The Tokyu Stay Gotanda branch (which I stayed at in 2005, 2006, and 2007) is one of my favorite places to stay because it is a very short 2-3 minute (1 minute if you walk very fast and don't catch the light at the crosswalk) walk from the east exit of JR Gotanda Station (The Tokyu Ikegami and Toei Asakusa subway lines are transfer points near the station) providing easy access to the JR Yamanote line. Near the station is a Tokyu department store and many eating places including an Ootoya, Bannai Ramen, Tenya, and McDonalds. Further east along Yatsuyama Ave (which runs west/east) are various shops catering to the everyday person. A supermarket exists on the north side of the avenue. The area closer to the hotel has more places to eat including a MOS Burger, Watami (a more modern style izakaya), a curry shop, etc. Right next to the hotel is a 7-Eleven convenience store and upstairs is a Jonathan Family Restaurant which has an entrance that connects directly to the 2nd floor elevator of the hotel.

The restaurant offers complimentary breakfast and drinks to hotel patrons from 6am to 10am. You have 4 choices to select from; 1) the scrambled egg set which includes has brown potatoes, a small salad, bacon, and toast (which is of the large Japanese style bread), 2) Japanese style set which includes an egg fried sunny-side up, grilled salmon, vegetables (steamed brocolli, tomatoe, mushrooms), small sheet of nori (dried seaweed), miso soup, and rice, 3) pancake (stack of 3), 4) toast (same large slice of Japanese style bread). I alternated between #1 and #2 as they were pretty good. There is also an all you can drink self service "drink bar" which has everything including fruit and vegetable juices, several different choices of tea, and an espresso style coffee machine which grinds and brews each cup fresh. I normally drank a cup of fresh orange juice and 2.5 cups of espresso style coffee which outside, would total over Y800. Couple that with the free breakfast and you get a very good deal for your first meal of the day.

The hotel itself is fairly new and pleasing to the eye. Vending machines are located in an area off the lobby and the front desk area has some of the toiletries that you can pickup at your convenience including complimentary green tea. The lobby area provides wireless access. A card key system is utilized for security and access to your room. The main glass door is automatic during normal business hours but during the late evenings and early morning, you need to pass your card over the sensor. There is also an inner glass door before the elevators which you must always use your card key for (the same is true of the glass door leading from Jonathans to the hotel elevator on the 2nd floor). Once in your room, you have to place this key card into this "holder" near the entrance in order for the lights and air conditioning to operate.

There are two types of single rooms. The cheapest one is smaller, doesn't have the mini kitchenette, and is the size of your typical Japanese business single. The beds themselves are semi-double in size. The rest of the rooms are larger (the 22 and 24 square meter rooms for the single type C, double, and twin are absolutely huge by Japanese business hotel standards) and have the mini kitchenette which includes a cooking surface, overhead vent hood, and cooking/eating/washing supplies. The mini refrigerator has plenty of space for groceries and the freezer is large enough to fit a few quart sized ice cream containers. Take note of the informational pamphlet in the desk as it contains information about not doing things like frying oily foods and making sure all the utensils and supplies are clean when you check out. The bathroom is the typical small pre-fab unit with bidet style toilet.

Other room amenities include night clothes (not really a yukata but sort of like it), air conditioner with remote control, bed lamp with clock, a hot pot for boiling water, microwave oven (perfect for reheating a convenience store bento), and washer/dryer unit. Take note that this is one of those economy mode type units which translates to lower power usage. Because of that, a full wash and dry cycle can take over 2 hours. I normally did my laundry each evening after taking a bath and manually setting the wash and dry times on the unit (it can take the drying cycle around 1.5 hours to dry a very small load of clothes). If you have delicate fabrics, try a test run first on something like the hotel towels to familiarize yourself with the way the unit operates.

Their rooms also contain a flat screen LCD TV which serves double duty as a monitor for the included PC (this is like the sort of computer you will find at a manga-kissa style internet cafe). The system includes some basic information about the hotel and surrounding area so even if you bring your own laptop, look through the information as some of it is useful. Note that it is running an older version of Windows. In the cabinet under the LCD TV is some storage space and the combination VCR/DVD player. On the small desk are power outlets and a modular jack for free internet access. If you forgot to bring a network cable, you can borrow one from the front desk (the staff all speak a decent level of conversational English).

One important thing to take note of is their room cleaning schedule because this varies depending on the length of your stay. For 6 nights or less (short-stay), a change of linen occurs every day, amenities re-supplied, and wastebaskets emptied. For 7 nights and longer (middle and long-stay) , room cleaning service is provided weekly (a notice is placed on your door the day before). Information is provided in your room about where to take your rubbish if you need to empty your trash. As a regular middle-stay customer, I really like this setup. Note that you can flag down the cleaning person or ask the front desk if you run out of toilet paper.

Check-in time is 4pm and check-out is by 10am. If you arrive early, you can leave your luggage with the front desk. Due to limited space though, they are unable to hold your luggage if you do a side trip and then return. They can assist you with luggage delivery service though.

Based on my positive experiences with the Tokyu Stay chain, I highly recommend a stay here due to its hybrid business hotel/fully furnished apartment setup and its close proximity to the Yamanote line.