chrispycreme561

Hey guys I am trying to determine what the best value for points is right now for me and my Fiancee's 6 night stay in Tokyo. I am a discoverist thanks to the WoH CC.

Options are below

Andaz (35k/night) = 210k pts (Standard King)

Grand Hyatt (29k/night)= 174k pts (Standard King)

Hyatt Centric Ginza (4N at 25k/night & 2N at 29k/night) = 158k pts (Standard king)

Hyatt Regency Shinjuku (4N at 21k/night & 2N at 24k/night) = 132k pts (King w/ Club Access)

What We Like

This trip will solely be around food. I am talking all day long into the night we will most likely skip clubbing/bars in lieu of omakase dinners and izakaya hopping so we would like to make this a priority when deciding the neighborhood around the hotel too.

Please consider convenience to a train stop, how nice the actual room/hotel is with only discoverist status, and surrounding area for the hotel.

Current Opinion

Ideally, we would love to be able to get all 6 nights at the HR Shinjuku for 96k at a standard rate but assuming I can't get that what would our next best option be?

Warriorconcept

Do they all have availability for all your nights? I'd check that first.

168

Subway will get you anywhere. The biggest question is which hotel has award availability for the dates you need. From there, take number of points x $0.018 and compare to their cash rate to see which hotel offer the "best value".

sfgiants13

Tokyo availability gets snatched up early. Centric is the only one I’ve seen have consistent availability. I’ve seen it open as the dates get closer I’d you check frequently. Hotel rates are insane in Japan right now so no matter where you stay you’ll get a good use of points.

HC Ginza or Andaz aren’t great for what you describe but not far via subway to anything. The HR is very dated as is the GH. But the neighborhoods are good for that sort of thing.

chrispycreme561

Yes. It’s priced based on availability as I’ve omitted many options.

Just want hotel opinions based on our interests

nappingpanda

For the Andaz, the hotel is connected to the Toranomon Hills station. It's a bit of a walk. Maybe 10 minutes, not far but something to keep in mind for timing purposes if you have restaurant reservations. I'm also a discoverist and was upgraded to the tower view (my understanding is that suite room upgrades are rare even for higher status folks). The room is nice. I don't love the green carpet, but the views were pretty incredible. Not much to do around Toranomon Hills, but found it easy enough to get to different parts of Tokyo as others have mentioned.

Will you be using concierge? I found the Andaz concierge to be pretty prompt and helpful. I shared 3-5 options for sushi restaurants and other reservation-requiring restaurants, and was happy with the results.

chrispycreme561

Good to know about the concierge. We would like to use one if available.

Currently I think the Regency will be eliminated due to bad cpp redemption compared to cash.

I’m hesitant to drain all my chase points on the Andaz since we will be going on our honeymoon 14-15 months after this trip but reviews sound great.

I really want to know more about the Grand Hyatt vs Centric Ginza tbh. These two are good cpp value and won’t drain my balance.

Warriorconcept

Ginza location is geared towards shopping. I was there for New Years last year and they did throw a fun party though with free drinks.

chrispycreme561

If HC Ginza was closer to Shimbashi Station I’d be sold but it’s too far northeast into the shopping district.

GH in Roppongi on the other hand I’ve heard can be full of touts and also a bit boring on top of not as well connected is this true?

nappingpanda

Can you do Hotel Toranomon Hills? Opening December 6, and it's a category 6 so the points should be cheaper than the Andaz. I don't know if cpp value will be as good, however. Also bit of a gamble since it's a brand new hotel. I ruled out GH because the hard product is older than the Andaz and have read elsewhere that their concierge can be slow. I don't think the Centric has a concierge, but I could be wrong.

od_sf

Ginza has the highest concentration of high-end sushiya anywhere in the world. Just southeast of Ginza, you have Shimbashi with hundreds of cheap izakayas. Tons more izakaya/yakitori/ramen around Yurakucho station directly north of Ginza. Tsukiji - just south of Ginza - has tons of fun daytime cheap eats. Then northeast of Ginza you have Nihombashi and Ningyocho with more amazing tempura, sushi, etc. I'd say that if you're planning a trip that's all about food, Ginza (and Toranonom, right next door to Shimbashi) is a *really* great home base.

od_sf

Shimbashi station is a 6-minute walk from HC Ginza. How close do you need to be?

od_sf

They don't have a dedicated concierge team, but the front desk staff will help with restaurant bookings. I've stayed at the HC Ginza four or five times, and they've always been very helpful with restaurant reservations. You'll just need to provide them with a list, including 2nd and 3rd choices if you're trying to book popular places.

nappingpanda

This is very good to know, thanks.

chrispycreme561

Thanks this is huge even if no concierge team as long as they can help with Tabelog bookings I’m in.

The new toronamon hills hotel isn’t a good CPP redemption. Only $400/night cash rate.

The fiancée eliminated the HR and ranked them as HC Ginza first, Andaz second, GH third. Seems like that’s the order of preference for neighborhoods being close to good food too. (Ginza/Toronoman/Roppongi) is that right?