Tokyo Luxury Hotels (consolidated thread -- older thread, now closed)
May 28, 2017, 1:58 pm
#1021
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Exactly. It's an excellent location. Wonderful restaurants in close proximity or just a short cab ride away.
May 28, 2017, 9:37 pm
#1022
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I'd love a pros/con review of the SPG Luxury Collection's Prince Gallery Koiocho property versus the other obvious luxury hotels (i.e. Aman, MO, S-L, PH, Andaz, Palace, RC. etc) from those who know Tokyo well.
I've been told that this Prince Gallery is one of the best in the Luxury Collection portfolio, so I am curious what everyone here might think. Thanks!
I've been told that this Prince Gallery is one of the best in the Luxury Collection portfolio, so I am curious what everyone here might think. Thanks!
May 28, 2017, 9:46 pm
#1023
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May 28, 2017, 11:33 pm
#1024
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Check out the reviews on the master thread. Here's mine: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...l#post27517582
May 29, 2017, 6:19 pm
#1025
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May 29, 2017, 6:23 pm
#1026
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did government end helicopter use entirely?
May 29, 2017, 6:50 pm
#1027
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Of those where I've stayed, it's my favorite. I would put it near the top on all categories, followed by the Andaz as my second favorite. I quite enjoyed the PH/GH/Conrad, but they weren't quite as memorably awesome. Of those three, the Conrad was probably my favorite.
Specifically:
- F&B:
- Prince Gallery: The breakfast at the Prince Gallery is quite good. I love the Chef's Egg dish in the club; and thought the traditional Japanese breakfast in the restaurant was quite good too. (And those views!) The two bars are also excellent, though extremely pricey. They have extremely inventive and creative cocktails, which puts them a step above the other hotels in that regard.
- Andaz: The breakfast here is also excellent. In particular, request the Nutella French Toast from one of the chefs, it's incredible. The rooftop bar has a nice view. The cocktails are okay, but overprice for what you're getting. The tavern bar is also fine but overpriced.
- Conrad: The breakfast here is good but nothing out of this world. Bar was okay too.
- Park Hyatt: Skipped breakfast here. The New York Bar is famous from the movie Lost in Translation. It's nice, but a bit too "old people" vibe for me. There's a live jazz band. If you're not staying there it requires a cover, and there's usually quit a wait. Worth visiting once and not more than once.
- Grand Hyatt: Also skipped breakfast. Club lounge spread was mediocre.
- Overall: I only eat breakfast in hotels, and in Tokyo I skip it half the time. There's too much cheap and panty-dropping-amazing food in Tokyo to waste stomach space on hotel food. Also, I'm not a fan of paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel restaurant kaiseki dinner when I could do it cheaper at Nihonyori Kanda or have a ridiculously amazing bowl of ramen for $10.
- Service Level:
- Prince Gallery: Amazing. Japanese service, great english skills, understanding of western customers. They go out of their way to make your stay amazing.
- Andaz: Great. I haven't really had them go _out of their way_ but they've been great nonetheless.
- Park Hyatt / Grand Hyatt: Haven't requested anything of them that would test their service level. They left me alone mostly.
- Conrad: agents were helpful trying to help me deal with a situation where I'd lost stuff at a restaurant I visited the night prior to check out. Ultimately I was 50/50 on it, they didn't really go totally out of their way, and their english wasn't the best, but they tried their best.
- Each of these will have the same basic feel, e.g. handle your luggage from arrival, show you to your room personally, have your name ready at the valet desk downstairs so they know who you are right away. (Park Hyatt checks you in directly in the room.) They'll be super polite and bow and always try to anticipate your needs.
You mentioned F&B and Service, so that's what I elaborated on. Happy to compare on other categories too.
May 29, 2017, 6:55 pm
#1028
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May 29, 2017, 7:28 pm
#1029
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I will be spending a few days at each property in June/July. Accordingly, I only have pre-arrival comparisons between the two at present. For what it's worth, I'm SPG Platinum (so that also makes me RC platinum) and I'm booked on the Club Level at the RC. To me, the RC has just been significantly better pre-arrival. The RC concierge responds to any email within 24 hours, whereas the wait is often 2-3 days with the Prince Gallery... Neither has been able to find me a helicopter transfer from NRT though
Good luck on that helicopter transfer. Keep us posted.
May 29, 2017, 7:30 pm
#1030
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In the luxury category I can compare to Andaz, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, and Conrad. Not to Aman, MO, Ritz, Pen, or Four Seasons.
