david22

For me, I've done Club 1 of 4 times staying at RC Tokyo. I agree in general the $$ add on for Club access is steep, and maybe can't be justified purely on the dollar value of the food / drinks you get, especially given nearby stuff.

But the one time I did it, I think it worked out very well for a few reasons:
1. We had a group of 4 people and the Club was a nice common place to hang out. We also had schedules that weren't completely compatible. Two of us would have breakfast at like 7am and then sit with the others at like 9:30am for their breakfast.
2. It was nice to not have to worry about the cost of buying convenience items on property because it's already all paid for. Just pop up to the lounge and grab a bottle of water or soda. Sure, we could go down to Tokyo Midtown and get something at 7-11 or Precce instead. We also would have a champagne or cocktail every night. Would we have bought drinks on property if we didn't have Club? Probably not.
3. When we booked they had the "Treat You" package available for Club Rooms, which takes one night off. After the deduction the Club room was actually less than the best available rate for the non-Club entry level Deluxe room: 117k JPY * 3 vs. 93k JPY * 4.

CanuckFlyHigh

FYI, I am booked on a corporate rate and had the following message:

I will be able to change bed and breakfast package in advance. This should be prepared in advance since the price is special rate at JPY 3,758 including 16%service charge and 8% tax per person, per meal, while it actually costs JPY 5,638 at the spot without packages.

spek

it might be, but there are a lot of Micheline restaurants to eat out in Tokyo, tons

Scoob72

myperks

Scoob72

myperks -- many thanks for this. I shall approach the hotel in that case and see what they say. Thank you!

callmedtop

Looking for some feedback on a few options I'm deciding on for an upcoming leisure trip to Tokyo. Not our first time in the city and we'll be mainly focused on eating and relaxing after intense sightseeing in Beijing the days prior. We're doing 3 nights in November and I am Titanium.

1. Ritz Tokyo @ 60,000 points (legacy rate)
2. Ritz Tokyo Club level @ $650/night BRG rate (incl. taxes)
3. Prince Gallery @ $400/night corporate rate (incl. taxes)

We love a good hotel bar or lounge for a drink or two before dinner, as well as enjoying breakfast daily in the hotel. With option 1, I will be happy to pay for breakfast in the lobby. We'll be dining primarily in Roppongi but not exclusively. My wife actually went to high school in Roppongi so she is very familiar with the area.

Getting a suite is less important, as are views to be totally frank. Hotel ambiance is the most important, as we will likely be spending a decent amount of time on-property relaxing.

I'm really torn between 1 and 2- the BRG rate was too good to pass up on given that its for a Club room, but it's still $2k of cash. I figure that the Club is realistically worth to me ~$500 (3 breakfasts x2 = $200 + $200 for 1-2 cocktails/person/night + $100 Club service). That means I'm essentially paying $1,450 ($1,950 - $500) for 180,000 points, or 0.8 cents per point.
When you consider I'd earn 23 points per dollar (CC + Titanium) on $2K of spend, that's another 45,000 points. That brings the cents per point to 0.64.

Would appreciate any thoughts people have. I know @bhrubin is a huge advocate of the Prince Gallery and I typically trust his advice but I don't know if I am a huge fan of the ultra-modern rooms which look sort of Ikea-like. The decor at the Ritz seems to suit my taste more.

flyerbjorn

If it was me, I'd choose the Prince Gallery and spend the money on Tokyo. The PG has a nice hotel bar and you get free breakfast as a platinum. I'm really like a good breakfast person and I think the buffet breakfasts are equivalent at the PG and RC.

david22

If you're "focused on eating and relaxing"... that seems like the right circumstances to get a Club level room. :-) (You get more out of Club access if you'll be lounging around the hotel a lot).

BillBurn

Just FYI stayed 5 nights with the family on points at the RC in June and we bought Club Lounge access for 200K Yen/night so you might want to figure that into your calculations using whatever BRG you can get for a normal room.

That said, that Club BRG rate is REALLY low (kind of curious how you scored it!) so I'd definitely be inclined to go with that as its lower than any published rate for just a standard room and especially given that you are going to be mostly in Roppongi and the RC is much better located for that vs. the PG.

FWIW, I thought the Club was one of the better ones in the RC system with great views. The afternoon tea service was surprisingly elaborate and tasty. Definitely a nice place to chill out.

callmedtop

Thanks. Unfortunately the BRG rate was only available for the Club room - the regular rooms were priced similarly to the Marriott website. Otherwise, I would have certainly taken a regular room, as all things equal I would probably prefer to eat/drink in the lobby bar rather than the club lounge.

jmj10

Data point: We were there celebrating our second wedding anniversary on a two-week trip in Japan last November (I was Platinum at the time). I don't know if we hit them at a good time or what, but we were upgraded to a beautiful suite on two separate 2 night stays, and they threw in breakfast for us each time without us even asking! We were treated wonderfully at the hotel, along with special treats sent to the room each night from their chocolate shop downstairs. They really made celebrating our anniversary very special (considering our Honeymoon and first-year anniversary trips were disasters, this definitely made up for it!). Congrats and enjoy.

callmedtop

Regarding the club lounge - will they:
1. Make standard off-menu cocktails (e.g., old fashioned, Manhattan, etc.)?
2. Offer a selection of spirits that is beyond what I see in photos (e.g., https://onemileatatime.com/wp-conten...Tokyo-35.jpg)? Nothing crazy, but things like Hendrick's and others at a similar price point.

Thanks!

Aventine

I would do the Club Room. It's probably has the highest quality lounge offerings and is the most beautifully decorated RC lounge in the world, IMO. Tranquil with impeccable service. It's a nice place to have a sunset cocktail before heading out for dinner. Breakfast won't be as varied as Towers but is still very high quality with made to order eggs. Their free selection of cultural activities range from origami Lessons and Sake tastings. An amazing value to someone looking not to go out too much into the city.

mzrn

Are you able to share there you found the BRG rate? Looking to book in the near future and that would be an amazing rate for Club access.