Aman Tokyo - Trip Report
Dec 22, 2014, 10:33 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
Aman Tokyo - Trip Report
For me, there's a big difference between a resort and a city hotel. Resorts I go to because I want to. City hotels I go to because I need a place to stay.
Too date, I haven't been too impressed with any of the new hotels in Tokyo. The service is always good, but always feels a little impersonal....like it's just the result of good training, good processes and good information technology without much character. The other thing that bugs me about the new hotels is the lobbies. I think the finance guys have taken over and demanded that any space that doesn't generate revenue needs to be minimized. All the new hotels in Tokyo really lack character. There's no sense of identity. No grandeur. No tranquility. No sense of serenity. No nothing.
So anyway I decided to give Aman Tokyo a try. In short... it's worth going just to stay there. Stunning lobby. Incredible views. Food was excellent. Great ambiance in the restaurant and bar. Service was close to impeccable and incredibly friendly (not surprising for opening night.) The rooms were a bit too zen for my taste....I prefer a little less spartan and a bit more decoration. That said the rooms are really well laid out, great views, very comfortable, very spacious and the bath and shower are pretty amazing. Spa and gym are very good. Pool is fantastic....33 meters... view of Mt. Fuji during the day and city lights at night.
By far and away the nicest hotel in Tokyo.... maybe the nicest big city hotel period.
I'll post a more detailed report and photos when I have time.
Too date, I haven't been too impressed with any of the new hotels in Tokyo. The service is always good, but always feels a little impersonal....like it's just the result of good training, good processes and good information technology without much character. The other thing that bugs me about the new hotels is the lobbies. I think the finance guys have taken over and demanded that any space that doesn't generate revenue needs to be minimized. All the new hotels in Tokyo really lack character. There's no sense of identity. No grandeur. No tranquility. No sense of serenity. No nothing.
So anyway I decided to give Aman Tokyo a try. In short... it's worth going just to stay there. Stunning lobby. Incredible views. Food was excellent. Great ambiance in the restaurant and bar. Service was close to impeccable and incredibly friendly (not surprising for opening night.) The rooms were a bit too zen for my taste....I prefer a little less spartan and a bit more decoration. That said the rooms are really well laid out, great views, very comfortable, very spacious and the bath and shower are pretty amazing. Spa and gym are very good. Pool is fantastic....33 meters... view of Mt. Fuji during the day and city lights at night.
By far and away the nicest hotel in Tokyo.... maybe the nicest big city hotel period.
I'll post a more detailed report and photos when I have time.
Dec 22, 2014, 10:34 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
We arrived late in the afternoon. Typical Aman welcome. Jefferey (GM) and about half a dozen staff members were waiting. Very easy valet parking. The entrance is on the ground floor with a small but nice reception area. Here's a picture of the building and entrance.
The lobby is on the 33rd floor and you get there by express elevator. Check in is in your room, but we spent a little time looking around the lobby before heading up. The lobby is just stunning. Definitely a nice place to just hang out. Photos don't do justice but here's an attempt. The ceiling is 80 feet high.
In the photo at the far end of the lobby, there are several rooms including a board/meeting room, a library (mandatory for all Amans), and a cigar room. Here's a pic of the cigar room.
The restaurant and the bar are just off the lobby facing west (left on the picture of the lobby). There is also a nice sitting area off to the side of the lobby. Great views of the city, the Imperial Palace and Mt. Fuji as you can see below.
After checking things out, we headed to our room and then got in a quick swim before dinner.
Since it was opening night, there was a dinner hosted by Aman for the guests. The level of cuisine is so high in Tokyo it's hard to make comparisons. It would definitely be worth going there just for dinner. If they can consistently serve the kind of food we had at dinner and stay creative with they menu, they'll get a reputation as one of the very best restaurants in Tokyo.
There is only one restaurant so we were back there for breakfast. My wife had the Japanese breakfast and I had the American breakfast. Both were very good. I have a thing about people who always want to take pictures of what they are eating... so sorry folks...no food pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't get any great photos of the restaurant either. It's a very comfortable.... high ceiling, intimate without being crowded and did I mention the views...
As I said in my first post, the rooms are a little too zen for me, I'd like to see more decoration. We were upgraded to a suite. Here's a picture of the entrance.
As you walk in, there is a sitting/dining room to the right...
The main bedroom is off to the left.
As I said, the rooms are little too Sparta meets Zen for me, but the bathroom makes up for it.
The room is really well laid out. Very good controls for lighting, curtains, HVAC, toilets (definitely Japan). The only thing weird was that there's a VGA connector above the bed, but no USB ports. (How you forget the UBS ports I don't know.) The seating area is very comfortable. Our suite faced north and you actually get a view of Sky Tree, the city sprawl and the mountains to the North. I did not get to see them, but I think most of the rooms on the west side will have the best views.
After breakfast we headed to the pool. The pool is great..... 33 meters, perfect temperature, high ceilings and great views. There are also electric outlets next to the daybeds, which makes it a lot easier to spend several hours by the pool with my laptop. Here are a couple of pictures of the pool.
And another. (You can see Fuji out the window.)
Definitely one of the great city hotel pools.
The gym is very well equipped. Not quite Puri, but pretty impressive for Tokyo.
I had a treatment in the spa. Excellent massage, but the treatment rooms are again pretty spartan for my tastes. I also wished they had designed them with a view out over the city. Instead they put small individual sitting areas between the treatment rooms and the windows. Nice view for tea after your massage, but a bit of waste. The views would have been spectacular if you could see out from the treatment rooms.