Of those where I've stayed, it's my favorite. I would put it near the top on all categories, followed by the Andaz as my second favorite. I quite enjoyed the PH/GH/Conrad, but they weren't quite as memorably awesome. Of those three, the Conrad was probably my favorite.
Specifically:
- F&B:
- Prince Gallery: The breakfast at the Prince Gallery is quite good. I love the Chef's Egg dish in the club; and thought the traditional Japanese breakfast in the restaurant was quite good too. (And those views!) The two bars are also excellent, though extremely pricey. They have extremely inventive and creative cocktails, which puts them a step above the other hotels in that regard.
- Andaz: The breakfast here is also excellent. In particular, request the Nutella French Toast from one of the chefs, it's incredible. The rooftop bar has a nice view. The cocktails are okay, but overprice for what you're getting. The tavern bar is also fine but overpriced.
- Conrad: The breakfast here is good but nothing out of this world. Bar was okay too.
- Park Hyatt: Skipped breakfast here. The New York Bar is famous from the movie Lost in Translation. It's nice, but a bit too "old people" vibe for me. There's a live jazz band. If you're not staying there it requires a cover, and there's usually quit a wait. Worth visiting once and not more than once.
- Grand Hyatt: Also skipped breakfast. Club lounge spread was mediocre.
- Overall: I only eat breakfast in hotels, and in Tokyo I skip it half the time. There's too much cheap and panty-dropping-amazing food in Tokyo to waste stomach space on hotel food. Also, I'm not a fan of paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel restaurant kaiseki dinner when I could do it cheaper at Nihonyori Kanda or have a ridiculously amazing bowl of ramen for $10.
- Service Level:
- Prince Gallery: Amazing. Japanese service, great english skills, understanding of western customers. They go out of their way to make your stay amazing.
- Andaz: Great. I haven't really had them go _out of their way_ but they've been great nonetheless.
- Park Hyatt / Grand Hyatt: Haven't requested anything of them that would test their service level. They left me alone mostly.
- Conrad: agents were helpful trying to help me deal with a situation where I'd lost stuff at a restaurant I visited the night prior to check out. Ultimately I was 50/50 on it, they didn't really go totally out of their way, and their english wasn't the best, but they tried their best.
- Each of these will have the same basic feel, e.g. handle your luggage from arrival, show you to your room personally, have your name ready at the valet desk downstairs so they know who you are right away. (Park Hyatt checks you in directly in the room.) They'll be super polite and bow and always try to anticipate your needs.
You mentioned F&B and Service, so that's what I elaborated on. Happy to compare on other categories too.
Of those where I've stayed, it's my favorite. I would put it near the top on all categories, followed by the Andaz as my second favorite. I quite enjoyed the PH/GH/Conrad, but they weren't quite as memorably awesome. Of those three, the Conrad was probably my favorite.
Specifically:
- F&B:
- Prince Gallery: The breakfast at the Prince Gallery is quite good. I love the Chef's Egg dish in the club; and thought the traditional Japanese breakfast in the restaurant was quite good too. (And those views!) The two bars are also excellent, though extremely pricey. They have extremely inventive and creative cocktails, which puts them a step above the other hotels in that regard.
- Andaz: The breakfast here is also excellent. In particular, request the Nutella French Toast from one of the chefs, it's incredible. The rooftop bar has a nice view. The cocktails are okay, but overprice for what you're getting. The tavern bar is also fine but overpriced.
- Conrad: The breakfast here is good but nothing out of this world. Bar was okay too.
- Park Hyatt: Skipped breakfast here. The New York Bar is famous from the movie Lost in Translation. It's nice, but a bit too "old people" vibe for me. There's a live jazz band. If you're not staying there it requires a cover, and there's usually quit a wait. Worth visiting once and not more than once.
- Grand Hyatt: Also skipped breakfast. Club lounge spread was mediocre.
- Overall: I only eat breakfast in hotels, and in Tokyo I skip it half the time. There's too much cheap and panty-dropping-amazing food in Tokyo to waste stomach space on hotel food. Also, I'm not a fan of paying hundreds of dollars for a hotel restaurant kaiseki dinner when I could do it cheaper at Nihonyori Kanda or have a ridiculously amazing bowl of ramen for $10.
- Service Level:
- Prince Gallery: Amazing. Japanese service, great english skills, understanding of western customers. They go out of their way to make your stay amazing.
