RTW1

A bit strange to say the least.... I just checked in today, also on a reservation for 2 rooms. Was told we would both have club access, but only because the second room was "upgraded" to a club floor room. If that hadn't been the case no club access either (although with the key card entrance if visiting together that would be hard to control).

And it's not like the club is anything special.

Will be checking in again in a few days, wonder what they will do then....

BTW does anybody know if they did a refurb on some of the rooms? I have been staying a few times on the higher floors but now have a room on the club floor. And those seem newer with a glass panel in the bathroom.

The_Wrath_of_Khan

I'm on the 22nd floor right now. You're welcome to compare my room. I've never ended up on a club floor here, which is fine with me as I like the view from up here.

RTW1

Thanks... I've already left, on my way to Hakone for a few days. But I will be back after that so maybe I will get my "regular" high-floor again and see the older design there. I also never have gotten a room on the club floor. I do like the design that is a bit more modern and luxurious but having the better view is probably worth more to me as well. And you do get a bit more traffic noise on the lower floors.

Was also a bit disappointed in the lounge again this morning. Not even some scrambled eggs, just some reheated boiled eggs and sausages. That is no real breakfast in my book. Off to the restaurant next time.

sggolf

Can I get your advice? Arriving with two teens for 4 days. Would do 3 days at HR Tokyo and 1 day at Grand Hyatt or 2 days at each property?

As a Diamond, would we be eligible for free breakfast and if so, which hotel has better food for Diamonds?

Also, would be better to take airport bus or NEX to HR?

Looking for fiun activities for teens.

Thanks!

RTW1

The GH is the better property in almost all aspects, except price. But I wouldn't go there for just one night, stay in Shinjuku then.

I would take the limousine bus, advantage of the bus is that it brings you right to the doorstep of the hotel. The train drops you at Shinjuku station and you have to take the hotel shuttle bus. Not a big deal, but the station can be a bit hard to navigate.

The disadvantage of the bus can be the traffic. Don't use it at Friday evening rush hour like I once did .

jarusoba

I beg to differ. I actually like the HR more than the GH. Maybe HR knows me better. I find their service better than that of the GH. And on par with the PH.

I normally would pick a PH over a HR. But this is the only HR that I would frequently stay at, because of their great service (to me that is)

However, if I'm using a suite upgrade, the GH suite is much nicer than the HR suite.

Also, Roppongi has no character (to me). Shinjuku is more Japanese than Roppongi, methinks.

Taking the limousine bus on departure at the HR is also way more organized than at GH.

I usually arrive at NRT on a Friday afternoon, off AC1. This is the time with the heaviest traffic. If there is extreme traffic suck as accidents, they would tell me and I then would take the N'EX. Otherwise, I would still prefer the bus because I don't have to handle the luggage. I find that the train is not much faster than the bus. I would go to Shinjuku Nishi-guchi or Hilton if the next bus out is not going to the HR. Then I would just take a taxi.

I wouldn't use the hotel shuttle if I have bags. There are simply too many people waiting for it and it would be too inconvenient to haul the bags on and off the bus. In fact, if I had no bags, I would rather walk it. It would easily take me less time to walk than to wait for the bus.

Just my 2 cents.

hailstorm

Agreed. On a service only comparison, I prefer the HR to GH, and even PH.

I also love the club (the muesli and cappuchino maker are enough to keep me happy at breakfast), and the Chinese restaurant is an absolute gem.

kuponuts

I also like the HR more so than GH. It is on par with PH, but if you factor in cost performance, HR wins hands down. I will be staying 11 nights (on C+P) here starting this week.

hailstorm

I almost hope that the rooms never get renewed, on account that that'spprobably what keeps this hotel a Category 3.

sggolf

Thanks for advice.

I'm still looking for an award night on 4/17 at HR. Hotel is currently sold out. If anyone is canceling, can you PM me first?

RTW1

It's highly unlikely that a cancellation will end up as award availability. I cancelled two nights starting 18/4 yesterday and the hotel remained sold out. Probably a bit of overselling going on.

But you never know.

dsquared37

We arrived yesterday and were put into an 8th floor room. Not the club floor proper but called a club floor all the same.

If you're still around this evening a drink could be in order.

macguitar

I'm a big fan of the HR Tokyo as well. Their Regency Club Lounge is very nice and I prefer their simple and delicious breakfast (including fresh baked breads and pastries plus very tasty birchermuesli and granola) along with their excellent staff.

The staff always remembers me and my preferences, so coming here is quite comforting and enjoyable. I definitely recommend this hotel, especially the excellent staff.

gtarr

Having lived in Asia for 12 years including two years in Tokyo, I have spent over a hundred nights in the three Tokyo Hyatt Properties

First Key Item for Fellow FlyerTalkees- do NOT spend more time that you need in the hotels as Tokyo is the most fascinating city on the planet more than my hometown of NYC or Paris.

Park Hyatt- Over Rated and the employees have an attitude problem as they are used to dealing with Hong Kong Celebs and Japanese CEO's girlfriends so normal Diamonds have to fight for an Upgrade. On Several occasions after dealing with an Australian Rooms Director, I got upgraded to a 100m Suite during slow season when they were 50% capacity but it was an unpleasant experience for a diamond
-I had room service where they would forget to bring silver wear
-I dealt with Local Japanese Concierge's that had no idea where a local 7-11 or Lawson's was (Credit to the regular concierge for doing a good job but the B team is awful. This is just completely unacceptable for the price point and Park Hyatt.