Anyway, it's an absolutely beautiful hotel. I'll try to add a bit more about the service later.
Reserved by OP for more detail.
The lobby is on the 33rd floor and you get there by express elevator. Check in is in your room, but we spent a little time looking around the lobby before heading up. The lobby is just stunning. Definitely a nice place to just hang out. Photos don't do justice but here's an attempt. The ceiling is 80 feet high.
In the photo at the far end of the lobby, there are several rooms including a board/meeting room, a library (mandatory for all Amans), and a cigar room. Here's a pic of the cigar room.
The restaurant and the bar are just off the lobby facing west (left on the picture of the lobby). There is also a nice sitting area off to the side of the lobby. Great views of the city, the Imperial Palace and Mt. Fuji as you can see below.
After checking things out, we headed to our room and then got in a quick swim before dinner.
Since it was opening night, there was a dinner hosted by Aman for the guests. The level of cuisine is so high in Tokyo it's hard to make comparisons. It would definitely be worth going there just for dinner. If they can consistently serve the kind of food we had at dinner and stay creative with they menu, they'll get a reputation as one of the very best restaurants in Tokyo.
There is only one restaurant so we were back there for breakfast. My wife had the Japanese breakfast and I had the American breakfast. Both were very good. I have a thing about people who always want to take pictures of what they are eating... so sorry folks...no food pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't get any great photos of the restaurant either. It's a very comfortable.... high ceiling, intimate without being crowded and did I mention the views...
As I said in my first post, the rooms are a little too zen for me, I'd like to see more decoration. We were upgraded to a suite. Here's a picture of the entrance.
As you walk in, there is a sitting/dining room to the right...
The main bedroom is off to the left.
As I said, the rooms are little too Sparta meets Zen for me, but the bathroom makes up for it.
The room is really well laid out. Very good controls for lighting, curtains, HVAC, toilets (definitely Japan). The only thing weird was that there's a VGA connector above the bed, but no USB ports. (How you forget the UBS ports I don't know.) The seating area is very comfortable. Our suite faced north and you actually get a view of Sky Tree, the city sprawl and the mountains to the North. I did not get to see them, but I think most of the rooms on the west side will have the best views.
After breakfast we headed to the pool. The pool is great..... 33 meters, perfect temperature, high ceilings and great views. There are also electric outlets next to the daybeds, which makes it a lot easier to spend several hours by the pool with my laptop. Here are a couple of pictures of the pool.
And another. (You can see Fuji out the window.)
Definitely one of the great city hotel pools.
The gym is very well equipped. Not quite Puri, but pretty impressive for Tokyo.
I had a treatment in the spa. Excellent massage, but the treatment rooms are again pretty spartan for my tastes. I also wished they had designed them with a view out over the city. Instead they put small individual sitting areas between the treatment rooms and the windows. Nice view for tea after your massage, but a bit of waste. The views would have been spectacular if you could see out from the treatment rooms.
Anyway, it's an absolutely beautiful hotel. I'll try to add a bit more about the service later.
Reserved by OP for more detail.
Last edited by 5khours; Dec 23, 2014 at 9:00 am
Dec 23, 2014, 5:13 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,298
There is a pavilion like structure within the garden , adjacent to the entrance ( I think it's the Aman's entrance ) on the ground floor . 5khours , is that part of the hotel ?
Any other public areas other than the lobby and library ?
Great report , thanks !
Any other public areas other than the lobby and library ?
Great report , thanks !
Dec 23, 2014, 5:42 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
another first report with some new photos - thanks!
"the cafe by aman" on ground floor
http://www.businesstravelerusa.com/n...open-its-doors
http://www.businesstravelerusa.com/n...open-its-doors
On the ground floor, nestled within the 3,600 sqm of the Otemachi Forest, the cafe by Aman will specialise in Mediterranean cuisine featuring the property’s signature sake and will offer lunch and dinner with outdoor forest view seating.
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Dec 25, 2014 at 7:33 am
Dec 23, 2014, 8:50 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
I don't understand why Aman are talking about this hotel as the first City Aman. Is there nobody remaining at Aman who remembers Aman Delhi, or Carcosa Seri Negara (originally Aman), or am I one of the few Amanjunkies left who remember these things? 
Dec 23, 2014, 9:42 am
#13
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,846
Great trip report and probably the first review out there. I won't be in Tokyo until March but might give it a try for a few nights then just out of curiosity (despite my previous cynicism). How many nights did you stay? Did you try to see if they opened with someone who can get great restaurant reservations? Is this hotel Virtuoso? I am assuming not but if so, what are the Virtuoso amenities?
Dec 23, 2014, 9:55 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kullen-o...?trk=pub-pbmap
Kullen Ozaki Chief Concierge since apr 2014
peninsula concierge supervisor aug 2007 - mar 2014
Kullen Ozaki Chief Concierge since apr 2014
peninsula concierge supervisor aug 2007 - mar 2014
http://www.lesclefsdorjapan.com/en/2...kyo-20129.html
http://www.lesclefsdorjapan.com/en/members/
opened 22nd, 5khours posted afternoon of 23rd
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Dec 23, 2014 at 10:12 am
Dec 23, 2014, 9:56 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,341
Did you try to see if they opened with someone who can get great restaurant reservations?
Is this hotel Virtuoso? I am assuming not but if so, what are the Virtuoso amenities?