Andaz Tokyo - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jan 16, 2019, 2:48 pm
#1396
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Tokyo Tower by far. It's usually the hardest type of room to get into. At night time, when the tower is lit up, it's quite breathtaking.
Jan 16, 2019, 6:31 pm
#1397
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Jan 16, 2019, 7:57 pm
#1398
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From the Andaz you get a real feel for just how large Tokyo Tower is. It's spectacular at different times of day, especially when the lights are on at dawn or dusk. With this view, below you there are several temples/shrines that you can see, which to me is very local Japanese.
The restaurant windows face toward SkyTree and the Imperial Palace grounds, so it's fun to get a different view over breakfast, assuming that one is lucky enough to get one of the very private window tables. Maybe for dinner you could book one of these special tables.
BTW, someone recently said that breakfast has been improved, but I would disagree. I remember the buffet as being more impressive shortly after the hotel opened, although now you can order two hot items from a menu, to be cooked to order and served at your table. They're mostly eggs, but the chocolate filled brioche French toast with grilled banana (small portion) is an option.
My impression this time is that happy hour (6-8 pm daily) has more food options than I remember, although you have to watch what's coming from the kitchen as the food tends to evolve over the two hours, with things being substituted rather than replaced. There's red and white wine (chard and cab) and two types of (cold) sake. I didn't notice any beer but I wasn't looking for it. Cheese (and bread) was the constant staple.
The restaurant windows face toward SkyTree and the Imperial Palace grounds, so it's fun to get a different view over breakfast, assuming that one is lucky enough to get one of the very private window tables. Maybe for dinner you could book one of these special tables.
BTW, someone recently said that breakfast has been improved, but I would disagree. I remember the buffet as being more impressive shortly after the hotel opened, although now you can order two hot items from a menu, to be cooked to order and served at your table. They're mostly eggs, but the chocolate filled brioche French toast with grilled banana (small portion) is an option.
My impression this time is that happy hour (6-8 pm daily) has more food options than I remember, although you have to watch what's coming from the kitchen as the food tends to evolve over the two hours, with things being substituted rather than replaced. There's red and white wine (chard and cab) and two types of (cold) sake. I didn't notice any beer but I wasn't looking for it. Cheese (and bread) was the constant staple.
Feb 9, 2019, 8:29 pm
#1399
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
Received an underwhelming reply to my complaint to the GM about the poor concierge service that I mentioned earlier in this thread. The GM did apologize and it wasn't quite form-letter bad, but it also failed to address the specific problems and glossed over the key issue, which was that my interaction with the concierge left me worse off than had I not contacted the concierge at all. Additionally, there was absolutely no specifics provided as far as improvement, compensation, or even giving them another chance to do better on a future visit.
This clearly shows the GM doesn't care at all about concierge service, so this property is definitely a no-go if you need anything to be done by the concierge. Along with the housekeeping and other service issues I encountered, I'm also quite skeptical of the service culture here and I feel like that's a systemic attitude that starts at the top.
Still a solid hard product though, especially as I found the room more functional than other Andaz properties. And since I blew points and it was mostly a repositioning stay to catch an award flight home, I can't be too miffed.
This clearly shows the GM doesn't care at all about concierge service, so this property is definitely a no-go if you need anything to be done by the concierge. Along with the housekeeping and other service issues I encountered, I'm also quite skeptical of the service culture here and I feel like that's a systemic attitude that starts at the top.
Still a solid hard product though, especially as I found the room more functional than other Andaz properties. And since I blew points and it was mostly a repositioning stay to catch an award flight home, I can't be too miffed.
Feb 9, 2019, 8:47 pm
#1400
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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Received an underwhelming reply to my complaint to the GM about the poor concierge service that I mentioned earlier in this thread. The GM did apologize and it wasn't quite form-letter bad, but it also failed to address the specific problems and glossed over the key issue, which was that my interaction with the concierge left me worse off than had I not contacted the concierge at all. Additionally, there was absolutely no specifics provided as far as improvement, compensation, or even giving them another chance to do better on a future visit.
This clearly shows the GM doesn't care at all about concierge service, so this property is definitely a no-go if you need anything to be done by the concierge. Along with the housekeeping and other service issues I encountered, I'm also quite skeptical of the service culture here and I feel like that's a systemic attitude that starts at the top.
This clearly shows the GM doesn't care at all about concierge service, so this property is definitely a no-go if you need anything to be done by the concierge. Along with the housekeeping and other service issues I encountered, I'm also quite skeptical of the service culture here and I feel like that's a systemic attitude that starts at the top.
Feb 10, 2019, 8:32 am
#1401
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They haven't cared about a concierge since the days of Arnaud and I will never understand why. It is an important hotel function and even more important for a hotel that considers itself a top Tokyo luxury destination. Wouldn't take much for them to setup a Host Concierge system like Andaz Maui. I feel your frustration.
Feb 10, 2019, 11:42 am
#1402
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Obviously I can't read minds, but from the hotel's perspective a concierge service is a no-win proposition overall. All downside, dealing with the subset of guests most likely to be picky, needy, obstreperous, and with the highest PITA factor. It's a thankless task and costs a lot of money and reputation to execute well. So if the hotel has good occupancy and can command high rates in spite of a weak concierge, why bother having it at all?
Feb 10, 2019, 8:19 pm
#1403
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(and of course, if you really have to leave, their concierge is also top notch)
Feb 10, 2019, 8:44 pm
#1404
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
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Obviously I can't read minds, but from the hotel's perspective a concierge service is a no-win proposition overall. All downside, dealing with the subset of guests most likely to be picky, needy, obstreperous, and with the highest PITA factor. It's a thankless task and costs a lot of money and reputation to execute well. So if the hotel has good occupancy and can command high rates in spite of a weak concierge, why bother having it at all?
Feb 10, 2019, 8:57 pm
#1405
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Feb 10, 2019, 8:59 pm
#1406
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
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In the case of the Andaz Tokyo specifically, it's actually "luxury lifestyle". But if we're going to split hairs about "luxury lifestyle" and "lifestyle luxury", then let's just call it lipstick on a pig and leave it at that.
Feb 10, 2019, 11:01 pm
#1407
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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Posts: 2,272
Does the Andaz do the thing the Japanese hotels do by not releasing all their rooms for booking until 90 days to six months out? I'm looking at the fall and not seeing award availability for many dates. I see you can book some higher end rooms but wondering if Andaz is holding back some standard rooms or those are all booked already.
Feb 11, 2019, 8:27 am
#1408
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: RDU
Posts: 679
Does the Andaz do the thing the Japanese hotels do by not releasing all their rooms for booking until 90 days to six months out? I'm looking at the fall and not seeing award availability for many dates. I see you can book some higher end rooms but wondering if Andaz is holding back some standard rooms or those are all booked already.
Feb 11, 2019, 2:58 pm
#1409
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
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Feb 11, 2019, 3:03 pm
#1410
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