Feb 18, 2019, 10:57 am
Last edit by: bhrubin
As of February 2019 this hotel no longer offers club lounge access to Marriott Platinum and higher guests, even if upgraded to a room category which would otherwise offer lounge access, so lounge access mentioned in older reviews would no longer apply.
The hotel also no longer participates in Suite Night Awards.
Breakfast offering for Platinum and higher is in restaurant, buffet plus made to order eggs.
Expert Review from May 2018 posted to the Luxury Hotels Forum: “Stunning hard product with great concierge and service”
https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...d-service-2620
The hotel also no longer participates in Suite Night Awards.
Breakfast offering for Platinum and higher is in restaurant, buffet plus made to order eggs.
Expert Review from May 2018 posted to the Luxury Hotels Forum: “Stunning hard product with great concierge and service”
https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...d-service-2620
The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, Japan, LC [Master Thread]
Apr 26, 2019, 4:31 pm
#841
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,289
Can one of you confirm that the email for the concierge is still [email protected]? I need to get 3 tix for the Ghibli Museum in Aug. The purchasing mechanism for that museum is way too complicated (i.e., book through some kind of japanese site and that it only opens up on the 10th of each month for the following month and that the online tix sells out within minutes.). I read somewhere that a local japanese person can easily go to a Loppi machine at a Lawson store in Tokyo and get the ticket. So I was hoping that the concierge could help me to do that ahead of time.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Don’t expect the initial reply to come any sooner than 5 days.
May 2, 2019, 6:09 am
#842
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,432
So I booked a night in a Kioi Suite in honor of the start of the Reiwa era (it's perhaps the only hotel with a good view of both the Imperial Palace and the Akasaka Gosho)
My thoughts in brief:
Pro:
This suite was made for introverts. It has a dropbox for delivering amenities, and you can order them via in-suite iPad, so you never have to actually talk to anybody.
The soundproofing is top-notch. The hallway that separates the rooms of the suite from the outside likely prevents anything being said in the rooms from being heard outside, and indeed you can't hear anything between the main bedroom and the detached conference room thingie.
They aren't at all stingy with the amenities, which are all nice. Lots of coffee capsules in the two rooms, which are replaced at turndown time, and also replaced via iPod as requested.
Con:
Award stay (which I did not use) costs as many points as the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo? Okay fine, I will compare it to the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. Actually, strike that, it's certainly an insult to compare the club lounge to the RCT lounge. It's really more on par with Sheraton Yokohama, and they certainly weren't as good at replacing the evening items as even Sheraton Yokohama was. The breakfast was nice, but it was only a small subset of what was available in the restaurant, which was also free for us, so not much of a point. Very disappointing.
The place as a whole was a disappointment. There's nothing bad, but there was no real wow factor for me. The pool, spa, gym, were all perfectly cromulent, but there was nothing to make them stand out from the myriad of other very good options of Tokyo. It's certainly not the best Marriott in Tokyo, and I don't think it was even the best Prince Hotel in Tokyo (not as good as Prince Park Tower, maybe on par with Prince Sakura Tower, but doesn't have their spectacular garden or outdoor garden pool). The highlight of my stay was touring the New Otani across the street.
I'm glad I went once, but now this place is completely skippable. If I want a spectacular club lounge, I'll go to the Ritz Carlton. If I want a spectacular pool, I'll go to Aman. If I want a spectacular spa, I'll go to the Park Hyatt. At this price range, I can't think of any compelling reason to ever stay here again.
My thoughts in brief:
Pro:
This suite was made for introverts. It has a dropbox for delivering amenities, and you can order them via in-suite iPad, so you never have to actually talk to anybody.
The soundproofing is top-notch. The hallway that separates the rooms of the suite from the outside likely prevents anything being said in the rooms from being heard outside, and indeed you can't hear anything between the main bedroom and the detached conference room thingie.
They aren't at all stingy with the amenities, which are all nice. Lots of coffee capsules in the two rooms, which are replaced at turndown time, and also replaced via iPod as requested.
