Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay is a Tokyo Disney Resort Official Hotel, on the 4-stop monorail loop. Just across the street from Bay Side Station, the hotel offers huge grounds, a brand name foreigners are familiar with and a convenient location. In this post, we’ll review the hotel and discuss if it’s a good place to stay during a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort.

Tokyo Disney Resort is far different from Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort as far as hotel layout goes. Nearly all of WDW’s hotels with the best locations are owned by Disney themselves. Heck, even some of the hotels without a very good location are Disney resorts. Meanwhile at Disneyland, there are a few Disney owned hotels that are well themed and beautiful. Then there are some across the street from the resort that offer… proximity! Even after many of those hotels have improved over the last decade or two, most leave something to be desired in terms of quality accommodation.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, they still have exquisite Disney hotels that are very close. But they also have 3rd party hotels along the monorail line known as official hotels (which also offer complimentary shuttle busses and the option to buy Disney tickets at the hotel). This isn’t a perfect comparison but imagine if WDW’s Contemporary Resort was actually a Hilton or, in this case, a Sheraton. Those official hotels are generally lavish, with expansive grounds and many amenities. No, the theme isn’t the same level as the neighboring Disney hotels (Hotel MiraCosta being the pinnacle) but the quality is very high. And it’s tough to beat the location and price, no matter if we’re talking Tokyo, WDW, or Disneyland!

The left side of the above image shows just how close Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay actually is to the theme parks, being number 6 on the group of hotels by Bay Side Station. If you opt to stay at the hotel, the monorail will be your friend. Unfortunately, that does cost but it’s a very small fee (less than $4 a day) and is worth the convenience. Guests could conceivably walk to both parks but it’s a bit of a windy path. The Sheraton is maybe the closest hotel to Bay Side Station, as guests should be able to walk there in less than 5 minutes from the hotel.

While the convenience of the Sheraton is exceptional, there are a few different hotels that can offer the exact same thing. The neighboring Hotel Okura, Hilton and Toy Story Hotel all have the same location, with the 3 other official hotels only adding maybe 5 minutes of walking. Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Hotel MiraCosta offer even better locations and Disney Ambassador Hotel isn’t far behind that. In short, there’s no shortage of options in terms of great location! The Sheraton would need to set itself apart in a few different ways beyond that.

There are ways to frame the rest of this review. One is that this is by far the nicest Sheraton hotel (and maybe the nicest Marriott) I’ve ever been in. The other frame is that the nicest Hilton I’ve ever been in is right next door, and the two best hotels I’ve ever stayed in are a monorail stop away! The competition is tough, regardless of how nice the Sheraton is.

As far as what the hotel offers, let’s start with the rooms. We ended up staying in two different rooms at this hotel and one of them was significantly nicer than the other, being in the park wing. Here’s a look at both, starting with the one we didn’t like as much.

It’s not that there was anything wrong with the lesser rooms, they were just a little drab and dated. This dull photo is a nice encapsulation of them. The headboards were the most colorful touch. While the beds were maybe a little firmer than what most westerners are used to, this was the most western style hotel room we’ve stayed in while visiting Japan. Unfortunately, this wasn’t necessarily a compliment! But it will feel familiar. I should note that most of the rooms have double beds, which is custom in Japan. Some do offer 3 (or even 4) beds in a room.

The other side of the room is more interesting, albeit still a pretty normal hotel room. There’s a smaller TV than you might be used to but that probably won’t be of much consequence while trying to make the most of the days in Tokyo Disney Resort. There’s most space in the Sheraton rooms than many of the other hotels we’ve stayed in Japan.

To make matters worse, there wasn’t a dedicated shower room. That is my favorite part of Japanese hotels and we didn’t have the option here! I somehow recovered from the shower room devastation. Overall, we thought this room was fine but would be near the bottom of our list when it comes to rooms we’ve stayed in while at TDR. Now, the other room is another story.

Booking a room that’s not ‘standard’ will lead to more stylized choices. It will also probably lead to a better location, albeit at a higher price. Our upgraded room felt much fresher, with a sleek and modern design. The above may just look like a more articulate headboard, and who doesn’t love that? But wait, there’s more!

The color in the room alone was enough to make me like it much more than the standard rooms. Whether or not you like the décor (I liked some but not all of it) was kind of beside the point. The room just felt better and was a nice use of space, along with having actual color.

And the return of a shower room! A beautiful one even. I would book this room again in a heartbeat! If it’s within $20/night difference between the 2 (maybe even more but I want to be conscious of budget traveling) then go with a non-standard room.

While the two rooms were hit and miss, Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay had a strong list of amenities. Most of the rooms include a view of Tokyo Bay or theme parks. The view you see above is the large gardens section as well as the outdoor pool that’s open during the summer months. Here’s a closer look.

The grounds are beautiful. There’s a mini golf course out there, as well. While the outdoor pool isn’t open often, there is an indoor pool that guests can enjoy for a fee. That pool looks beautiful, as do both wedding chapels on property. That’s right, there are two! You could get married twice. An exercise room and a kids club round out the large array of active amenities.

The hotel doesn’t slouch on dining options either. By my count there are five dining options within the hotel, including a buffet, quick café and several fine dining spots. We only partook in a coffee and tea from the café but that was good! Along with that, there’s (weirdly) two convenience stores right next to each other, an expansive Disney shop in case you didn’t get that last souvenir in the parks and several other shops or quick food stands.

The common spaces and dining options were the strongest aspect of the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, outside of location. That said, I don’t necessarily know who that’s for. Maybe if a guest is strictly coming to enjoy Tokyo Disney Resort and doesn’t want to venture outside of the hotel on a non-theme park day. We definitely don’t advise that but there is plenty to do at the hotel.

Having a few places to eat is a nice perk if you want a meal sometime. Again, it’s hard to advise that when being in one of the best food cities in the entire world but it is convenient. All that to say, everything that the Sheraton offers is really nice and makes it a top of the line hotel. It’s just hard to figure out how much that moves the needle for anyone. The expanded list of amenities certainly make it feel like more of a resort stay than, say, the nearby Maihama First Resort. But you’re also paying for that when you might not use it!

Speaking of price, this is pretty relative. There are a surprisingly high amount of similarities between this hotel and Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort. From the monorail loop, to the amount of restaurants and even the large grounds by water, the hotels are similar. Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay is generally half the price of the Contemporary, and usually even less than that. It’s not unusual to find this hotel for around $150/night. Anything around (or under) $200 is worth considering.

That said, there are other hotels we prefer in the area. The Hilton (basically next door) is our preference in that section, although there isn’t a huge gap. Maybe you want to splurge for one of the Disney Hotels, and it’s hard to argue against that. Even though we aren’t giving the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay much praise, I’ll be clear – it’s a very strong option that brings competition to what we consider even better hotels. But if you happen to find this spot a little cheaper than the ones we’ve mentioned and you’re looking to save money, then this is a great option!

Overall Rating – 8.5/10

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