hailstorm

If I fill up on the cheese, can they supply me a laxative?

hotelfanatic

SparseFlyer's statement did not specifically say in Japan. Having stayed in many subpar Hyatts around the world, this is not a subpar property - especially when using a DSU. It is also a bargain at 12K/nt (or <$150 using my corp rate) considering its location.

But I will take your word and look forward to experiencing other Hyatts in Japan, except for HR Osaka.

hailstorm

That's all I have to compare with...except for the HR Waikiki and Andaz Maui, which were also better.

And while I like the Atrium Suite, there are very few available. The Regency Suite is nothing special at all.

Aventine

It's better than HR Fukuoka where the normal room shower is a hand spray tap combo like Toyoko Inn.

MikeFromTokyo

OT, but HR Fukuoka is priced as a "business hotel." It is essentially catering to the same market segment as Tokyu Inn, etc...

The_Wrath_of_Khan

Those do not even exist anymore.

hailstorm

Perhaps the reason for the radical change in the club lounge is the fact that there is a new general manager from April 1st: Mr. Asami Takasawa.

I hadn't heard the name before, but apparently he was the GM at Intercontinental Yokohama before taking this gig. He's also a former GM of the Disney Ambassador Hotel.

price123

We have decided that we will no longer stay here, even if for a 1 night stay and needing the credit. There are plenty of other options in Tokyo, either paying more for a much better experience, or less and not getting a Hyatt stay credit. The whole experience was so far below what we expect of Hyatt, especially in Tokyo, that it just isn't worth the annoyance.

New GM would make sense, although not sure how it makes business sense to cut things so dramatically.

The_Wrath_of_Khan

Wow, neither of those hotels are known for their service!

So here's yet another weird change. Starting yesterday breakfast now includes chicken. It looks just like boiled pieces of chicken with skin. I ate it yesterday and it was fine. There is now no longer US style crispy bacon, just soft Japanese style bacon (ham). Today they have added penne pasta in a tomato sauce along with the chicken. This stuff is seriously ODD. Now they have crammed more into a small space. The unforgivable part as far as I am concerned is that they still do not serve WHITE RICE. The everyday breakfast dish of Japan. It's cheap, they serve tons of it downstairs. Who on earth wants chicken and penne for breakfast? Perhaps the Chinese who come in at 6:30 and then return at 10 for free lunch?

MikeFromTokyo

That's probably the exact reason for the changes. Lounges were originally intended to provide light canapés and drinks throughout the day in addition to breakfast. Undoubtedly types of guests that excessively avail themselves of the free food as a substitute for meals have an effect on what the lounge is able to offer.

Perhaps rice and other foods are absent in order to entice people to have breakfast in the restaurants instead.

hailstorm

Surely this was known to them much earlier...such as a few months ago, when they actually increased the offerings.

stargold

I'm not sure I follow.

If they were reacting to the people treating the lounge as the buffet, and in particular (as an example) people having "breakfast" at 6:30am and "lunch" at 10am, then they should be focused on making the breakfast offerings more "breakfast-y" rather than penne pasta and boiled chicken, so that the "lunch" becomes pointless. Rather than making it more lunch-like.

In any case I'd be interested in the guest profile of these lounge maximisers. Are they on a tour package but booked into Executive? Just a normal individual booking but Exec? Or are they Diamond?

MikeFromTokyo

It sounds like the pene pasta and chicken are low cost items that are easy to prepare and serve in large quantities.

The_Wrath_of_Khan

Whether they are low cost or not is sort of beside the point. They are offering additional items to what they normally offer. This undoubtedly costs more.

In my experience with close to 100 nights at this property the maximizers are mostly grotesquely fat Westerners and Chinese tourists. I suspect that the Chinese are on some package deal that gives them a club room while the Westerners are frequent travelers which makes me suspect they are Diamonds. I have actually seen really neither of these types on my recent stay. While a few pushy Chinese people have cut in line for the mediocre offerings it seems that the word is out that the cocktail hour is not worth the squeeze.

Anyway, I have no earthly idea what is going on with the lounge. Just asking for an apple, something they have bowls of behind the door marked 'private' outside of the short tea time comes with resistance!

*EDIT* Went and ate breakfast downstairs today in the restaurant and the changes are there too. No real bacon left and the chicken is there as well. Who knows. I assume someone sees it as an improvement in the lounge.

cmanc

I agree that the lounge is disappointing and in general the HRT service and overall offering is not of a particularly high standard, I don't rate them as bad, I'd say mediocre. On the plus side though the rooms are well maintained, comfortable and reasonably fresh and an added bonus is its close to the station and subway. However the big factor for me and why I use the HRT is price and value for money when choosing a Hyatt in Tokyo. As we know there are 4 Hyatt options to choose however GH, PH and Andaz are at least 2-3 times more expensive. For personal travel I would not choose HRT I would choose GH or Andaz but when travelling on business I am mindful of the costs and I simply find it hard to justify in my own mind choosing a hotel that is so much more expensive.

So net for me is that HRT has the basics (clean room, gym, decent location) but its not a place that I love and look forward to going back to - its a place that serves its purpose of having a place to sleep and workout while I travel :-)