I recently returned from a very short trip to Tokyo and Kyoto and wanted to briefly share some impressions with the Luxury Hotel forum.
A more complete report is in the Trip Reports forum
here, but it is for a somewhat broader audience....
Tokyo Peninsula
Based upon the advice from others in this forum and my research of various posts, I decided that my best two choices were the Four Seasons Marunouchi ("FSM") and the Tokyo Peninsula ("TP"). Although I liked "the meet and greet" that the FSM offered from Tokyo Station, ultimately it was the availability of the pool at the TP that tipped the balance. Mind you, I ended up not using the pool once...
I had ruled out the Park Hyatt due to the location which I understood to be in a neighbourhood that did not lend itself to easily 'walking about', although of course the Lost In Translation Movie did mitigate in favour of it. What closed the deal for the TP however, was an extraordinarily attractive rate which I stumbled upon, and which may very well have been a "mistake" given that it was about 40% of what every other price I saw was.
A few months before my trip (February, 2012), I was already in touch with the TP concierge team, who did an absolutely outstanding job of booking me into several top Tokyo restaurants which I requested, including Aronia de Takazawa, Ryugin, Sushi Honten, and Atelier Joel Robuchon. They deftly and quickly made my reservations on the day that reservations opened up for each restaurant. They also sent we a wonderful Itinerary in Word format. The restaurants were selected by me based upon a lot of research on Chowhound.
Upon arrival at the TP, I was warmly greeted and easily checked-in to my Deluxe King Park View Room. Just prior to that however, the concierge came over and provided me with a portfolio of custom made brochures for each of the restaurants on my itinerary, together with directions and a picture. This came in extraordinarily handy.
The lobby was very nice but nothing particularly stunning. The restaurant to eat breakfast is located in the lobby, which I found to be just fine and convenient. Some people have complained that they don't like to eat with all the traffic but I did not notice any traffic and found it perfectly pleasant.
I thought that my room was very well laid out with a large dressing area and an equally large bathroom. There was also a sitting area and a desk, making this more of a suite than a normal "standard room". Although the view was fine, I did not really see why this was considered a "Deluxe Park View", considering that nearly the entire view consisted of the city with a bit of shrubbery that I guess was the park. The furnishings were all good as was the TV, and especially the bath and toilet which were particularly luxurious. The bath was very large and had wonderful mood music and a TV. The toilet had a heated seat, motion sensor, and a few other interesting features that we need not get into too much detail about. The one aspect of the room that I found disappointing was the carpet, which although in perfect condition, was an orangey-rust colour, matching the wood colour of the room. I found that this colour reminded me of a 70's basement or family room from the Brady Bunch. Other than that, it was an exceptionally spacious room and very comfortable.
The service was of course exemplary. Given that it is a city hotel, one doesn't need or expect anything much in terms of service, but from the doorman, to the concierge, to the front desk, to the waitress, and chamber maid, everyone performed flawlessly. I especially liked how the front desk is situation adjacent to the elevators, so that whenever I came down or went up to my room, each front desk person would say hello and recognized me.
I had the opportunity to try the gym, which was empty when I went, and reasonably well equipped. I also had a Swedish massage at the Spa. The spa was very nice, with excellent service, and some nice shower and water features. I found their routine, from the disrobing, to the robing, to the showering, to the relaxation room, to be quite ritualistic and added to the experience.
I had a snack of Tempura chicken and a beer on the evening of my arrival, at Peter the Bar. Service was excellent and it was a nice place to spend an hour. When I went it did not seem to be much of a seen and was fairly empty at around 8 pm on a Friday evening.
Hiiragiya Ryokan, Kyoto
I was really looking forward to this. I had booked just a single night there to experience a traditional Japanese Ryokan. This Ryokan came highly recommended, and I ended up selecting it over the equally famous one across the street, only because it offered efficient and helpful online booking, whereas Tawara did not.
Upon arrival by taxi from Kyoto Station, I was met by a man running to the taxi with an umbrella, who must have been at the ready for any arriving guests. I was led inside across the wetted floors welcoming guests, to a stool to remove my shoes. There I was warmly greeted by several staff persons, including kimono clad attendants. I was easily checked in and let to my room which was on the ground floor only 20 feet from the reception area. I was startled to see such an immaculate if old-style room, simply furnished with no bed. It was quite large (I selected one in the mid size range). It had an amazing garden surrounding two sides of it, visible through large floor to ceiling windows. I unpacked, and was given some tea and sweets while sitting on the floor. I then got changed into the traditional Japanese gown etc., and had a bath in the traditional tub before being served a traditional Keiseki in my room. I am not a huge fan of traditional Keiseki cuisine, as I had found out during my preceding four days in Tokyo...Anyhow, after dinner I went for a walk around a bit, and then retired for the night with my iPad.
I woke up with a scheduled Japanese breakfast at 6:30 am, then went out to buy some Japanese knives and explore Kyoto. I checked out on time at 11:30. At checkout the proprietress of the inn spent a lot of time graciously telling me about the history of the inn and how special she felt it was and how special guests found it was. Guests, including a Japanese Nobel laureate in literature, who reportedly stayed in my same room, had said that staying there was "like coming home every time".
Service was expectedly gracious throughout and I enjoyed my stay. I also received a tour of the "new wing", which was excellent and beautiful. I think that it was purposefully made modern, but not so modern as to take away from the overall traditional experience. I would say though, that the experience did not involve all that much over the course of a one night stay...Really this place is ideal for chilling out without leaving for a couple days, as otherwise, it is not really a good use of money if one is to use it as base to explore the city, or to just stay a single night.
Hyatt Regency Kyoto
Since my flight was leaving so very early, I had decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency for my last night. Service was excellent but not quite up to the Peninsula of course. The lobby was very nice in a modern Japanese style, and the room was also similar done. It was very zen-like in my room although I was not there for long. I had enough time to have a wagyu burger for lunch which was good but not great, and to try the spa for a Shiatsu massage, which was very nice, but also not quite the Peninsula in terms of decor and overall experience. It was also quite a walk there within the hotel.
Overall, I had an excellent trip and no regrets. I would however not ever consider staying at a Ryokan again, as it was really somewhat underwhelming due to my extraordinary high expectations of a virtual time machine back to the Edo era. I think that the Hyatt Regency in Kyoto is a place that I would stay again given the choices in Kyoto. I would probably try out the Four Seasons in Tokyo if I were to go again, but just for variety as the TP is totally, totally solid.
Although I do not want to dwell on this issue since it is not the proper forum, I did have a mixed bag in terms of my restaurant selection. I had picked places that were the "very best" Michelin rated kinds of places, and I found these to be ridiculously overpriced, and not to my liking as a Westerner. I did manage to have an excellent wagyu steak however, and the best sushi in my life, which made up for it. I just wanted to point this out in case someone else felt that the best way to enjoy Tokyo was through these high end restaurants. It may be for some, but if one is not a Japanese food aficionado, I would stay way from these kinds of places. It is of course, a matter of personal taste.