Grand Hyatt- Is very well appointed with Floor to Ceiling windows and a fantastic Spa and Gym. There are superb restaurants and bars on premise including a high end French Pastry (Joel Rubuchon), Top 10 Sushi in Tokyo (Roku Roku) which is the famous Jiro's son's restaurant). However the Roppongi area is not very interesting unless you are in your 20's and looking to do pub crawling in which case it is the perfect location. Amazing Diamond breakfast in the restaurant (not as good a range of choices in the lounge).

Hyatt Regency- I agree with others at the immense value offered as I get in here at $230 Corporate Rates quite often. The hard part the last 20 years I have stayed here was the lack of Diamond Upgrades as the Japan Railway Company owns the hotel and the lack of money invested in the aging property. That has changed recently as they had the Famous Super Potato Design firm (Who are know for designing the Grand Hyatt Singapore rooms/restaurants and Park Hyatt Tokyo as well as dozens of local restaurants) re-did the Lobby Restaurant and the suite rooms one of which had a large hot tub enclosed with a glass wall looking into the bedroom. (For Design Fans, nothing compares to Japanese and Italian design:>)

Local Things to do (Do not sit in your room posting on Flyer Talk:>)
1-Tokyo is all about different neighborhood vibes complete w/ people/design/food
Ebisu is my favorite and you can have drinks down the back alleys or hit my favorite Napoli pizza place outside of Italy called Partnenope (Always get Buffalo Mozzarella with Cherry Tomatoes. They are trained/certified by Napoli Pizza Association and yes the Japanese are masters at all kinds of Intl. food.
If you have not tried Japanese Tepenyaki in Japan (Not to be confused with the Americanized Benihana), I highly recommend treating yourself to the Westin Top Floor Restaurant called Ebisu and comparing Japanese Steak at the most tender level ranked A4 and A5, be warned you can drop $75 on 150 grams but it is worth every yen as you are only in Japan once in awhile so be "Big in Japan"

2-Shopping is huge and you don't have to worry about the Americanization Chain Store ruining the experience. Go to Shibuya and bring your kids to the 109 building to see Japanese teens shopping and hit the Uniqlo store for high quality T-Shirts/Hoodies and Jeans (They are open in NYC and San Francisco).

Ikebukuro is another key area where you can not miss the Seibu Department store which has the largest Open Food market in Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpegD7jm4DA
with tasty delights for everyone and a secret conveyer belt sushi place in Basement 2 supermarket that has higher quality than Top U.S. sushi places for $2-5 a dish. We also liked the stationary at the Loft on top floors of Seibu, the bookstore for Japanese Cook Books and the Cooking Section where we got a high end Tiger rice cooker (for those still using Uncle Ben's rice:>). We also bought a few high end cooking and carving knifes from the Brand called Global which have a wonderful grip and are 1/3 cheaper than buying in the U.S.
Bicco Camera is a multi-Story electronics store that was a weekly visit for us when we lived in the "hood" but the small BuckWheat Soba store half way down the block is sublime so don't miss that.

Omote-Sando is the Beverly Hills/Fifth Avenue of Tokyo with high fashion and it if you enjoy live music which is just good for your soul and well being then I highly recommend you visit the Tokyo branch of Blue Note for live Jazz or R+B
http://reserve.bluenote.co.jp/reserv...le/move/201404

Akihabara- is the adult area for electronics, Cameras, Appliances etc and the Japanese Yen is currently about 100 Yen to the Dollar so you may save 10-15% on your favorite Camera brand vs Amazon and get the latest gear a few months earlier than it goes on sale in the U.S.

RTW1

I must be staying in a somewhat different hotel then.....

I do like the property and the area. Must have been my 7th or 8th stay here so far, so I keep coming back.

But while the service is quite good, something not really unexpected in Japan, I fail to see where it excels. A bit snobbish about room selection like yesterday when I asked for one of the higher floors (booked a view room and my preference is a higher floor) since I didn't care for the view from the club rooms. And was told that I would get an exception but the other room I reserved would "get exactly what I paid for". We end up with 5 floors separation in about the same room, that could have been handled a bit better. And again now also not including the second room in RC access, even though my roomrate is for two people and we are both single occupants. Again, just going by the book nothing more.

And where is that proactive offer of the router in the room, I have to ask for it everytime, no welcome letter anymore when no amenity is chosen, etc. Basically nothing beyond what is required.

And although the seating in the club is nice, I still find the offerings very basic and frankly lacking in quality, especially in the evening. And for me a breakfast should have at least one decent egg offering. Enough has already been said about the cheese in the evenings, who thinks of these things.... It's meant to accompany another dish, not be eaten like this. Or offer a few more cheeses and make a cheese board. But any decent Italian will weep when seeing this.

In my opinion the "worst" of the few lounges in Japan now the HR Osaka has improved in the evenings (the HR Fukuoka not included since I've never been there). But to put that in a bit of perspective, still way better than what's generaly on offer in the US.