Limo bus direct to the RC - approx $30 per person -

Apologies. I had posted info for the Park Hyatt -worng thread ( info deletedl)

My wife and I will be staying at the RC Tokyo for 6 nights in may using points. We are currently trying to decide if we should upgrade to Club Level for the JPY20,000 per night offered by the hotel. I understand a lot of the decision is mostly a personal one based on use, value, etc. but hoping for some help..

I think our use of the club would be predominately for breakfast, some afternoon breaks and perhaps a drink upon returning at night if we arrive prior to the 10:00 close time.

The idea of being able to walk to the club and grab breakfast is the number one draw. We are usually up early so having somewhere to go at 7:00 AM for coffee and food is a plus. I believe from what I've raid that Tokyo is not typically and early morning breakfast city. Can anyone tell me what options in the area would be open early for coffee and breakfast?

I have tried using google maps and it seems like the closest option is Starbucks but honestly I'm not a fan of the chain. Blue Bottle coffee doesn't appear to open until much later in the morning.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Worth it for the service imo. We used them heavily to provide us directions places which was priceless. Also they can book you reservations in advance. I found it well worth the points. I wouldn’t pay cash tho.

Concierge is very crowded so using the club staff to help you with things during the stay can be a time factor. I didn't opt because I was not planning on using the club lounge in my 2 night stay. They also offered $200 for 2 nights which I feel is a good offer since you are guaranteed a club room (higher floor) as well. If you're able to use the club lounge, go ahead without hesitation. This property is a steal to book with points.

If you have the points and if the hotel will offer it, the value for upgrading using points may be a better value. I was offered 20K Marriott points per night, which IMO is a better deal than 20K JPY, but up to you.

I think you'd get sufficient value out of the 20,000 yen to do the upgrade per day. You could also do points as some others have suggested.

The Midtown Starbucks Reserve opens at 7am and they do all kinds of unique Reserve type drinks (2F Reserve bar) to just your normal Americano downstairs. Excellent quality brews and craftsmanship because it's one of Japan's premier Starbucks stores. Unlike any of the normal ones I went to in the States. Blue Bottle is across the street and gets very crowded with tourists that want to try it.

Options
 

We were happy to avoid the lounge. Many nice options open early right downstairs. Amazing Starbucks Reserve. And La Pain.

Was it too busy? It's one of the finer Club lounges in Tokyo.

I'm going to be staying at Ritz Carlton Tokyo on Sunday. I notice that on the Marriott app I can check-in early, and it does say that as a Gold Elite member, I am eligible for an upgrade. Question is would I have a better chance at an upgrade checking in early on the app, or upon arrival at the hotel, or does it not matter?

I would ask at the desk. Apps will usually just give you what you're booked for.

I did mobile check-in and got a club room instead of the basic room booked with points. But still no lounge access. Also received a welcome plate.

Kind of an unusual question but does anyone know whether this property has blu-ray players in rooms/suites, and if so, are they locked to region code A (Japan) or are they universal and, more specifically, can they play discs from the UK? I assume the Ritz would have blu-ray players but I wonder if I could request one that's compatible with UK discs?

Also, are the televisions fully internet accessible and would I be able to access movie streaming websites (Filmstruck) w/ existing U.S. account?

Thanks

EDIT: I see that Filmstruck is unavail outside of the US w/o VPN which seems too complicated, so back to my initial question re. compatibility of 'region B' coded BRs in Japan and whether the Ritz has any universal players available or would be able to fashion a unit as such on request.

One more question -- does anyone know what type of televisions are furnished in the rooms/suites?

I'm trying to figure out how to watch a movie that is likely PAL encoded (UK source) -- I will either purchase the BR on Amazon.co.jp (region B import) and deliver directly to the hotel or I will figure out how to download and rip to MKV, in which case I'd like to know what make/model televisions are in room to determine how best to do this; whether I can upload to an external drive and bring an HDMI connection , whether there's USB flash drive input, etc.

Thanks!

I was in the Carlton Suite April of 2017 and there wasn't a multi system tv - just a standard domestic model - it did have an HDMI input that I tried to stream Netflix into with a Google Chrome Dongle but I failed to make a connection the two devices were happy with.