MSPeconomist

I don't think there's any such rule.

flyerbjorn

Starwood used to have a "kids under 12 sleep for free in existing bedding" explicitly spelled out for bookings at most properties. With the Marriott merger, that's messed up.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/marrio...ward-bookings/

flyerbjorn

Japan seem to have have 3 pricing categories: adult (over 12), child (6-11) and young child (0-5).

I haven't tried bringing children to the Westin Tokyo. At the Prince Gallery hotel, young kids (under 6) were free in the room, but also didn't count for the free breakfast.

s0ssos

Anybody know how the Westin deals with early check-in requests and upgrades? I know Hyatt is really good about early check-in AND upgrading you, but if I wanted an early check-in is it better NOT to use a SNA versus using one? Presumably a suite would be harder to find earlier.
Or is using a SNA better cause I would have higher priority?

And any recent update on platinum benefits (eg spa)? I guess AMB here and plat have different benefits.

acrophobia

I stayed at the Westin Tokyo with my (then) 1-year old. We weren’t charged an extra person fee, but we did have to book a 3x occupancy room. Officially he was not entitled to free breakfast, but they waived the charges for him. Most impressively, the hotel provided us with a daily supply of complimentary diapers, and also persuaded a number of high-profile restaurants to waive their “no child” policy for us.

azj

Been to Tokyo many times (work) but never stayed in any SPG/Marriott properties. I'm bringing the family to Tokyo next Sept before we sail from Yokohama on a cruise. We'll be there essentially 3 days, hoping to get a nice overview of the city. I'm losing my Plat status, but will retain gold for 2020. I plan to use as many Bonvy points as possible on this trip, probably in a C&P combo for 1 room/3 adults. Any thoughts as to a decently located property for a tourist? We are arriving NRT and then departing from Yokohama cruise terminal. I'm looking at Westin or Marriott, but could splurge on the RC. It seems most properties are not available to me because I'm selecting 3 adults. Thoughts?

acrophobia

My advice would be forget about the Marriott. The RC is a far more luxurious property than the Westin and quite central. The Westin, IMO, delivers good value for money and, while in a relatively quiet area, has convenient access to Ebisu station from which you can get just about anywhere else quite efficiently. Money (or points) no object, I take the RC. If I’m thinking about the #*#%-ton of money I’ll inevitably spend on other stuff in Tokyo, Westin.

azj

You may have quoted the wrong poster, but I think you were referring to my post. Thanks for the advice, I'll prob save the $$ and book Westin. Looks like the Limo bus after making pretty much every other stop first, stops at the Westin, which is great, especially with luggage. It might take longer than the N'ex but involves no changes. I'm think taxi to the Yokohama cruise port.

acrophobia

Yes, Westin is pretty much the last stop on the limo bus; I recall it takes about 2 hours (or at least it feels like 2 hours).

And yes, I quoted the wrong post from my Uber back from LGA.

There isn’t a whole ton right around the Westin, but a few things may be noteworthy depending on your interests: Robuchon, an excellent and highly-acclaimed French restaurant, is pretty much directly across the street. There is an excellent photography museum right up the road. There is also a relatively large shopping center across the street. Other than that, Ebisu station will likely be the point of primary interest. You can be to Shinjuku or Shibuya within a few minutes (after the ~10 min walk to the platform).

MSPeconomist

There's a beer museum in the Ebisu shopping mall and also a pretty decent wine store.

northsideguy

Will be staying there in April. Is there a liquor store nearby with a good selection of Japanese Whisky? Thanks!

MSPeconomist

I'm not an expert in Japanese whiskey so I don't know, but it seemed like a large liquor/wine store with decent wines. Sometimes they do tastings that attract both locals and foreigners/expats, which I would consider to be a good sign. IIRC the liquor store is on the main level of the shopping mall as you walk from the Westin to the subway station, on the right.

northsideguy

Got it! Thanks for your reply! Safe Travels!

azj

I ended up booking Westin, but I'll keep an eye on opportunities if they pop up throughout 2020.

khabah

I stayed here in June 2019 and booked a standard room; we were a group of three traveling together and I booked the room for the three of us. Unsurprisingly, SNAs were unable to be redeemed on my reservation and despite my reaching out to the property beforehand, I wasn’t upgraded to a suite but instead was given a Tokyo Tower-view room on one of the hotel’s top floors. It was a bit of a squeeze and the decor was dated, but the hotel quality otherwise was great. Staff were phenomenal, all three of us were granted complimentary access to the club lounge despite the program T&Cs saying that only the staying guest and plus one get access, and we always found the lounge offerings to be sufficient. The hotel’s location isn’t particularly central, but a brisk ten-minute walk to Ebisu station on the Tokyo Metro and a variety of restaurants within the Yebisu Garden Place complex that the hotel forms a part of - from the department store offerings at Mitsukoshi to the top-floor venues at Yebisu Garden Place Tower - offer a few choices to keep you busy outside the hotel. I’d be back.

khabah