surftb15

TOo bad. Luckily there are plenty of other places to go.

MikeFromTokyo

I can routinely get into my favorite sushi restaurant on short notice, and often at the last minute. I consider it to be better than Saito.

surftb15

What place is that?
PM me if you dont want to post it publically.

Speaking of which, is the lead-in room at the Pen fine? or should I just pay the extra 600 bucks for a room overlooking the Palace?

I actually booked the Corner City View Room.
Its only about $100 more / night for the Grand Deluxe. Would they upgrade to a suite? or does the Pen not do that?

meowzilla

I recently returned from a trip to Japan, including the FS Tokyo. I enjoyed our stay and you can see the entire review here: http://www.featherfactor.com/2015/03...arunouchi.html

However, I wanted to share one issue I had with our stay. Before we arrived, I asked the hotel to schedule a pre-natal massage (I'm in my 2nd trimester). However, not only did the FS not offer any kind of pre-natal treatment, after I asked my question they then wouldn't even let me book a regular massage due to liability (my doctors had said I could have any ol' massage as long as I asked them to stay away from my feet/ankles).
Instead, they said I could go to the RC, MO, Pen, or the Shangri La for a treatment. Basically all their competitors! I was obviously a little annoyed by this - I don't like to go to stay at luxury hotels only to be told that I should go to another one for my spa treatments. Part of the whole convenience of a luxury hotel in my opinion should be a great spa just steps away.

I understand the liability issues but was surprised they were unable to find any way to provide a pre-natal treatment or a certified therapist...I provided I believe at least a few weeks advance notice for the appointment. Just something to note. Maybe there's a cultural norm I am missing.

On the topic of Sushi Saito I did get a reservation for two but through a friend who works in Japan, who had his assistant handle it. I had previously asked the FS concierge and they were unable. So maybe if you are having problems with reservations, check with your local friends!

surftb15

Thanks for the TR.

I will be in Japan next month and switched from the Pen to the 4S. The Pen concierge was taking too long to respond to emails and reservations were just opening up at the sushi-yas

The 4S did manage to get me into Saito, and a lot others.

I still dont know how I feel about Yasuda though. Is that place touristy like Jiro?

RichardInSF

Liability issues would be an excuse 99.9999% of the time at least. Japan is simply not a litigious society. I don't know what their real reason is but this sounds very bogus to me.

vuittonsofstyle

All over the world, spas are very reluctant to provide treatments to pregnant women. The wrong essential oils can be harmful, or pressure in the wrong place can cause problems. It is not just in Japan.

The spa at FS Marunouchi is pretty basic. When the hotel opened, the spa was very much an afterthought. It was never intended for it to be a serious spa, just a basic massage/facial sort of place. Not much has changed in this respect.

The best treatment for pre-natal is Reiki, which is non-invasive, but works wonders for jet-lag or swollen ankles. However, you need a Reiki Master to perform this and I doubt very much if FS have anyone of this calibre on their team.

They should have made this clear to you when you booked.

I am surprised they recommended the other hotels, as none of them, as far as I know, offers safe chemical free massages or Reiki.

Aventine

Their spa is really a joke. It definitely was an afterthought and you're not missing much. Next time, there's a place in Azabu Juban that does organic body treatments and prenatal massage called Elana Jade.

scented

Vuittons, do you know if the Aman Spa in Tokyo offers Reiki? Nigel F. was just there and worked his magic, so treatments should be fine?

IndyHoosier

Does anyone know how strict the FS is with their 3 person in a room maximum? I am thinking about getting a premier room with two queen beds, but my group has 4 people.

scented

Considering it's Japan, you'd bet that they are as strict as it gets. They play by the rules.

Aventine

Don't ask, don't tell...

This hotel is quite by the books.

uclabruin82

I am going to Tokyo for a few days in May and had made a reservation at the Peninsula as I really enjoyed staying there back in 2008. However, my communication with the concierge so far has been pretty disappointing, and not what I would expect from a leading hotel - no responses to some emails, very delayed responses to others, etc. For instance, I wanted to buy tickets to a baseball game for when I am there, and was told that tickets go on sale on May 7th. However, I have not received any confirmation that the hotel received my credit card authorization form or bought the tickets, despite 2 follow-up emails.
Has the service at the hotel gone downhill? Is this specific to the concierge service? Or should I just forget about it and switch to the Aman?

MikeFromTokyo

I an not happy with The Peninsula Tokyo lately. I dealt with one concierge a few months ago who was not only unhelpful, but rude as well. The rooms and suites are of course nice, but on the other hand F&B has gone downhill.

Personaly, I would cancel any bookings at Pen in favor of staying at Aman Tokyo.

uclabruin82

Ended up switching my reservation to the Aman, so hopefully the planning is easier going forward