- Andaz: Great. I haven't really had them go _out of their way_ but they've been great nonetheless.
- Park Hyatt / Grand Hyatt: Haven't requested anything of them that would test their service level. They left me alone mostly.
- Conrad: agents were helpful trying to help me deal with a situation where I'd lost stuff at a restaurant I visited the night prior to check out. Ultimately I was 50/50 on it, they didn't really go totally out of their way, and their english wasn't the best, but they tried their best.
- Each of these will have the same basic feel, e.g. handle your luggage from arrival, show you to your room personally, have your name ready at the valet desk downstairs so they know who you are right away. (Park Hyatt checks you in directly in the room.) They'll be super polite and bow and always try to anticipate your needs.
You mentioned F&B and Service, so that's what I elaborated on. Happy to compare on other categories too.
May 29, 2017, 8:24 pm
#1031
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not the best choice of words on my part.
there was only ever a single helicopter transfer operator, and it only operated from 2009 to 2015.
japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/20/business/tokyos-rooftop-helipads-remain-unused/
asiaone.com/asia/businesses-tokyos-ginza-district-opposes-helicopter-service-hotel-guests
so its now 3 years later, it was 2014 that peninsula announced plans to begin in 2015 (there was one existing operator until dec 31 2015)
(and 10 years since it opened)
so easy answer, maybe some kind of cultural / language barrier in terms of (not) saying 'there arent any, theyre not permitted'
there was only ever a single helicopter transfer operator, and it only operated from 2009 to 2015.
japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/20/business/tokyos-rooftop-helipads-remain-unused/
[5 20 2016]
Tokyo’s Peninsulal...Since it opened in 2007, the rooftop helipad has never been used.
The hotel is one of about 80 buildings in the capital with a helipad, more than any other city in the world, but most are rarely, if ever, used. Partly this is because of the neighbors. Japan’s noise restrictions and local and national government rules mean that the few choppers in the Tokyo skies tend to be ferrying government officials or television crews.
But the helipads are there, and as the world’s biggest city adds more tall buildings, their number is rising. They are waiting for an earthquake or disaster. Like Los Angeles, which has the most helipads of any city in North America, Tokyo sits uneasily on major tectonic faults that rattle its buildings regularly. Japan started advising developers to build helipads on buildings over 45 meters high around 1990, though there’s no law requiring them to do so, said Keisuke Usuba, a spokesman for the Tokyo Fire Department. Mitsubishi Estate Co., Japan’s biggest developer by market value, has included helipads on all the high-rise buildings it built in Tokyo’s Marunouchi business district since 2002, according to spokesman Ryo Yamamoto. “They’re for use in emergencies to help evacuate people from the building,” said Yamamoto. “They’re not for flights to Narita or Haneda” airports.
Cities such as Los Angeles, which had a helipad requirement since 1958, have abandoned the policy
Peninsula...which offers helicopter flights at its Hong Kong, Bangkok and Manila properties, is trying to persuade its neighbors in Ginza to agree to flights, said Director Junjiro Yamashita. The hotel submitted a plan to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government two years ago to start a service in time for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and got the green light to go ahead with an environmental assessment. Then Ginza shop owners rebelled, gathering a petition with almost 10,000 people protesting about noise and safety concerns. “We really want to make flights a reality,” Yamashita said. “We’ll keep talking to and listening to our neighbors and try to persuade them. We don’t know how long that will take.”
Tokyo’s Peninsulal...Since it opened in 2007, the rooftop helipad has never been used.
The hotel is one of about 80 buildings in the capital with a helipad, more than any other city in the world, but most are rarely, if ever, used. Partly this is because of the neighbors. Japan’s noise restrictions and local and national government rules mean that the few choppers in the Tokyo skies tend to be ferrying government officials or television crews.
But the helipads are there, and as the world’s biggest city adds more tall buildings, their number is rising. They are waiting for an earthquake or disaster. Like Los Angeles, which has the most helipads of any city in North America, Tokyo sits uneasily on major tectonic faults that rattle its buildings regularly. Japan started advising developers to build helipads on buildings over 45 meters high around 1990, though there’s no law requiring them to do so, said Keisuke Usuba, a spokesman for the Tokyo Fire Department. Mitsubishi Estate Co., Japan’s biggest developer by market value, has included helipads on all the high-rise buildings it built in Tokyo’s Marunouchi business district since 2002, according to spokesman Ryo Yamamoto. “They’re for use in emergencies to help evacuate people from the building,” said Yamamoto. “They’re not for flights to Narita or Haneda” airports.