Con:
Award stay (which I did not use) costs as many points as the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo? Okay fine, I will compare it to the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. Actually, strike that, it's certainly an insult to compare the club lounge to the RCT lounge. It's really more on par with Sheraton Yokohama, and they certainly weren't as good at replacing the evening items as even Sheraton Yokohama was. The breakfast was nice, but it was only a small subset of what was available in the restaurant, which was also free for us, so not much of a point. Very disappointing.
The place as a whole was a disappointment. There's nothing bad, but there was no real wow factor for me. The pool, spa, gym, were all perfectly cromulent, but there was nothing to make them stand out from the myriad of other very good options of Tokyo. It's certainly not the best Marriott in Tokyo, and I don't think it was even the best Prince Hotel in Tokyo (not as good as Prince Park Tower, maybe on par with Prince Sakura Tower, but doesn't have their spectacular garden or outdoor garden pool). The highlight of my stay was touring the New Otani across the street.
I'm glad I went once, but now this place is completely skippable. If I want a spectacular club lounge, I'll go to the Ritz Carlton. If I want a spectacular pool, I'll go to Aman. If I want a spectacular spa, I'll go to the Park Hyatt. At this price range, I can't think of any compelling reason to ever stay here again.
May 13, 2019, 5:13 pm
#843
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 97
I recently had a 3 night stay at the end of April in a Club level room. Overall, I thought the property was quite nice, with solid service from the front desk & concierge staff. Requests were quickly attended to with a smile.
Had a room on the 36th floor facing west, and we were able to glimpse Mt Fuji on one morning through the clouds.
The only real disappointment was the Club Lounge. We stopped by on the second evening we were there. Found it quite crowded, a bit stuffy (air/temperature) dark and dreary, and food seemed to be quickly picked over by the guests hovering nearby. We had a drink, and then quickly headed for the magnificent hotel bar off the lobby. Amazing drinks (including some fantastic Japanese gins which I’m trying to find in the US), service and people watching there. It was hard to think that this spot had any relation at all to the Club Lounge. I didn’t mind at all paying to be there. “Free” was even too high a price to spend any more time in the lounge.
We enjoyed our breakfasts in the main restaurant. Service a bit slow as others have mentioned (including repeated requests necessary for coffee refills), but lovely setting and we liked having different views depending on which of the 3 sides we were sitting in. Only other negative, which I experienced frequently in Japan, was some extreme temperature changes between different indoor areas, or especially in the Tokyo metro. In some places, it was seriously 30 degrees (F) warmer than outside.
Anyway, I can see why this hotel has been so highly regarded. At less than half the cost of the RC or the other major players in the Tokyo hotel scene for our dates during Golden Week, I thought it was a great value. The staff managed quite well despite the crush of the holiday crowds. It didn’t feel quite as special as other high end properties, but we were quite happy for our short stay.
Had a room on the 36th floor facing west, and we were able to glimpse Mt Fuji on one morning through the clouds.
The only real disappointment was the Club Lounge. We stopped by on the second evening we were there. Found it quite crowded, a bit stuffy (air/temperature) dark and dreary, and food seemed to be quickly picked over by the guests hovering nearby. We had a drink, and then quickly headed for the magnificent hotel bar off the lobby. Amazing drinks (including some fantastic Japanese gins which I’m trying to find in the US), service and people watching there. It was hard to think that this spot had any relation at all to the Club Lounge. I didn’t mind at all paying to be there. “Free” was even too high a price to spend any more time in the lounge.
We enjoyed our breakfasts in the main restaurant. Service a bit slow as others have mentioned (including repeated requests necessary for coffee refills), but lovely setting and we liked having different views depending on which of the 3 sides we were sitting in. Only other negative, which I experienced frequently in Japan, was some extreme temperature changes between different indoor areas, or especially in the Tokyo metro. In some places, it was seriously 30 degrees (F) warmer than outside.
Anyway, I can see why this hotel has been so highly regarded. At less than half the cost of the RC or the other major players in the Tokyo hotel scene for our dates during Golden Week, I thought it was a great value. The staff managed quite well despite the crush of the holiday crowds. It didn’t feel quite as special as other high end properties, but we were quite happy for our short stay.
Last edited by gstork; May 13, 2019 at 6:05 pm Reason: Adding another comment to the review
May 13, 2019, 8:41 pm
#844
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
Surprised the lounge was such a bad experience for you. I don't love the carpet, and it's rather small, but I've always had a good time in the lounge. Never has it been more than at 50% capacity during my visits.
