RichardInSF

I am not so sure what the "fun" part of Shinjuku would be for an 80 y.o. and a 10 y.o., but it sure wouldn't be the OTHER side of Shinjuku station!

I would seriously doubt that the GH is worth Y20k more per night than the Penn. However, the GH does enjoy a very high room occupancy rate, I understand -- but in that case, wouldn't the new Tokyo Midtown RC have a similar structure?

Kagehitokiri

the Pen's base rooms are the largest IIRC. so even though GH starts quite a bit cheaper IIRC (similar to RC?) the OP was talking about comparables.

MO also has some pretty low base rates, which would seem to back up the mixed reports here IMHO.. (FSM, PHT, Pen all have higher base rates)

jtrader

Since both Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers are located in Roppongi Hills, I have the impression that the GH is routinely full due to the high number of employees from those firms alone. They recently seem to be pretty agressive about increasing the pricing when yield management software suggests they will be full. In those situations I feel the GH is a particularly poor value. Recently their standard room has sometimes been priced at a premium to the Club Floor at the RC. IMHO, the RC is much better. I agree with others here that there are some service deficiencies at the RC that would put it a cut below the MO (and I assume FSM and Pen) in service. However, I would put the GH at or a cut below that. The standard room at the RC is much bigger than the GH and you are assured of a decent view. I also think the Club Lounge is much nicer at the RC and, at least in my experience, is rarely crowded.

Kagehitokiri

base room sizes >

GadgetFreak

Excellent analysis.

grumbler

No question about the view from the RC - GHT views mediocre. And no way would I pay more for a comparable room at the GHT over the Pen.

HKTraveler

To the OP, you made the right choice with the Pen! Definitely the place to stay especially with a 10 and 80 yo. It is within easy walking distance to Ginza (and you can do so underground without crossing the streets) with all the eating and shopping you will ever need. The Ritz is a good as well since it is right on top of Midtown but a nice big shopping mall simply doesn't compare with Ginza.

jtrader is exactly right. Been going to Tokyo quite frequently and the GH is more expensive than the Ritz. I would take the Ritz any time over the GH since the GH rooms have seen its share of wear and tear, Ritz has better pool and also more centrally located. With the price difference, makes it a no brainer for me to stay at the Ritz.

The Seiyo Ginza was nice and would have been my first choice if I wanted to be in the Ginza area. But it is so dated now and offer minimal facilities. The Pen would be my choice these days in the Ginza area.

robyng

We are from Florida (United States) and we used the meet and greet service from FSM. I didn't read this thread carefully - and you didn't say where your mother was coming from. We are 60 - and - after a 2 day trip from Florida to Tokyo - the meet and greet service was wonderful (we were dead on our feet). We used the limo-bus - not the train. With the limo-bus - the people from FSM took care of everything to get us from immigration and customs to the limo-bus. The bus stop was about 1 1/2 blocks from the hotel - and the bellman from the hotel met us at the bus. Took all our luggage - and us - straight from the bus stop to our room (we signed in in the room). In a country like Japan - which has exceptional service in general - the service at FSM was outstanding in all respects. I have written more about the hotel in other threads - you can look them up and read them. Robyn

robyng

I'll save you some time - here is part of what I wrote:

"I want to add a PS. We are leaving Tokyo tomorrow to go to Osaka - and our stay at the Four Seasons has been fabulous. There are services I wouldn't have imagined. The staff took care of forwarding our luggage to our hotel in Osaka. Tomorrow someone will escort us to the station to catch our train. And when we return from Kyoto next week - taking the train from Kyoto to Tokyo Station to Narita - someone from the Four Seasons will meet us at Tokyo Station and show us how to get on the train to Narita.

And the surroundings are both elegant and comfortable. There is a thread on the forum concerning complaints about hotel work environments. Right now - I am sitting in front of my computer in a comfortable chair at an "L" shaped desk - complete with phone and fax/printer - watching the opening of the US markets on a 42" inch plasma screen (which can be positioned for watching from various places in the room).

There is ample drawer room both in the room and a separate "dressing area" so my husband and I don't have to fight for space. And we are traveling with enough clothes to last for 3 weeks in temperatures ranging from 45-75 degrees. In other words - we aren't traveling light.

There is a separate bar/seating area where we can have coffee in the morning - or enjoy a drink at night.

The bathroom is just about perfect (we are both shower people and the shower is large). My husband wants to take the toilet home with us .

Perhaps the only things that some people (not us) might complain about are that the rooms do not have spectacular views - because they're not high (although we're on the 3rd floor and I enjoy watching all the trains from the desk - and my husband doesn't care for really high places). And it might be useful to have 2 sinks instead of 1 if 2 people are trying to do "bathroom things" at the same time. And I guess if you're a large person - then the hotel pajamas won't fit you (my husband is a "medium-sized" guy - and the largest size is ok for him). But I really have to try to find "nits to pick" in terms of finding imperfections in this hotel.

Anyway - we have been happy campers here since our arrival - and hope that we will be as happy when we move on tomorrow. Robyn"

robyng

Here's the rest of it (it's out of order - this was the first message);

"I don't know which is better - but we are at the Four Seasons Marunouchi now and I can't imagine a better hotel. The room is fabulous - extremely comfortable. And the service is "above and beyond". I want to thank those people who recommended the Narita "meet and greet" service. We were pretty much falling over by the time we arrived. Couldn't have handled the train (too much luggage). The "greeter" at Narita put us on the correct limo-bus in no time - and the "greeter" at the Tokyo Station limo-bus drop-off got us the 2 blocks to the hotel just as fast as we could walk. We strolled through a muddy garden yesterday - and my husband's shoes just came back clean as a whistle. I could go on - but don't have the time right now. I'm hungry for breakfast . Robyn"

Kakjapan

Thank you for the FSM info. Wavering again now. I really like the size of the FSM and the reports are all great. FSM - Peninsula - FSM - Peninsula...

Pickles

Given your intergenerational requirements, I would stick with the Pen, given location, view, and hotel facilities besides the room.