The Final Asia Hop: Park Hyatt Tokyo

• Introduction
• The Renaissance Saigon
• Cathay First Class
• InterContinental Hong Kong
• Cathay First Class Lounge
• Park Hyatt Tokyo

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is one of the finest hotels I have stayed in, known as one of the finest in the world and confirms my love for the Park Hyatt brand. The hotel is outstanding in terms of hotel quality and especially in terms of service. It’s part of the setting of the movie lost in translation and perhaps the building itself is more recognized for it’s distinct design.

In my limited experience, the Japanese are kind and helpful people but it seems as though the PHT did an area wide search for the most congenial people. From the moment my foot hit the first step the great service began. We were welcomed and then escorted through the labyrinth (it felt the first day) of luxury to the front desk by an extremely warm and friendly young man. He must have called ahead because our information was printed and waiting for us when the next man checked us in. He then handed us off to an even more charming man who escorted us to our room and showed us around. Even going to the pool, by the time I got off the elevator the spa had alerted the pool staff. Incredible service.

Before I even saw the room I was blown away but the room was the nicest room I’ve seen since the last Park Hyatt. There is a lot of emphasis on design instead of simple luxury. For example the Park Hyatt Shanghai had a giant door made of mirrors and here many things were made of dark woods and had a more artsy decor.

Having a stay at a hotel like this after other 5 star hotels, makes me think there should be a sixth tier or at least a rating system for 5 star hotels. Maybe we’ll call it a luxury hotel. Be sure to know that this is a luxury hotel in a business district. The rooms are consistently $600 a night but it seems they make a lot of their money off their well known high end restaurants. Unfortunately for cheapos like me, there is no club lounge and being in the business district means that you are not downtown.

As an example of how snobby prestigious they are (or perhaps their customers): this is the first hotel that I’ve had to wear a cap while swimming. Maybe other hotels do this too or maybe it’s a japanese thing but it seems a bit much for a lowly points collector. In fact, this is the first hotel I felt like as though perhaps I don’t belong as I can’t afford two $100 meals a night and I don’t mind sharing a pool with people who don’t wear rubber caps.

The view of Tokyo is great but you aren’t downtown. Really, I would give the hotel 1 night for the experience and then move on because there really isn’t much to see or do in the hotel’s area. You can redeem 22,000 points for one night (or use a free night from the visa). And for a mere 6,000 points you can have a suite upgrade to the Park Suite (which costs $1,000 more than standard rooms). The hotel is the finest of the fine but the service is the reason you must experience the Park Hyatt Tokyo.