VegasGambler

I just plugged in random dates for a 7 night stay next year and literally my first (Early Feb) try had the standard suite available. I could book this today with one of this year's TSUs if I wanted to.

So, that was easy...

Pickles

Your conclusion doesn't follow from the premise. This is the GHT you're talking about, masters at gaming the system to their advantage.

VegasGambler

??? The hotel is not even the one who applies the TSU. If standard suite is available for the duration of the stay, a call to Hyatt will have your upgrade confirmed in under 5 minutes with no involvement from the hotel. It will be booked at the full (suite) rate. A few hrs later the rate will be manually adjusted down to your old room rate.

Pickles

You forgot the part where Hyatt customer service calls or communicates with the hotel to confirm availability.

bigshooter

One of my friends and I just slummed it at the Hyatt Regency for four nights and while not the best room, I found the location fantastic as a home base and for access to Shinjuku. If you like nightlife minus the club scene I think you'll enjoy it.

Please post back after you experience both locations and let me know what you think of GH vs HR for location (I know GH is a better hotel). When I'm in Tokyo I appreciate a good room (stayed at Conrad Hilton last time) but there's so much going on outside I appreciate location (and a easy to access 7-11/Lawsons/Family Mart) even more.

VegasGambler

The location in Roppongi is pretty good. There is a Lawson's next door to a Family Mart right across the street. You might have to walk a block for the 7-11 There is also good food around, but the nightlife is not really what I'm looking for. Walking down what seems to be the "main strip" (very close to the hotel, actually) it's mostly people out on the sidewalk aggressively trying to get people to go into their particular club, which I'm sure is a rip-off. I had someone follow me and try to talk to me for a block. For whatever reason, all the people hired to do this "sales pitch" are almost exclusively large African men. In not sure why, but, with the lack of diversity in Tokyo, it really sticks out.

Without actually entering any of these establishments, my assumption was that the whole thing seems to be very geared to ripping off foreigners. I'm not sure exactly what the scam is, but I know a scam when I see one.

So far, I think that my favorite neighborhood in Tokyo is Ebisu (this is only my 2nd trip though, so I certainly haven't been to all of them). Good restaurants, craft beer, very relaxed atmosphere. I'm not sure what the hotel situation there is like. Getting there is easy (subway) but cabs are a bit expensive with no competition from Uber / Lyft / Grab / whatever, so getting back late can add up.

CPH-Flyer

I don't know if the bars are a scam per se, since the prices will be clearly on the menus and so will the cover charge. But it is bars with hostesses, or very scantly clad females, so the prices are rather high. I doubt you will be scammed by your credit card being overcharged or charged for things you did not order, but you will probably find the drinks to be 2 to 4 times (or even more) the norm in Tokyo. And you may find that the selection is only very exclusive brands running up the tab. The scam is their profit margin on the drinks you pay for. A reason I don't really like Roppongi. But an important thing to remember, the touts are not allow to slow you down in anyway, and if you complain to the police, or threaten to complain to the police if they do, it is taken seriously.

MikeFromTokyo

CPH-Flyer

Sorry if my tone was of less caution than necessary. It was meant as a warming against the bars but a bit of description of what they are. As I said all of this is a reason why I rarely go to Roppongi nightlife despite living quite a short walk from there.

MikeFromTokyo

CPH-Flyer

Yeah, a night out in Tokyo can do plenty of damage to the credit card, even avoiding any dubious places. International karaoke in Akasaka is only semi dubious, and can set you back a fair bit.

VegasGambler

I'm waiting outside for Imakatsu to open. A line is already forming (it opens in 7 minutes). Best Tonkatsu I had on my last trip

Just a short (5 min) walk from GH Tokyo; highly recommended if you are staying there!

MikeFromTokyo

caliform

I've had plenty of fun nights in Roppongi. Yes, there's terrible awful bars, nobody should ever follow touts (duh) but if you have your wits about you you'll have a very fun time. Hell, the clubbing scene is pretty great — I always have a blast at Womb. No need to limit yourself to the hotel; go to the Train bar (it's like a metro station / train car on the inside!), jazz clubs, other small cocktail spots, karaoke bars, etc.

The same can be said for Kabukicho, and it's a fantastic must-do experience in Tokyo IMO. Just disregard touts. Most cities are way more unsafe in the nightlife areas than Tokyo, even in Roppongi. This kind of concern is a bit alarmist, folks.

VegasGambler

So, when I stay in a hotel, I usually use a laundry bag for my dirty clothes. This makes packing easy and allows me to keep clean and dirty seperate when I leave. I never actually do laundry at the hotel.

When I was checking out of the GH Tokyo, I forgot the laudry bag. It had 2 days of clothes in it. I was at the HR Tokyo (using free night certs) so I called them. They had found it in the room, so I just said I would head over there to pick it up. It's an 11 minute subway ride.

I left a bag of dirty clothes there. I was fully expecting to pick up a bag of dirty clothes. Nope! I picked up a GH gift bag with clean clothes wrapped in plastic. They laundered and pressed them, and did not charge me!

Talking about going above and beyond when it comes to service...