ANA InterContinental Tokyo by IHG Review: Fresher Rooms Than The Strings, With a Breakfast Caveat

Summary ANA InterContinental Tokyo would be my pick over InterContinental The Strings Tokyo if the price were the same and I were staying for more than a one-night transport stop. The rooms are fresher and more modern, and I think the facilities are better too. I stayed for two nights in 2026 and was very happy with the room I received. The hotel is in a pretty good state, although the lobby shows its age more than the upgraded room did. The main caveat is breakfast, which is vast but not as consistently good as the smaller breakfast at The Strings. It is a very situational comparison rather than an automatic win for either hotel. Arrival & check-in Arrival and check-in were good. I booked a base room, and the hotel proactively upgraded me to what I believe was a high-floor Premium room. I saw the upgrade in the app before arrival, and the hotel recognized the Bilt booking. The original late-checkout offer was noon. When I later realized I needed more time, I requested 2 p.m., and the hotel extended it to 1 p.m. They could not go later because the hotel was near or at high occupancy, but I still appreciated the extra hour. The lobby was nice enough, but definitely a little bit on the older side. There was nothing too remarkable about it, particularly compared with how fresh the upgraded room felt. A welcome amenity of fruit and Japanese rice crackers was waiting in the room. Lobby and arrival Check-in went smoothly, though the lobby itself was nice enough rather than memorable. This lobby was clean and orderly, but its design felt dated beside the refreshed rooms. Reception handled my benefits well, including a proactive upgrade and 1 p.m. checkout. The polished wood-heavy public spaces clearly showed the hotel’s older side. Older wood-and-stone finishes gave the common areas a traditional grand-hotel feel. Inside, the elevator's charcoal panels and bronze trim felt distinctly polished. Fruit and Japanese rice crackers were a thoughtful welcome amenity in my upgraded room. Room The upgraded room had a Tokyo Tower view, which I very much enjoyed, particularly at dusk and at night. Nearby towers enclosed parts of the city view, but Tokyo Tower was still the visual highlight. The room also had a window-side seating area. Tokyo Tower view From my window, Tokyo Tower glowed between the surrounding Minato towers. Tokyo Tower from my high floor was one of the highlights of the two-night stay. The room was compact but standard for Tokyo, with enough space for my luggage. The finishes were quite good for the price point, the bed was comfortable, and the room felt fresh enough. There was a small table, a window-side chaise, a stocked minibar, and an organized coffee and tea setup. The upgraded room This upgraded room confirmed my view that ANA’s rooms feel fresher than The Strings. Even compact by Tokyo standards, the layout left enough room for luggage and a proper seating area. Looking toward the door, I appreciated the warm backlighting behind the headboard. My bed was comfortable, and the room’s design felt notably more modern than the lobby. After dark, the bed and city view made this upgraded room a very pleasant place to return to. Layout and seating Beside the bed, I found a TV wall, coffee setup, and compact table. By the entry, the welcome fruit and coffee setup added useful detail to the upgraded room. The window-side chaise gave me a comfortable place to enjoy Tokyo after dark. This compact living area fit a tea station, small table, and TV without wasting space. From the entry onward, the upgraded room felt well finished despite its Tokyo-size footprint. Convenient bedside controls were a practical plus beside an already comfortable bed. Minibar and coffee Small details like this polished coffee and tea setup helped the room feel fresh. Everything from tea to glassware was neatly organized in the room’s refreshment cabinet. A fully stocked minibar included Japanese drinks, beer, Champagne, and soft drinks. The Nespresso machine tucked away neatly, keeping the room’s compact surfaces uncluttered. Even the snack drawer was neatly presented, matching the room’s polished finishes. Storage details Built-in entry storage was another reason the compact layout worked well for my luggage. Robes, slippers, and an ironing board were all sensibly organized in one compact cabinet. The bathroom was particularly good. It had only a single vanity, but I enjoyed the Japanese-style wet room, with a separate bath and shower inside the same enclosed room. The Byredo Bal d’Afrique amenities smelled good, as they usually do, although the dated wall-mounted air-conditioning controller was one reminder of the hotel's older side. Japanese-style bathroom The single-vanity bathroom was one of the room’s strongest features for me. I especially enjoyed this Japanese-style wet room, with bath and shower in one enclosed space. A deep soaking tub made the bath-and-shower-together wet-room arrangement work especially well. The rain shower helped make this bathroom feel like a real upgrade over a standard Tokyo setup. Having both a deep tub and rainfall shower in one room was a layout I personally liked. These refillable Byredo Bal d’Afrique hand wash and lotion bottles were amenities I enjoyed. Stone, tile, and a vessel sink gave the bathroom a fresher feel than the public spaces. In the shower, I found wall-mounted Byredo shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The vanity combined textured tile, mosaic details, and a brightly lit mirror. One dated note: this wall-mounted air-conditioning controller did not match the fresher room design. Food & drink Breakfast was very vast in quantity for sure, with a wide mix of Japanese and Western items. The spread included made-to-order eggs, noodles, dumplings, sushi, tofu, natto, pastries, fruit and more. The most memorable offering was a milk ice-cream