broadwayboy

FS Otemachi design is a combination of underwhelming, ugly, tacky, and boring. There, I said it.

scented

So interesting my earlier comments on Otemachi reflect this as well. Especially the digital prints behind the beds are just bizarre. FS Bangkok (another Denniston project) has recently "renovated", they added wallpapers to the rooms as due to cost cuts they had bare walls before. Yes, really.

Gathy (who is a very pragmatic designer) designed the spaces in a way they can easily be updated after some years. The open, clean layout helps in that. But the current design is indeed boring. Bare, white walls galore... JANU is miles ahead. The headboards of the beds at Otemachi are higher than the recessed wall behind it and I have no idea why anyone would design something like that in a brand new hotel. It creates a small gap, which is a housekeeping nightmare.

I hope FS corporate design learns something from this and avoids these mistakes for the design of FS Shanghai Puxi.

GodAtum

I'm very concerned about this news. I am staying there at the end of May in a Club Deluxe room with balcony. Will I not be able to use the balcony comfortably with all the noise?

A few points that I noticed. No escort up to the room on check-in which is more 4 star then 5. No separate lounge for suite guests. Seeing , I wouldn't bother going for a balcony as it's very nosy!

747FC

I don’t think you will want to be outside on the balcony for an extended time during construction hours. All the times we have been in the balcony rooms, all we use it for is to take pictures and marvel at the scenery.

GodAtum

Mmmm maybe I should move hotels as I'm on a refundable rate? Maybe the Janu?

747FC

We still plan on staying there when we visit again in September. Will wait decide on our our April 2025 visit.

od_sf

duplicate post.

od_sf

Did you actually watch the video you posted about Janu? If you're looking for a quiet balcony, Janu won't be it.

vprp

Stayed at Janu for 3 nights last week in a Premier room. Room is very large. Didn't hear any construction at all while I was there although our room was on the opposite side of construction. Views are not great from the non-Tokyo Tower side.



View off to the right.



View straight away (what you see from the room).

BESVISOR

Just back from a 5 night stay at Janu Tokyo.

Booked/stayed in a City View Suite.

Had two sets of clients staying during the same time and chatted with them about Janu Tokyo.
Both clients have previously stayed at Aman Tokyo but decided to try Janu for fun. Booked City View Suite and upgraded at time of booking into Tower View Suite.

Some initial thoughts...

Hard products are incredible for its price range. The end product is very accurate to the Janu renderings we saw. Except for some minor furniture differences, everything is right on.
Rooms and suites both feel spacious. My City View Suite had direct views of Tokyo Tower from Living room, bathroom and bedroom. I didn't have a balcony, unlike the Tower View Suite.
The quality of the furniture didn't feel expensive nor cheap. Just felt fairly normal for a luxury hotel. I did notice the glass doors in my bathroom resembled the same ones in Aman Venice. However, it's laminated on instead of Aman Venice's being fused into the glass doors. So maybe that's an example of minor cost saving. Looks great, nonetheless.

I did check out the Janu Suite (Presidential Suite). It can be sold as a one bedroom or up to 5 bedrooms.
I will post a tour of it later this week on my Instagram. Will try to share it here.
It's nicer than the Aman Suite (stayed in Jan/Feb) and this is where comparing Janu Tokyo and Aman Tokyo can get a bit funny. lol.

The 4,000sqm/43,000sqft is incredible. The gym is one of the best city gyms I've ever seen. On par with Rosewood Hong Kong but feels a bit different. Great views of Tokyo Tower and Azabudai Hills.
Multiple studios with different uses. Golf simulator, spin class, boxing ring, yoga, etc.
Pool is massive for a city hotel. Largest in Tokyo. If I'm not mistaken. Janu's designed by Jean-Michel Cathy and shares the same cool steel flooring in the pool as Four Seasons Otemachi does. Just MUCH larger. The hot tub is also massive. Set right next to a fireplace. I visited the pool multiple times and rarely saw anyone. I'm sure that will change, though.

