Tokyo hotels · head to head
The two Tokyo hotels on this site with a pool, at opposite ends of the price ladder and opposite ends of the bay.
By Kaiser Khan · last reviewed
Rates for both move constantly, so nothing here quotes a price. Each full review carries the rate comparison for that property.
A pool is the single most-requested facility for a family stay in Tokyo and almost nothing central has one. These are the only two properties we cover that do, which makes them a real either/or rather than an arbitrary pairing across price bands.
We publish a handful of comparisons per city, chosen by an editor. We do not generate a page for every possible pairing: at thirty hotels that would be 435 near-identical pages per city, and at five hundred it would be 124,750 for one city alone — which is a doorway-page pattern, not a service to anybody trying to pick a hotel.
Should you book this hotel?
The APA tower if you want the old east side and the cheaper night; the Grand Nikko if room quality and a bay view are worth a daily train ride and a much higher rate.
The Grand Nikko is a five-star and it shows in the guest scores: cleanliness 9.5 and room quality 9.5, against 8.03 and 7.79 for the three-star APA. Those are the two categories most likely to define how a stay feels, and the gap is large.
The APA wins on position, which is the surprise. Its location scores 8.74 against the Grand Nikko’s 8.5, and the geography explains it: Skytree 1.2 km, the Sumo Hall 0.2 km, Sensō-ji 2.1 km — against a bayside address whose own guest analysis names "location far from attractions".
Both are criticised on food. The Grand Nikko’s breakfast is called overpriced; the APA’s restaurant options are called pricey, and food and beverage is its weakest category at 7.53. Eat out at either.
Two practical differences: the APA checks out at 10:00 AM, the earliest of any hotel we cover, and its lifts are a named complaint in a tower this tall. The Grand Nikko checks out at 11:00 AM and neither publishes a latest check-in time.
Verdict last reviewed . Rates, refurbishments and management change — re-check anything time-sensitive before booking.
5-star hotelOdaiba & Tokyo BayIndependent
A five-star bayside hotel on Odaiba with a pool, a gym and rooms that are properly sized by Tokyo standards. The Rainbow Bridge is 1.3 km away; central Tokyo is a train ride.
Third-party guest reviews: 9.0/10 from 7,127 reviews — as of
3-star hotelRyogoku & SumidaAPA Hotels&Resorts
A three-star APA tower in the sumo district, 0.2 km from the Kokugikan and 1.2 km from Tokyo Skytree. Has an outdoor pool, a gym and a garden, which is unusual at this price.
Third-party guest reviews: 8.2/10 from 19,863 reviews — as of
Read the full APA Hotel & Resort Ryogoku Ekimae Tower review
Every row is checkable against the supplier data on the two property pages. “Level” is a real answer and is used — a comparison where one side wins every row is usually a comparison somebody wrote backwards from the conclusion.
| What is being compared | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba | APA Hotel & Resort Ryogoku Ekimae Tower | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official classification | 5-star | 3-star | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba |
| Position | Minato-ku Daiba. DiverCity 0.9 km, Rainbow Bridge 1.3 km, Tokyo Tower 4.5 km, Sensō-ji 9.8 km. | Sumida-ku Yokoami. Sumo Hall 0.2 km, Edo-Tokyo Museum 0.3 km, Tokyo Skytree 1.2 km, Sensō-ji 2.1 km. | APA Hotel & Resort Ryogoku Ekimae Tower |
| Location (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 8.5, as of 11 January 2026 | 8.74, as of 8 December 2025 | APA Hotel & Resort Ryogoku Ekimae Tower |
| Room quality (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.5, as of 11 January 2026 | 7.79, as of 8 December 2025 | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba |
| Cleanliness (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.5, as of 11 January 2026 | 8.03, as of 8 December 2025 | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba |
| Pool | Swimming pool listed | Outdoor pool listed | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba |
| What guests complain about | Breakfast overpriced; location far from attractions | Slow elevators; small room sizes; pricey restaurant options | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba |
| Check-out | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM | Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba |
| Chain | Independent — our hotel data provider records no chain | APA Hotels&Resorts | Level |
Rows taken: Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba 6, APA Hotel & Resort Ryogoku Ekimae Tower 2, level 1. Counting rows is not how you pick a hotel — one row usually decides it, and the verdict above says which.
Every property we cover in Tokyo, the areas they sit in, and the verdict on which area suits which trip.
IC cards, rail passes, what a day costs, when to go and which districts are worth your time — the long-form guide behind these hotel picks.