soft-serve station, which was quite delicious. Breakfast buffet Cold fruit, yogurt, and salmon were part of a breakfast spread that was vast in quantity. There was no shortage of chilled breakfast options, from yogurt cups to smoked salmon. Pastries and dietary-conscious choices showed just how broad the breakfast selection was. For breakfast, I thought the milk ice-cream soft serve was genuinely delicious. Cereal and dried fruit added still more choice to a buffet already focused on volume. Several breads joined the many unusual breakfast touches, even if execution was less consistent. This fruit and compote display was one small part of an unusually extensive morning spread. The buffet offered far more than standard hotel basics, right down to its dairy drinks. Conventional hot items were abundant, but breakfast quality did not always match its scale. Juices and milk were easy to find amid a breakfast service built for high volume. Japanese staples like miso soup and porridge made the buffet more distinctive than usual. Prepared Japanese dishes gave breakfast real variety beyond the expected Western buffet. Sushi, tofu, and natto were among the many Japanese options that broadened the selection. A staffed noodle station with udon and soba was one of breakfast’s more distinctive offerings. Cold cuts and cheeses added another international layer to the huge buffet. Vegan steamed dumplings were a memorable example of the buffet’s unusually broad range. Live cooking brought more variety, though the overall experience still felt like a busy hotel buffet. Eggs Benedict joined the many made-to-order and hot options at breakfast. A spinach-pineapple smoothie and infused water were fun additions to the morning drinks. Familiar egg dishes ensured plenty of safe choices alongside the more adventurous stations. Made-to-order eggs were available, but mine arrived more cooked than I had requested. The breakfast room was busy during my stay, matching the buffet’s high-volume feel. Under frosted glass, I spotted the chilled dessert portions waiting to be served. The enormous room handled a lot of breakfast traffic, but it was clearly crowded. My plate captured the appeal of breakfast: lots of variety, even if not every item excelled. This was breakfast at its busiest, with inventive stations but a distinctly high-volume atmosphere. The issue was consistency rather than choice. Some items felt closer to the style of a busy hotel buffet, where quality can become less of the focus as opposed to quantity. I specifically asked for eggs cooked easy, and they arrived cooked more than I wanted; at another point, a water dispenser or jug had not been refilled. These were minor things, but they reflected the high-volume feel of breakfast. I find breakfast at InterContinental The Strings Tokyo to be actually quite excellent. It is smaller, but the food is higher quality, and breakfast is the one area where ANA InterContinental Tokyo could make a major improvement. A huge buffet is not necessarily a better buffet. I later used a large portion of my remaining $100 hotel credit for drinks at miXx. The drinks were tasty, the atmosphere was nice, and the city views were beautiful without the bar feeling too crowded. Drinks at miXx I used leftover hotel credit at miXx, where the atmosphere was relaxed and the views were beautiful. These were tasty drinks, and miXx was a good place to put my remaining credit to use. A quiet drink here was an easy end to the evening, without the crowding I expected. Facilities The gym was good enough, with a decent selection of cardio and weights equipment. I used the weights, and although other people were there, it was not busy and I never had to wait for the equipment I needed. It is better than the gym at The Strings because it is larger, has more equipment, and gets better natural light. The outdoor pool is a relatively rare facility for Tokyo, and it looked nice enough. I did not use it because I ran out of time; it was hot and somewhat crowded when I looked, although not so crowded that I would have felt uncomfortable using it. It was definitely not a serene, tranquil pool, but I would not expect that at this price point and in a hotel of this size. I did not believe it required a reservation or extra fee, but I did not confirm the policy. Location The location was convenient enough for my stay. I personally used Akasaka Station several times, which was roughly a five-minute walk. It was easy enough to use the hotel as a base for trips toward Shinbashi and Ginza. The location becomes less attractive if the main reason for the stay is access to Shinagawa Station, Haneda Airport, or the Shinkansen. For those itineraries, The Strings has a practical advantage. Value I paid ¥122,800 in total, which was roughly $770 at the time. The Bilt Collection booking included breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, the upgrade, and late-checkout benefits. Bilt later reimbursed me $300 through Bilt Cash and a $200 Bilt credit. Factoring in the Bilt benefits and reimbursement, I was happy enough with the value and happy enough to pay it. I cannot say it was ridiculously phenomenal value. Using the remaining property credit for drinks at miXx also meant I did not leave that benefit unused. Bottom line I would recommend ANA InterContinental Tokyo over The Strings for someone staying more than one night and prioritizing a fresher room, a particularly good bathroom, and stronger facilities. If the prices were the same, this would be my pick going forward. The breakfast is the one major area I would want improved. I would still choose The Strings for a one-night buffer before a Shinkansen trip or a flight from Haneda, particularly when access to Shinagawa and the Keikyu line matters. It is also the better choice if breakfast quality is a higher priority than room and facility quality. I would return here, but the right answer between the two hotels depends on the itinerary.