Opened in 1989, the 390-room ANA Crowne Plaza is the primary ANA Group hotel in the Narita Airport area. The hotel itself is part of ANA IHG Hotels, a comprehensive joint venture between All Nippon Airways and InterContinental Hotels Group formed in 2006. This very venture saw the reflagging of many ANA-owned hotels to fit into brands within the IHG portfolio. Having reviewed the Japan Airlines-owned Hotel Nikko Narita back in 2023, it only felt fitting to check out this hotel in between my ANA flights.

Booking the ANA Crowne Plaza

For my one night stay at the ANA Crowne Plaza Narita, I paid a rate of JPY 15,092 (~ USD 102 or GBP 76) booked on Agoda.com. This booked me into a High Floor Standard Room with Forest View. For what is an entry-level room, I felt that this is a relatively high price, at least relative to equivalent hotels at Narita Airport.

Location

The ANA Crowne Plaza Narita is located about 10 minutes from Narita International Airport, with free shuttle service to the terminals, Narita Station, and nearby Aeon Mall Narita. While the hotel sits in a green area across a highway, there’s nothing of interest within walking distance, and most attractions like Narita Shinsho Temple and Omotesando Street require a short car ride. That said, its location is ideal merely for short layovers or early flights, but definitely not for those looking to explore on foot.

Check-in

After arriving from Jakarta on ANA, I proceeded outside Terminal 1 to catch the semi-hourly shuttle bus to the ANA Crowne Plaza. The other guests and I were greeted by the polite bus driver, who insisted on loading each piece of luggage himself. With everybody onboard, we left the terminal on-time, straight to the hotel.

After about a 15-minute drive, we arrived at the ANA Crowne Plaza, denoted by an automated announcement on the bus’s PA system. Soon enough, our bags are unloaded and everybody was directed to the reception desks for check-in.

Considering the number of people arriving at the same time, there was a bit of a queue for check-in. Thankfully, the reception staff worked efficiently and within minutes, I was assisted by a friendly check-in agent. Soon after having noted the details of my passport and my card for incidentals, I was quickly issued a pair of keys for my room on the 16th floor.

High Floor Standard Room

Sized at a mere 23 sqm (248 sqft), the Standard Room is compact and straightforward, favouring a modest and utilitarian design common at many basic Japanese hotels. Lit by a solitary ceiling lamp, the room feels practical to a fault; disregarding the uninviting ambience, the space is noticeably tight – particularly if you are travelling with a large suitcase or two. What a far cry from the many nice Crowne Plazas you’d find in the rest of Asia!

The bedroom includes two narrow twin beds, each with a thin and firm mattress. Between them, there’s a small nightstand with a power strip to accommodate bedside charging. There’s also a built-in control panel on the headboard, alongside two adjustable reading lamps. A wide window provides natural light and a view of the surrounding lush forests of Narita and the N’EX train tracks.

The rest of the room similarly looks basic, reflecting an aesthetic popular with business hotels in the late 1990s. This includes the dated armchair and its side table, as well as the tiny desk positioned between the bed and the window. At the very least, they were well-maintained and didn’t show significant wear and tear.

Furthermore, there’s also a small minibar within the television console across the beds, alongside a collapsible luggage rack next to it. Additionally, the hotel provides a few amenities intended to promote better sleep, including a selection of teas, bath salts, and a face mask. Credit where credit’s due, I’ll also note that the room’s sound insulation is excellent.

Bathroom

Placed along the entryway is the bathroom, which retains a similarly dated and uninviting feel. In particular, it features pinkish tiles and checkered linoleum flooring straight out of the 1980s. Despite the old-fashioned look, I am again impressed by how well-maintained the bathroom feels.

While compact, it still impressively features a short albeit deep soaking bathtub with a built-in handheld shower. Next to it is the toilet, equipped with an earlier incarnation of a washlet with a heated seat. Furthermore, next to that is the plastic sink, featuring minimal counter space lined with neatly arranged amenities. A pair of circular lights give off a dim yellowish glow, adding to the bathroom’s aged appearance.

Considering the excellent condition of essentially everything in the bathroom, I’d imagine brighter lighting would make this space feel much more inviting. Finally, despite the otherwise unappealing atmosphere, I did find the provided bath amenities to be nice and high quality. Specifically, provided were amenities from Antipodes, a New Zealand-based skincare brand.

Amenities

Convenience store

Like many local or co-branded mid-to-premium hotels in Japan, the ANA Crowne Plaza has a convenience store onsite. Specifically, a FamilyMart occupies a quiet corner of the lobby, selling everything from your typical konbini fare to kitschy Japan souvenirs. Regardless, this proved to be an invaluable amenity, considering the lack of restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

Fitness Facilities and Pool

As expected from any airport hotel of this day and age, the ANA Crowne Plaza has a 24-hour fitness centre located in an annexe building. From the main hotel building’s mezzanine floor, you’ll follow a path that leads you down a staircase to the fitness building reception.

From there, the fitness centre is located up yet another a flight of stairs on the second floor. Confusingly, however, there was a sign requesting you to take off your shoes in favour of provided sandals. Are you supposed to exercise in these sandals or…?

Regardless, you’ll find yourself in a well-lit, high ceilinged room upstairs akin to a high-school gymnasium. Although relatively small, I was impressed by the complete range of cardio equipment and weight machines available.

Specifically, the fitness centre is equipped with a range of refurbished treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, and free weights from LifeFitness. Again, they were in excellent shape, despite the ageing look of the facility.

Furthermore, the hotel has an indoor heated swimming pool located next to the fitness centre. Unfortunately, thanks to its limited opening times between 10.00 and 20.00, I didn’t have time to check it out during my stay.

In addition, there are also several small football pitches and a tennis court located on an elevated platform next to the pool. There wasn’t any information on this on the hotel’s site, so I genuinely don’t know its function in relation to the ANA Crowne Plaza.

Shuttle Bus

As I have noted earlier in the review, the hotel maintains daily shuttle services between several points within the city of Narita. This includes semi-hourly services to Narita Airport Terminals 1 and 2 between 06.00 and 23.00, as well as services to Aeon Mall Narita and JR Narita Station between 11.00 and 21.00.

Below is the schedule for the hotel’s shuttle bus services to Narita Airport, as well as those destined for Narita Station and AEON Mall. While this schedule is correct at the time of publishing, I’d encourage you to visit the ANA Crowne Plaza website for the latest information.

Overall

With its outdated rooms, the ANA Crowne Plaza is a mediocre option for a layover at Narita Airport. While well-maintained, the hotel’s rooms are small and basic, featuring drab and univiting designs fitting for a Japanese budget hotel instead of a Crowne Plaza. Despite that, I like both the consistently polite and friendly service, as well as the hotel’s well-equipped fitness centre and facilities. Although I wouldn’t discount myself from staying here again, I also wouldn’t go out of my way to choose this hotel either.

Read more from A TransPacific Clipper here.