Tour of the New Sanno Hotel

I've blogged several times about the Sanno, a hotel in the Azabu section of Tokyo, owned and run by the U.S. Navy, for use by U.S military and Dept. of Defense employees, family members and their guests. It's friggin' awesome! I love it! The location is prime, close to tons of stuff in downtown Tokyo. I'd say it's easily a 4-star hotel. And it's dirt cheap! Room rates are based on rank (lower rank = lower rate). For my double room (1 double bed w/ sleeper sofa) on my getaway weekend, I only paid $54 dollars, which was then discounted to $45 because the room wasn't ready until 4:15p (check-in is 3:00p). Anyway, here's a little tour:

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It's a very unassuming building from the street, except for the one sign, you'd never know it was a beautiful hotel! There is a gate at the front entrance w/ security guards, you must show appropriate identification to come in.

>Front entrance.

Entrance to the underground parking garage is directly behind me.

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The hotel is 5 floors, with basement parking and guest rooms on floors 3 - 5. There are 5 restaurants, a cocktail lounge, a small shop that sells everything from clothing to greeting cards, a jewelry store, liquor store, a convenience store, a gift shop, a bank, dry cleaning service, a self-service laundromat, a pack n' wrap and post office, indoor pool, hot tub and gym, and a full service beauty salon. Pretty impressive, huh?

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Front entrance and fountain from my room

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Lobby.

You can't see it, but in the sitting area under the big chandelier is a beautiful fireplace, so cozy on cold days!

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Lobby elevators

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My room.

There's a full bathroom, high-speed internet coffee maker and a fridge

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Pool and hot tub, above my head is the gym

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The beautiful entrance to the Kikuya restaurant

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The New Sanno is definitely high on my list of things I'll miss when we leave Japan. I love it so much. But I have to admit, sometimes I feel a little squirrely when I'm walking in off the street. I mean, what if a foreign government, a foreign military came to downtown Washington D.C., put up an incredible hotel, then said "This hotel is off limits to Americans!" ? Not that the Sanno is completely off limits to Japanese, but they must be affiliated with or guests of someone affiliated with the U.S. Dept. of Defense. But hey, I'm not about to look this gift horse in the mouth!

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