Jan 21, 2019, 9:52 pm
Last edit by: RichardInSF
Reviews of Tokyo hotels to be found in dedicated threads (If you review another Tokyo luxury hotel, put it in a thread and add a link here, thanks!)
Aman Tokyo (not a formal review but as detailed as one) -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
Peninsula Tokyo -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
Park Hyatt Tokyo -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho from luxury perspective — https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...d-service-2620
Aman Tokyo (not a formal review but as detailed as one) -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
Peninsula Tokyo -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
Park Hyatt Tokyo -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/show...ferrerid=14479
The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho from luxury perspective — https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...d-service-2620
Tokyo luxury hotels (newer consolidated thread)
Aug 13, 2018, 9:27 pm
#31
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Marriott Amb; Hyatt Globalist; Shangri-la Diamond; IHG SpireAmb; Hilton D; Accor G
Posts: 3,319
I can't see any really simple way. Take either the monorail or Keikyu train to the Yamanote line and go on that in the direction of Tokyo station, getting off at Shimbashi. Transfer there for 3 stops on the Ginza line to Akasaka-Mistuki. Two transfers and around Y700 or so in fare. Maybe someone else can do better.
Aug 14, 2018, 12:16 am
#32
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
Another option for HND - Prince Gallery is the "friendly" Limousine Bus. Timetable here: Haneda Airport?The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, a Luxury Collection Hotel?Airport Limousine Bus-Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd - I've never taken it but a friend took it last time he stayed at PG. The quoted fare is 1130yen.
Other bus routes by the same company cover a couple other hotels discussed on this forum, including Pen/Palace/Conrad (Hibiya/Ginza/Shiodome), PH (Shibuya), etc., although ironically coverage of luxury hotels is better from NRT. (Or perhaps, they just assume people arriving HND will take advantage of being able to take a cab and not being charged $250 for the pleasure.)
No need to transfer off the Keikyu line as it is a through service to Asakusa Line at Sengakuji Station and will stop at Shimbashi. (This is why there is an Airport Limited Express train on the Asakusa line - it goes all the way to HND.) Technically, it is also a through service to the Keikyu Line from the Keikyu Kuko Line (kūkō meaning airport) at Keikyu Kamata Station, so it is actually Keikyu Kuko - Keikyu - Asakusa through service.
Other bus routes by the same company cover a couple other hotels discussed on this forum, including Pen/Palace/Conrad (Hibiya/Ginza/Shiodome), PH (Shibuya), etc., although ironically coverage of luxury hotels is better from NRT. (Or perhaps, they just assume people arriving HND will take advantage of being able to take a cab and not being charged $250 for the pleasure.)
I can't see any really simple way. Take either the monorail or Keikyu train to the Yamanote line and go on that in the direction of Tokyo station, getting off at Shimbashi. Transfer there for 3 stops on the Ginza line to Akasaka-Mistuki. Two transfers and around Y700 or so in fare. Maybe someone else can do better.
Aug 14, 2018, 4:52 am
#33
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
The “limousine bus” is definitely the better option if you have any amount of luggage that would make multiple train/underground transfers difficult. Taxi fare from HND, by Tokyo standards, is relatively reasonable. The hotel car transfer at approximately ¥20,000 is surprisingly reasonable for Tokyo.
Aug 14, 2018, 6:49 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 1,216
You did not. However the poster you quoted implied dissatisfaction with chopsticks as service recovery.
A quality pair of chopsticks is a nice gesture. It would depend on the situation of course. I am not usually focused on getting compensation from hotels unless they have done something really outrageous. An amenity of some kind along with a note is always a nice gesture. What’s most important is that the underlying problem be remedied.
In many cases I am of the belief that compensatory service recovery is not due. In those cases, a token gesture such as a pair or chopsticks or some chocolates is a better way of acknowledging the situation without engaging the guest in a back and forth.
Aug 14, 2018, 8:23 am
#36
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 1,216
Aug 14, 2018, 2:58 pm
#37
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
The best service recovery is proactive. I have had recent hotel stays where management was so on point, and looking after my stay so well, that problems were spotted and dealt with before they occurred.