Being allocated the lower 13 floors, I was worried the views would be lacking. Happy to say it wasn't an issue at all. Can see Tokyo Tower extremely well and a good view of Azabudai Hills as well.
Stayed on the Tokyo Tower side and never heard any construction noise from my suite or general areas within the hotel.
The terrace is fabulous!

Azabudai Hills isn't nearly as big as I had thought it'd be. But it does feel very high end and it's refreshing to be there vs in the Otemachi area.
The Market below the Janu building is pretty sweet. I could spend an hour just roaming around looking for treats.
TeamLab's new Borderless experience is also located in the building. I enjoyed it and can see many Janu guests (esp families) finding this to be a treat.

Service was very mixed at times. Check in took some time and felt like a cumbersome process. It was clear that the front desk team was still trying to learn their SOP and it wasn't second nature yet. Wish I could have checked in via in suite. Concierge was very slow at times. Although this is also an industry wide issue in Japan at the moment. Luckily, Noriko-San (GM) personally jumped in to assist with all my requests and things went very smoothly from there. The good news is that the staff attitude was incredibly warm and I could tell they wanted to please guests and were looking to learn/improve. I'm hoping in 6 months, the service will feel much smoother and consistent. I expected lots of hiccups at a new hotel so nothing really bothered me and as mentioned, Noriko-San very kindly looked after me and my clients so after the first couple of days (a couple hiccups), things were all very smooth/nice. I think Noriko-San's going to do a great job here and given her ex-Amanemu background, she will try to stay as hands on/personable as possible. Time will tell.

I've heard people compare Janu Tokyo to Edition Tokyo and Andaz Tokyo. Janu is far superior to both.
Janu isn't in the league of Aman Tokyo or Bulgari Tokyo (no one should expect it to be based on the prices) but some of Janu's facilities are arguably better.
For now, I'm simply going to place Janu into its own niche / category.

I've posted some tours of my suite and facilities on my Instagram. Will create a highlight section tomorrow. If interested, feel free to take a look/tour.

Food....Breakfast was very good. Croissants were slightly inconsistent but amongst the better ones I've had at city hotels. Would NOT compare it to Cheval Blanc Paris of course
I dined at the onsite Sushi restaurant. It was fine. Nothing special and nothing to complaint about. The price was reasonable. The counter was beautiful though.

When I spoke with my clients who were also on site, they said: "Janu's hard products are punching above its weight".
They didn't like the Yumi Grill and noted some service hiccups. As mentioned, once Noriko-San had kindly assisted, service went very smoothly.


Ok, almost 1am...I best call it...but here are my initial thoughts.
Many more clients are set to visit over the coming months and I'm sure there will be some fun/lengthy conversations.
Will revert back with any new insights/revelations.

FromYyzTraveler

I have a 3 night stay in Tokyo this year and it seems like my company rate will cover around 50% of cost for a standard room for these three hotels:

- Shangri-la Tokyo
- The princes Gallery Tokyo Kioicho
- The Grand hyatt

No breakfast for any of them, if you had to chose which of these three is the most luxury?

Michaeljinnyc

Definitely Shangri-la Tokyo, far superior than the other two

GodAtum

Because of the construction noise near the Palace, can anyone recommend an alternative in the same price range (£900/night)? Maybe the Conrad?

Looking for a room with fantastic views and access to a lounge.

od_sf

The Conrad is typically in a much lower price range than the Palace (often nearly half the price) - but - you won't find any rooms with balconies at the Conrad.

If you must have a (relatively) quiet balcony, you should look at the Okura "Heritage Room w/ Balcony".

https://theokuratokyo.jp/stay/heritage/

GodAtum

Sorry I wasn't clear. I don't mind not having a balcony, I just want to be able to rest in my room peacefully. Looking for a room with fantastic views and access to a lounge.