Back from my trip to Japan. Co worker and I were there for an inspection at the Navy base in Yokosuka so got to town a few days early with our wives to enjoy a weekend in Tokyo at the Ritz Carlton.

We took an airport shuttle from NRT that dropped us off at the hotel (approx. $30 US each) and were spoiled from the time we checked in until we departed. While all of the club floor offerings were great, I especially liked the wake up call where they had a tray with Coffee outside your door. They also were able to confirm a 4PM check out for me (Plat) and my co-worker (Gold) at check-in.

Not sure how often it is offered, but there was a Sake tasting on Saturday evening (6PM) but not Sunday.

Normally we are locked into per diem rates so being able to splurge on such a nice hotel with points was well worth it for me. Now to build up my Marriott points for another trip in the future.

How did you get the club level access? Through status or using additional 20k Marriot points?

20K points per night. When I first made the reservation I was a night short of Diamond (which explains the language about gold benefits). I did a quick one night stay to hit Plat prior to my visit but imagine the Marriott benefits are similar to the below.

From my email with the hotel

"For this stay we will try very our best to make your stay comfortable with benefits of Gold Elite Member.

Benefits vary between the different brands of our portfolio and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, it is excluded complimentary breakfast/Club Lounge access.
If you are interested in upgrading your room to the Club Deluxe room, another 40,000points would do. If you wish us to modify the room, please let us know it at your earliest convenience so that we would be able to reissue the Club certificate on your behalf by using your 40,000points from your account.

For your information, the benefits of Gold Member is as follow.

[Benefits for Marriott Rewards Gold Member in The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo]
-Early check in based on availability
-Guaranteed late check-out as late as 4pm
- Upgrade to best available rooms based on availability excluding Suite rooms and Club access.
-Complimentary high-speed internet"

I bet the Tokyo Club had nice offerings. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

January
 

Going in January. I guess I can’t expect much for Platinum. Surprised at reviews of this feeling old - at this price point.

The hotel was refreshed recently. It's still one of the finer Tokyo luxury hotels. You'll find more news on it in the Luxury Hotels forum.

Can anyone comment on the best facing rooms (north/east/west) for the most thrilling skyline views? If it makes a difference, we'll be staying during cherry blossom season. I'm not really sure how visible that'd be from the window of a high rise tower though it's not really top factor either. I'm interested in the most impressive city skyline views and from which cardinal direction it would best be experienced. Thx

Sorry, this info isn't based on actually staying there, but I'm in the same boat, because I'll be spending 8 nights there in April. I however do know Tokyo quite well and I gave this a lot of thought. It's all a matter of preference.
- Mt. Fuji is probably the most beautiful sight IF you happen to see it. During the Springtime, there is a lot of haze (not pollution) in the air, which means you have no guarantee that you'll spot it. This can also be seen from the Club Lounge, if you have access there.
- Tokyo Tower will certainly be seen from a Tower-category room. It is the closest landmark to the hotel and it is quite a sight. It's also very iconic to Tokyo. This can be seen from the lobby lounge or at least some of the restaurants (not sure about the lobby)
- One option is Shinjuku, which is great, because you can see skyscrapers (Tokyo isn't that full of huge skyscrapers - they are just concentrated on a few areas, even though some might think otherwise)
- And if I remember correctly the last option is towards Ginza, the Imperial Palace (no idea if it can be seen though) and Tokyo Skytree. I like Tokyo Skytree more as a sight, but it is quite a lot further than Tokyo Tower, so I'm not sure how well it can be seen in the distance if the weather is poor.

So it really is all a matter of preference :). Hopefully this helped a bit.

I stayed here during the week of Christmas and I charged a few items to my room. Spa treatment plus airport limo tickets. Do Ritz-Carltons not give you points for room charges?

Unfortunately, no they don't.

Stay
 

We just visited with another couple for three nights as Platinum Members. Very little Platinum recognition, but perhaps a slightly better room. But reading reviews we didn’t expect much of anything in this regard.



The property is a magnificent building and the lobby is stunnin. You almost feel as if you are having tea or a cocktail in the clouds. One day you are sitting next to business people, the next day you are sitting next to a table of Geishas (as we were one evening). It’s quite the atmosphere.



The rooms are very nicely appointed and we had an amazing view of Tokyo Tower. We were welcomed with a nice note and bottle of sake, so I suppose that was some Platinum recognition.



The location is great and within walking distance to many restaurants and shopping. Easy to pick up Ubers.



The staff was amazingly responsive and the concierge planned our entire three days for us. It’s difficult to walk through the hotel without someone asking if they can help you. Lovely.



The one negative, which is largely a facet of the city and culture, and our fault for not speaking Japanese, the hotel would give us written out cards for taxi and Uber drivers to tell them where we are going - but twice we were dropped in the completely wrong place, despite the hotel card and the hotel bellman instructing the driver. Tough to say who is at fault here, but it was consistently an issue and I would expect the hotel to do a better job of sending us out into the city.


Don’t miss the great lemon water in the lobby. Very refreshing.

Is it possible to upgrade to a Club level when booking award nights? Is it 70,000 points PLUS additional 40 or 20,000 for a club room?

Sometimes, the hotel copies whatever address they can find for the place and technically it's correct but the way the city was laid out makes it something else. Also, doesn't help that sometimes the places are in hidden nooks and crannies. Hiding behind another building, etc.

An award night is 70K plus an extra 20K for club access. I imagine they might offer the 20K club access upgrade option on paid stays as well, but not sure, you'd have to contact the hotel and ask.

What's the best way getting to the hotel based on traffic? Keisei Skyliner to Ueno/Tokyo Station -> Hibya Line , Narita Express to Tokyo Station -> Hibya Line, or Limousine Bus?

4pm arrival to NRT, 11am departure from NRT