Aug 14, 2018, 10:07 pm
#38
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Marriott Amb; Hyatt Globalist; Shangri-la Diamond; IHG SpireAmb; Hilton D; Accor G
Posts: 3,319
In a modern interconnected society, every household should be a chopstick using household. Using chopsticks is not hard to master, and food should be eaten the way it is eaten in its home country. Surely you eat Asian food at home every now and then, at the very least delivery?
(I won't expect everyone to have distinct chopsticks at home for each regional style. I tend to use Korean chopsticks for all Asian food at home because I'm fond of the metal, and I have a few pairs of Japanese chopsticks for the occasional sushi meal.)
(I won't expect everyone to have distinct chopsticks at home for each regional style. I tend to use Korean chopsticks for all Asian food at home because I'm fond of the metal, and I have a few pairs of Japanese chopsticks for the occasional sushi meal.)
Aug 15, 2018, 12:58 am
#39
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,856
Let's get back to Tokyo luxury hotels, that's a long enough chopstick diversion!
Thanks,
RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels and travel
Thanks,
RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels and travel
Sep 7, 2018, 11:35 am
#40
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,145
Any further comments on the Palace Hotel (esp. recent stays)? Thinking about trying the property out especially with FHR's 3rd night free promo.
Various posts from the old thread ([211] [690] [698] [700] [1059]) suggest very Japanese service (perhaps to a fault), near-top hard and soft product in Tokyo, and excellent F&B - although one third-party report that some others felt service was "weak". Several of these posts are a few years old.
In any case, I'm leaning towards giving the property a shot (despite admitting that overly-Japanese service annoys me) and will report back if I do.
Various posts from the old thread ([211] [690] [698] [700] [1059]) suggest very Japanese service (perhaps to a fault), near-top hard and soft product in Tokyo, and excellent F&B - although one third-party report that some others felt service was "weak". Several of these posts are a few years old.
In any case, I'm leaning towards giving the property a shot (despite admitting that overly-Japanese service annoys me) and will report back if I do.
Travel and Leisure 2018 ranking is #2 hotel in Tokyo
https://www.travelandleisure.com/wor...op-100-overall
I have a stay there later this month and will post. So far, the concierge team has been great helping to arrange my cruise port pickup and guide services.
Sep 7, 2018, 11:48 am
#41
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Did you ever stay there? If so, please share your impressions.
Travel and Leisure 2018 ranking is #2 hotel in Tokyo
https://www.travelandleisure.com/wor...op-100-overall
I have a stay there later this month and will post. So far, the concierge team has been great helping to arrange my cruise port pickup and guide services.
Travel and Leisure 2018 ranking is #2 hotel in Tokyo
https://www.travelandleisure.com/wor...op-100-overall
I have a stay there later this month and will post. So far, the concierge team has been great helping to arrange my cruise port pickup and guide services.
Sep 7, 2018, 12:02 pm
#42
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 323
I stayed at the Palace Hotel a few years ago (not longer after it opened) and loved it. The common areas are spectacular, the lead-in rooms are fairly small but excellent, and the location is great with two subway lines underneath and Tokyo Station only a short walk. The service might be a little rigid and the vibe a tiny bit tightly wound but I don't think that would ruin a great stay - it doesn't have the chic hip buzz of the Andaz or the zen ambience of the Park Hyatt (or the zoo atmosphere of lobby of the nearby Peninsula!) From what I remember The Palace customers looked like mostly wealthy and impeccably-dressed Japanese.
Sep 7, 2018, 12:21 pm
#43
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,145
I stayed at the Palace Hotel a few years ago (not longer after it opened) and loved it. The common areas are spectacular, the lead-in rooms are fairly small but excellent, and the location is great with two subway lines underneath and Tokyo Station only a short walk. The service might be a little rigid and the vibe a tiny bit tightly wound but I don't think that would ruin a great stay - it doesn't have the chic hip buzz of the Andaz or the zen ambience of the Park Hyatt (or the zoo atmosphere of lobby of the nearby Peninsula!) From what I remember The Palace customers looked like mostly wealthy and impeccably-dressed Japanese.
Sep 7, 2018, 1:48 pm
#44
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
Sep 7, 2018, 8:48 pm
#45
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,145