But I agree on the hotel bar. Amazing hotel bar, my favorite of any Tokyo hotel (over PH, Andaz, etc. easily). The colors, the views, the people… awesome!
But I agree on the hotel bar. Amazing hotel bar, my favorite of any Tokyo hotel (over PH, Andaz, etc. easily). The colors, the views, the people… awesome!
May 13, 2019, 9:22 pm
#845
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: YYZ
Programs: Ex-Bonvoyed, Hyatt, Hilton, BR, AC, AA
Posts: 1,289
Surprised the lounge was such a bad experience for you. I don't love the carpet, and it's rather small, but I've always had a good time in the lounge. Never has it been more than at 50% capacity during my visits.
But I agree on the hotel bar. Amazing hotel bar, my favorite of any Tokyo hotel (over PH, Andaz, etc. easily). The colors, the views, the people… awesome!
But I agree on the hotel bar. Amazing hotel bar, my favorite of any Tokyo hotel (over PH, Andaz, etc. easily). The colors, the views, the people… awesome!
May 14, 2019, 3:36 am
#846
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
May 14, 2019, 8:20 am
#847
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,423
May 14, 2019, 9:46 am
#848
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Virginia
Posts: 291
And the lounge was never over crowded while I was there in the height of sakura season. I quite liked it.
May 14, 2019, 10:48 am
#849
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,423
If the buffet wasn't otherwise fairly weak, it would be endearing. But given the limited options, I thought it was just weird.
May 22, 2019, 10:55 am
#850
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kan@da
Programs: Anything with sweet spots
Posts: 1,790
Surprised the lounge was such a bad experience for you. I don't love the carpet, and it's rather small, but I've always had a good time in the lounge. Never has it been more than at 50% capacity during my visits.
But I agree on the hotel bar. Amazing hotel bar, my favorite of any Tokyo hotel (over PH, Andaz, etc. easily). The colors, the views, the people… awesome!
But I agree on the hotel bar. Amazing hotel bar, my favorite of any Tokyo hotel (over PH, Andaz, etc. easily). The colors, the views, the people… awesome!
May 22, 2019, 11:08 am
#851
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,459
I really don't understand the breakfast complaints. I just spent two weeks in Japan and the buffet offering at the PG had more variety than the buffet that offered at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto where I have never heard a single complaint about breakfast. What sort of dishes would you like added to the buffet? There must be a ton of things missing for you if it's what you'd consider a weak offering.
May 22, 2019, 11:51 am
#852
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Sweden
Programs: Marriott Platinum - LT Gold
Posts: 688
I really don't understand the breakfast complaints. I just spent two weeks in Japan and the buffet offering at the PG had more variety than the buffet that offered at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto where I have never heard a single complaint about breakfast. What sort of dishes would you like added to the buffet? There must be a ton of things missing for you if it's what you'd consider a weak offering.
The Sheraton Yokohama is way better in its offerings when it comes to lounge and breakfast and the rate difference between a the two is pretty big. One you can have for 11 000 JPY/Night and the other 30 000-60 000 JPY/Night. One of the best breakfast in my life has been in Sheraton properties so the question is why the sleepy service from restaurant staff in PG (the guy in the PG Lounge was fantastic during our stay though)? There's no surprise and no innovation.
Now since some time back PG decided they want to restrict elites on their mediocre breakfast and lounge and of course it pisses people off. Instead of improving what they should be doing.
Great bar and room though and I liked the fitness with pool area.
Last edited by hhoope01; May 22, 2019 at 2:49 pm Reason: Removed unnecessary racial generalization.
May 22, 2019, 12:26 pm
#853
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,369
Yokohama and Tokyo are different locations and different markets. Tokyo is much more expensive.
May 22, 2019, 12:33 pm
#854
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
Hot Japanese women would've been nice though.
May 22, 2019, 12:36 pm
#855
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
Pure insanity… this is hyperbole if I've ever seen it. Perhaps you don't like the breakfast (I personally loved it), but regardless, saying that the PG isn't a true luxury property is ridiculous.