Cities such as Los Angeles, which had a helipad requirement since 1958, have abandoned the policy
Peninsula...which offers helicopter flights at its Hong Kong, Bangkok and Manila properties, is trying to persuade its neighbors in Ginza to agree to flights, said Director Junjiro Yamashita. The hotel submitted a plan to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government two years ago to start a service in time for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and got the green light to go ahead with an environmental assessment. Then Ginza shop owners rebelled, gathering a petition with almost 10,000 people protesting about noise and safety concerns. “We really want to make flights a reality,” Yamashita said. “We’ll keep talking to and listening to our neighbors and try to persuade them. We don’t know how long that will take.”
"Lots of people are worried about the risk of accidents," said an official at the Tokyo Regional Civil Aviation Bureau under the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry. "The hotel operator is expected to work harder to obtain the understanding of the local residents."
Use of the heliport is currently limited to dealing with fires that break out in the building and other emergencies. However, the hotel will designate the space for "nonpublic use," which will allow its use by staff with access privileges in accordance with domestic aviation laws.
a plan to use the heliport for a pickup service missed an earlier deadline and was put on hold.
a plan to use the heliport for a pickup service missed an earlier deadline and was put on hold.
(and 10 years since it opened)
so easy answer, maybe some kind of cultural / language barrier in terms of (not) saying 'there arent any, theyre not permitted'
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; May 29, 2017 at 9:53 pm
May 29, 2017, 11:17 pm
#1032
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The best value on points in Tokyo IMO is the Andaz, which is a pretty good deal at 25k Hyatt points per night. I think Ritz is also decent value on points.
May 29, 2017, 11:30 pm
#1033
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In terms of award redemption, I wouldn't do the Prince Gallery—it's absurdly expensive on points at around 35k SPG these days. You're better off paying cash there which'll run you around $500 a night. Combine with FHR or Citi for a discount.
The best value on points in Tokyo IMO is the Andaz, which is a pretty good deal at 25k Hyatt points per night. I think Ritz is also decent value on points.
The best value on points in Tokyo IMO is the Andaz, which is a pretty good deal at 25k Hyatt points per night. I think Ritz is also decent value on points.
Also, while we can afford the Aman or MO, we would rather save $$$ only if we can get a comparable luxury stay. A suite at the Prince Gallery seems a perfect candidate for our purposes.
May 30, 2017, 3:11 am
#1034
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
The scheduled shared helicopter service stopped quite some time ago. The semi-scheduled private helicopter tranfers at a reasonable price also stopped about a year or two ago.
I'm sitting on 800K SPG points. I think I can spare some! I'm also Plat100...which means I'm very likely to get an excellent suite upgrade even on an award (which isn't possible even with DSUs or points at the Andaz).
Also, while we can afford the Aman or MO, we would rather save $$$ only yif we can get a comparable luxury stay. A suite at the Prince Gallery seems a perfect candidate for our purposes.
Also, while we can afford the Aman or MO, we would rather save $$$ only yif we can get a comparable luxury stay. A suite at the Prince Gallery seems a perfect candidate for our purposes.
While many of us endlessly talk about which Tokyo hotels are our favorites in this thread, at the end of the day the market for high end hotels in this city has more or less commoditized. All of the better hotels, from 4.5 star options like Conrad and Grand Hyatt all the way up to Mandarin Oriental, Aman, and Ritz-Carlton club level all offer perfectly good service and F&B, as well as convenient locations and comfortable room and suites (certainly if booking the right categories).
The fact of the matter is that they are all essentially comparable city hotels. Of course some of them, like R-C club level for me, stand out as exceptional, but the difference is still not significant enough to warrant paying a huge premium for one over another. Unless money is truly no object, I think the smart thing to do is to look for deals and special offers, and by all means use points if you have them.
If one can save a significant amount of money by taking advantage of a low rate or using points, using the money saved to eat out more at the best restaurants and do more shopping etc... will have a greater impact on the quality of one's trip than staying at a particular hotel would.
Last edited by MikeFromTokyo; May 30, 2017 at 3:57 am
May 30, 2017, 5:58 am
#1035
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I've fond memories of all the Hyatts in Tokyo, but no hotel staff has ever gone out of their way to make us feel welcome like Andaz Tokyo has.