xmzzn123

do they open up the standard award last minute in April? like a few days before?

evergrn

pokeable

Sadly not the case this upcoming spring. There was a one week window where standard rewards were available back in September. Now, there are no standard rewards available after February 28th, 2019.

Garina

Good news!
I see now, that there are standard rewards aviable for May, June and July, except nights from Sat to San.
I'm going stay there in May, so I boocked room for 95.000 Points.

lincoln boy

So they block Saturday?? I need a night on Saturday. bummer...

Beltway2A

It looks like the hotel added another 6-month block of rooms (March-August) to the calendar. At the current pattern, I expect September-Feb rooms to open up again next June.

ht2791

Have you seen any twin rooms for the 95,000 award rate? I only see king beds available.

pokeable

If this was for 2019, I guess I missed it (check a couple of times a day hahha).

Going to book the Hilton Tokyo tonight.

Beltway2A

I don't believe you've missed anything, it should still be up.

Garina

I always book king beds room, so I can't remember, was there twin rooms or not.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Will be here from 3rd to 6th Jan and will post my experience when I return.

For those dates there are twin rooms ( city view ) for the 95k points

Regards

TBS

Ross0

Staying here now.

Came here from Conrad Osaka. Both properties have some pros and cons and Conrad Osaka is on my mind for comparison purposes.

Overall, the Conrad Tokyo is a good property, but far from ultra high-end luxury and misses the mark in lots of ways. I have stayed 2 or 3 times before, years ago, and I think the hotel has gone downhill since then.

Some quick observations:

Check-in at lobby. Surprisingly, staff had an attitude. No personalization, customization or demonstration of genuine care or concern for guest. No introduction to property or discussion of any amenities or on-property outlets, except was given a letter which outlined Diamond benefits. No mention of choice of breakfast in restaurant vs lounge. I had to ask and front desk if breakfast was available in the restaurant; agent confirmed it was. As Diamond, I was “upgraded” from standard room to “executive" room. I don’t consider this to be an upgrade as the rooms are the same, the only difference is the “executive” room gets lounge access (which diamond members get anyway). I asked if a suite upgrade was available. Agent said no suites available. I pushed a little and then agent said, “Oh, we have suites, but not complimentary for upgrade. You can pay for a suite.” I declined. I get the property has discretion and I'm not necessarily entitled to a suite, but don't tell me they are no suites available if there are!

The hotel is definitely showing its age and isn’t as new or modern as other properties (e.g., Conrad Osaka). Noticed several defects/blemishes in the room. Technology in-room not as modern. No outlets near bed (had to unplug a lamp!).

Lounge is way too small for the crowds. Upon arrival in the evening, there was a line of guests waiting to be seated. Staff was courteous -- taking names and offering to call guests when tables opened. Food offerings were nothing special and quantity was sufficiently lacking. Staff worked hard and quick, but they simply could not meet demands of lounge. Dishes remained empty and some never refilled at all. Good alcohol selection.

Breakfast in restaurant was pretty bad. Decent food offerings, but insanely crowded. Long wait to be seated. It was tacky. Long wait for food at buffet stations and even for a la carte options from kitchen (e.g., took 40 minutes to get simple eggs, which were then served incorrectly and had to be re-made which took another 19 minutes). Servers were friendly, managers seemed snotty. (A marked contrast from JD, the F&B manager at Conrad Osaka who could not have been nicer or more helpful).

While past stays have been good, based on this stay, I don't think I would return at a cost of 95k points (or $400+ USD) per night.

kapooncha

I've only stayed at the Conrad once before. I'll be staying again on points in April. So I'm certainly no Conrad Tokyo expert but I do want to address a couple points.

1) If the cash rate was 400 (or around that), it makes absolutely no sense to stay on points. I mean that's less than the rumored .5 cent Amazon redemption coming up so it'd be a pretty silly thing to do. In the case of my April stay, cash rates are north of $900. With taxes, I'd be looking at spending well over $5,000. I'll gladly fork over the 380,000 points instead.

2) I have to take issue with your breakfast comments. First, the food offerings are much more than decent. I've said multiple times previously that it's one of the best city hotel breakfasts (that I was able to get for free) that I've ever had. The food was delicious. I also woke up early and got there close to the open, so the restaurant was pretty quiet and relaxing. If you're waking up later (which it sounds like you were), of course it's going to be crowded. That's just to be expected so I don't see how that is a slight on the hotel. If guests are coming to have breakfast, I'm not sure what you want Conrad to do about it. Turn guests away?

Ross0

I agree. I never said it made sense to use points if cash rate is ~$400USD.

Reasonable minds can certainly disagree. This is entirely subjective. I'm glad you have found the breakfast at Conrad Tokyo to be one of the best city hotel breakfasts that you've ever had. I disagree and have different expectations. As for your question -- other hotels of similar size in large cities find ways to do it. Perhaps having a a bigger dining area without increasing the number of hotel guests would solve the problem? One could also think of a number of other creative solutions to this problem as well (see my next post).

Ross0

After another day of my stay, I want to update my prior post. I'm told the hotel is more crowded than expected, so perhaps that explains the EL and breakfast issues I noted previously. Lounge on night #2 was still crowded, although slightly less than previous night. Wait for table was less than the prior evening (about 10-15 minutes). Still annoying, but better. However, there was a noticeable difference in the level of service (for the better). I felt as though the hotel staff did not quite expect the crowds on night #1 and had not been prepared. On night #2, the staff appeared to have learned from their mistakes and had made changes in an attempt to more appropriately handle the unexpected crowds. For example, there were more staff members present (at least one chef and two managers, neither of who were in attendance the previous evening). There were also more food offerings and food was replenished more often (although some dishes were still never replenished).

EL staff explained that the hotel had been busier over the holidays than anticipated and as a result the EL and restaurant were very crowded. Without my asking, staff offered us the option of taking room service breakfast in our room the next morning. I thought this was awesome. For starters, I didn’t complain about the breakfast nor did I ask for this. So, clearly, the staff was aware of, and concerned about, the unexpected morning breakfast rush. Second, it demonstrated a genuine concern for our satisfaction. Third, it killed two birds with one stone – solved our unhappiness with the breakfast issues and overall reduced the load at the morning breakfast by freeing up one table for the time it would’ve taken my guest and I to eat breakfast. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't note that Jonas in the EL was superb. He took initiative, had a positive and upbeat attitude and went out of his way to proactively assist guests and offer personalized attention. He offered personalized touches throughout the stay and really went above and beyond. It's amazing how much one or two staff members can really effect a guest's impression...