Shiba Park Hotel Review - A Lovely Stay in A Library Themed Hotel

Hotel Location and Overview

Located at the heart of Tokyo, Shiba Park Hotel is an epitome of comfort meets aesthetic. Have you ever imagined yourself staying in a library? This hotel will make your dreams come true. With a 1,500 books collection readily available, this hotel is a heaven for travellers and book enthusiasts alike. Shiba Park Hotel is located is located in Tokyo's historic Shiba distric, conveniently within five minutes walking distance from Onarimon station (Mita line) or Daimon station (Toei Asakusa/Toei Oedo line) in Minato-ku. The hotel has a longstanding history as it was built in 1948. It is recently renovated and rebranded itself as a "Library Hotel" in 2023.

Across the hotel is Shiba Park where you can admire looking at the beautiful Tokyo Tower which is just 10 minutes walking distance. It is also actually pretty cool to walk by the Tokyo Tower every day. Minato-ku is considered one of the most expensive areas in Tokyo. It is so close to the heart of Tokyo, pretty well connected, and at the same time is a quiet and relaxing neighbourhood. The rest of the buildings in this area are mostly offices and residential buildings. There are also two konbinis just across the street, making it convenient if you need to buy a snack and drinks.

The Library

Shiba Park Hotel is a joy to explore. One of the features that will catch your eyes upon entering this boutique hotel is the exquisite floor to ceiling bookshelves all around the stairs with a water fountain below it. Upon descending it, you will reach the library lounge on the second floor. This open space allows you to leisurely read books from the available collection, writing in your journal, or working on your laptop. Find yourself tucked in one of the cozy lounge chairs while sipping coffee or tea (freely available near the reception) or perhaps a glass of wine. There are over 1,500 books available curated by the Ginza Tsutaya Bookstore. You can find many types of books available both in Japanese and English from different genres- fashion, art, photography, fiction, poetry, you name it. I had a lovely time browsing around the books in the library and immersing myself in it, especially about Japanese art called Kintsugi.

There’s also another lounge located just beside the reception area where you can read while listening to music. Similar to the sister hotel, Park Hotel Tokyo, every floor in Shiba Park Hotel houses a mini library with different themes on each floor. Guests can also borrow the books from the second floor library lounge or from different floors and read it in their room. The hotel is perfect to retreat to after you have explored Tokyo for an entire day.

The Room

I had a chance to stay at the Standard Twin Room. The room is pretty compact, but I had everything I needed. The design is modern and minimalist with a neutral tone. There’s a sofa leaned on the wall with a small table. Across the room, there’s a LCD TV and shelf equipped with a mini fridge and amenities for making coffee and tea. The bathroom features a decent size bath tub with sink and closet. They also provide skin care sets and personal care amenities. Overall, the room is sparkling clean with perfectly working air con.

The Food Selection and Facilities

Hands down, the buffet breakfast turns out to be amazing and one of the finest in the city. There are different sections from japanese, western, to salad, and bread. Different types of drinks are also readily available, including coffee, tea, apple juice, orange juice, and others. I am a fan of bread and their bread selections are lovely and well made! Overall food selection is excellent and I would recommend getting breakfast while staying here. For the festive season, they are serving Christmas Afternoon Tea features a variety of sweets and savoury selections from December 14 – 25, 2024 (7000 JPY). The menu features Chocolate mousse Opera style / Two-colored mooncake with salted egg / Jujube tiramisu with cinnamon powder, Christmas tree shaped sables breton, Truffle risotto croquette, to name a few. For those who prefer dinner celebration, they also offer a Christmas Dinner Course from December 21 – 25, 2024 (14,000 JPY) that contains seven course menu. More details can be seen here. For festive season, they are also back with the book tree project which you can read more here.

To complete your afternoon winding down time, the hotel provides free coffee and tea in the lobby. The hotel also has laundry machines and a microwave if you want to use it. They have a water dispenser on every floor. Shiba Park Hotel seems to be one of the more sustainable hotels in Japan. They use energy efficient lighting, water efficient with the towel and linen reuse program, refillable toiletry containers, water bottle filling stations, and no single use of plastic water bottles and straws. All the staff are welcoming as well and they speak good English. I think in terms of travel, service and warmth still plays a big part in selecting hotels and the team at Shiba Park Hotel really did a great job. The check in and check out process is such a breeze as well.

Overall Rating and Review

My stay from the start to finish was flawless. It is a luxury that feels mesmerizing, personalized, and attentive. Overall, I would recommend Shiba Park Tokyo if you are looking for a one of a kind experience with a library at your hotel doorstep. The room, view, service, and convenient location, making it a lovely choice as your next hotel in Tokyo. You can book the hotel here for your next trip to Tokyo.

Shiba Park Hotel Review - An Exquisite Stay in A Library Themed Hotel