Managed by the same group as The Carlyle in New York, the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, and various luxe resorts in the Carribean and elsewhere. Rooms seem a little cozy but on the whole it looks like a pretty smart hotel. Can anyone give feedback? Perhaps a trip report?

Hotel Seiyo Ginza is a small, boutique hotel (77 rooms), located on the edge of Ginza district. It was built by Seiji Tsutsumi, the founder of Saison group and half brother to Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, one of the richest men in the world at one time and now awaiting trial for securities violations. This hotel was built to showcase his vision of an ultimate luxurious hotel. Built at the height of the so-called bubble economy (1987?), it was known for its superb service and glamorous atmosphere as well as for its huge marbled bathrooms in the guest rooms. I have not been back in years so I don't know how it is currently managed but I'm sure you will get a first class service at this location.

I stayed there several times in 1992-93, and it was spectacular. The rooms were very large, and service was superb (240 staff members for 80 rooms). I recall that the first time that I arrived there (by taxi, and not having given them an expected arrival time) the doorman called me by name. Another telling incident happened several years later: I got out of a taxi at the Park Hyatt where I had never been before, and where I was supposed to meet someone (i.e. I was not staying there), only to have the doorman call me by name. When I asked him how he could possibly know my name, he told me that he had worked at the Seiyo GInza earlier, and remembered me from there. The point of the story is just to share what kind of emphasis they had on service.

I have been back to the Italian restaurant there a few times since, but have not stayed at the hotel since 1993, so I don't know if it is still as good as it used to be. You can get more recent feedback if you do a search in the Luxury Hotels forum.

duplicate post. sorry.

Thanks for the replies. It seems that Seiyo Ginza is certainly among the top hotels in Tokyo with a boutique feel, a focus on service, and a very good location. Since it's cheaper than FS Marunouchi by a lot, I've tentatively decided to stay at the Seiyo Ginza. (PH and GH looked good, particularly the GH's location, but are quite high priced, especially for Hyatts; Tokyo or not, it's still a Hyatt.)

Curious about the location for the new MO and any up-to-date info on expected opening and general rates. My impression is that it will be a lot like the Park Hyatt, situated atop a tall building with equally sky-high rates.

Again, I appreciate the guidance. It helped my decisionmaking a lot.

That's the wrong attitude. Both the PHT and the GHT pretty much blow away the vast majority of city hotels anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, Hyatt or otherwise.

Yes, but not the Seiyo Ginza. I havent stayed at the Park Hyatt, although a frequent visitor I know who stayed there is the one who told me of the Seiyo Ginza, after he switched to the latter. I did stay in the club level of the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and at the Seiyo Ginza for 2 days each during the same trip early last year (a few days in Kyoto in between). The Grand Hyatt regency club level was extremely nice but not even in the same category as the Seiyo Ginza in my opinion.

When we arrived at the Seiyo Ginza the doorman on the ground floor took all our bags and showed us to the escalator to go up one floor to the lobby. When we arrived, he had called up apparently and they were waiting at a small desk with chairs with all our check in materials ready for us to sign. They dont really have a check in counter. After the brief check in, the assistant manager showed us to our room. It wasnt a suite, although it might have been the slightly higher priced room, not the lowest price. When we entered there was the sleeping area, and a small sitting area with a 2 seat sofa, some plush chairs and a desk. Off to the left at the far end of the room was a large dressing area with a vanity. Right as you came in the door to the room was a walk-in closet. Yeppers, a walk in closet in a hotel in Tokyo. The closet was about the size of some rooms Ive stayed in in Tokyo. Exiting off the vanity was the large, very nice marble bathroom.

As the assistant manager was showing us the phone he suggested that rather than trying to remember which line to call for which service we just call the butler line and our butler would take care of it for us. After we were shown the room we were asked if we wanted tea or anything else. We asked for tea and a high speed internet connection. He left and a short time later a woman in a butlers uniform appeared with a silver platter bearing a tea service and an internet connection which she hooked up in the room.

The concierge was fantastic. They gave us some great tips on restaurants that arent frequented by tourists but rather Japanese businessmen in the area. Room service breakfast was also a real treat. Service throughout was outstanding. All in all I cant say enough about them. Ive stayed at Ritz Carltons, the Connaught in London, L'Hotel in Paris, numerous Hyatts and ICs and the Tawaraya Ryokin in Kyoto. Only the Tawaraya topped the Seiyo Ginza in service the rest, while very good, werent really close. But the Seiyo had nicer rooms (MUCH larger) than Tawaraya. Enjoy it.

The Seiyo Ginza is definitely a top-notch hotel. So's the PHT. I've stayed at both, and although the service at the Seiyo Ginza is excellent, maybe even better than that at the PHT, to me the overall PHT experience trumps the Seiyo Ginza's 20-year old physical plant that reeks of bubble-era excess and "exclusiveness".

If I wanted the same kind of "intimate" experience that the Seiyo Ginza provides, I'd stay at the FS Marunouchi instead.

You can say that again! Park Hyatt in Tokyo is not just another Park Hyatt (in Moscow, for example, Ararat Park Hyatt manages to have large rooms and very good view coupled with the most incompetent service in any upmarket hotel I have seen, in a supremely ugly building which looks like a dated city hall in pretensious small town).

Park Hyatt Tokyo is completely out of this world. I have never seen any hotel quite so accomplished, anywhere on this planet.

It has been announced that Hotel Seiyo Ginza will close down the business on MAY 31, 2013.

Not so surprising. It had really turned into just a very high class love hotel in the last 5 or 10 years, although it had a great reputation in its heyday.

I remember when they first opened, they wouldn't admit you to the lobby unless you were with a hotel guest or had a confirmed restaurant reservation. Now it will be even more exclusive, they won't be admitting anyone to the lobby ever!

And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we can put the bubble era to rest once and for all. In its heyday, it was the bees knees. Since then, we've had the PHT, GHT, Conrad, FSM, RC Midtown, Shangri-La, and MO sort of give it a good pummeling.

Hey, you forgot the Okura which some folks here seem to think is in the same category. Myself, I think it might be the next to close.

I also think Okura might be next to close, and that will also mark the end of an era.... but a different era.