saturdays over eight weeks
- Reviews: counts and averages from Rakuten Travel, Jalan, Ikyu, Google Maps, Tripadvisor and Booking.com, added up in each hotel’s Trust row. Agoda’s reviews are shown under each hotel name for reference only and do not count towards the score
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- Within a ten-minute walk of Shinjuku station (including Seibu-Shinjuku), or of a station no more than two subway stops away
- A room for two with breakfast can actually be booked on Rakuten Travel
- Reviews hold up: at least 50 reviews averaging 4.3 or better on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area. Shortlisted properties were then checked against Jalan, Ikyu, Google Maps, TripAdvisor and Booking.com as well — the Trust row for each place shows the breakdown.
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality25 pts
- The average of the room, bath and food scores guests leave on Rakuten Travel. 4.80 and above is five stars, 4.65 four, 4.50 three.
- Value for money20 pts
- The price against the median of everything we compared. 80% or less is five stars, 95% four, 110% three, 130% two.
- Easy to stay30 pts
- Starts at one star. A point each for checkout at 11am or later, an airport bus or shuttle, a communal bath, luggage services, and anything else that makes this particular trip easier.
- Trust20 pts
- Review counts and averages added up across booking sites, weighted by how many reviews each site has. 4.75 and 100+ reviews is five stars, 4.60 and 50+ four, 4.40 and 30+ three.
- Only here5 pts
- What you can only get here. Our judgement, with the reason stated.
What we dropped
| Property | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Tokyo | Runner-up (64/100) | The score is high enough, but its character overlaps with the five |
| Odakyu Hotel Century Southern Tower | Runner-up (64/100) | The score is high enough, but its character overlaps with the five |
| ONSEN RYOKAN YUEN SHINJUKU | Runner-up (61/100) | 61 points, below the lowest of the five (64) |
| Keiunso | Outside the theme | Four minutes from the Shinjuku south exit and rated 4.51, but the building is locked between midnight and 6am. That rules it out as a base for Tokyo nights, and we found no rooms with breakfast in our search window. |
| Anshin Oyado Tokyo Man Shinjuku South | Outside the theme | Ninety seconds from Busta Shinjuku, but it is a men-only capsule hotel, so it cannot serve every reader. |
| Tokyu Stay Shinjuku Eastside | Runner-up | Rated 4.58 with a breakfast score of 4.86, but twelve minutes from Shinjuku station. For the Kabukicho side we preferred Villa Fontaine, three minutes from Seibu-Shinjuku. |
| Citadines Shinjuku | Runner-up | Kitchens in every room and rated 4.5, but it is a 25-minute walk from Shinjuku station. For Shinjuku-sanchome we would rather send you to the hot-spring ryokan nearby. |
Questions visitors ask
West side, south exit or Kabukicho — which should I pick?
West side if you are coming in or out by airport bus or want a calmer street: most of the towers are limousine bus stops and several have views. South exit if you are taking highway coaches — Busta Shinjuku is there, including the bus to Mt Fuji. Kabukicho or Shinjuku-sanchome if you intend to eat and drink late and want the walk home to be short.
Which of these can I reach by bus straight from the airport?
Keio Plaza and Hyatt Regency Tokyo are both limousine bus stops, from Haneda and Narita. That means no train changes and no stairs with a suitcase. Haneda takes about 70 minutes, Narita about 120, traffic permitting.
I want a hot bath after walking all day. Where?
APA Nishi-Shinjuku Gochome has a large communal bath with an open-air section on the second floor — unusual in central Tokyo. These are Japanese-style baths: wash at the taps first, then soak, no swimwear, and visible tattoos may be refused, so ask at reception first.
Can I do Mt Fuji as a day trip from here?
Yes. Highway buses run from Busta Shinjuku, next to the south exit, to Kawaguchiko in about 1 hour 45 minutes depending on traffic. If you have an early departure, staying on the south side saves you a stressful morning.
What about luggage?
Villa Fontaine holds bags free before check-in and after checkout, and can arrange forwarding to Haneda or Narita. Keio Plaza and Daiwa Roynet both take parcels. Shinjuku station has coin lockers, but it is an enormous station and they go quickly.
When were these prices checked?
We searched Rakuten Travel availability for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 3 October and 25 November 2026, taking the cheapest room with breakfast and showing it per person. Prices move daily — the link on each hotel shows what it costs today.
Changes
- 2026-11-05 First published. Scored from 1355 candidates.