Brandon T.
Google
The Mesm Tokyo is not a five-star hotel. Full stop. I was in Tokyo for 10 days and stayed at The Andaz, The Edition Ginza, and Mesm, all rated five-star hotels, and this place didn't even come close to the quality of the other two. The only thing that is five-star about this property is the staff. They are incredible and go out of their way to accommodate guests. The concierge here was actually better than the one at the Andaz. But once you get past the flashy lobby, you'll see this property feels much more like a 3-star Marriott than a 5-star.
Initially, you'll realize quickly that nothing is free, not one bottle of water at check-in or in the room. When I asked if I could buy a bottle of water, I was shown the Evian water on the restaurant menu for 2600 Yen. Regarding layout and furniture, the room isn't up to the 5-star standard either. The bathroom shower towels are too small, and the cleaning staff put water in the hand soap to avoid refilling it. The most enormous red flag is the shampoo and conditioner, which are BOLTED to the wall seven feet from the bathtub. So if you take a bath, you'll have to walk across the bathroom to get soap to wash yourself. Bolting the shampoo and body wash to the shower wall is a cheap hotel move that I only typically see in a Four Points or Aloft Marriott economy level property. To make it worse, it's "Mesm" brand soap, not Le Labo or Malin + Goetz like you typically get in 5-star hotels, it's just cheap off-brand soap. The gym is basic, with no showers, amenities, or water bottles; just some treadmills, bikes, and two benches with a simple weight rack.
The restaurant has a bar but no bartender. The staff take turns making your drinks, and if you're alone, you'll enjoy sitting at an empty bar. The wine pours are 4 ounces or less depending on who you get filling your glass. They are getting 6-7 glasses out of a bottle easy and charging a premium. There's a gorgeous view out the window, and the staff stand behind you in a group, waiting to run over when you look around, a super strange setup. The food is okay, but any condiments will cost extra. I asked for Parmesan to put on my pizza, and they added a 500-yen open food charge just for a sprinkle of Parmesan! Even $1 slice shops in NYC give free Parmesan. Just ridiculous, upcharging for anything they can and cutting costs everywhere to make a penny more.
Lastly the location is horrible. “Near Ginza” the property boasts; which is true, as the crow flys, but if you're walking there is a highway and major trainline you need to navigate around/across. It's going to take you 40 minutes to get to anything except the family mart across the road.
Honestly, I wouldn't stay here again, even if it were half the price. Save yourself thousands of yen and get a better experience booking the nearby Marriott or Sheraton properties, or better yet spend 20% more to get a real 5-star hotel!