Park Hyatt Tokyo assessment – The Factors Man

In my many visits to Tokyo, I’ve stayed in every kind of inns, from a capsule-style hostel in Akihabara to the ultraluxe Janu Tokyo. However one resort, the sky-high Park Hyatt Tokyo, finest recognized for its star flip in “Misplaced in Translation” and a jewel within the World of Hyatt loyalty program, has eluded me over time.

Now, after closing for 19 months whereas present process a head-to-toe rework, the Park Hyatt Tokyo is again in enterprise — and TPG was on the scene throughout opening week to see if the legendary resort ought to hold a spot on World of Hyatt loyalists’ “must-visit” checklist. (Trace: It ought to!)

Here is what it was like staying on the fresh-as-ever Park Hyatt Tokyo.

Associated: Finest Park Hyatt inns, in keeping with Globalists

First impressions

To get to the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s foyer, friends should enter the Kenzo Tange-designed Shinjuku Park Tower and zip as much as the forty first ground. Right here, elevator doorways open right into a sun-drenched atrium with towering geo-patterned glass ceilings and floor-to-ceiling home windows. The views sweep throughout Tokyo and, on a transparent day, you possibly can see all the way in which out to Mount Fuji. It is a dramatic entrance match for a dramatic resort.

From the atrium, the hushed drama continues as friends are whisked away by way of a mazelike sequence of corridors, all providing breathtaking views. You move by way of a modernist library replete with pure wooden shelving, stroll previous the brand new Alain Ducasse brasserie (and its assortment of black-and-white Vera Mercer images) and find yourself in a moodily lit, carpet-lined foyer that units the tone for the remainder of the glossy resort.

From clean, teal carpets to textured wallpaper, clever lighting and picket accents, Jouin Manku — the Parisian design studio behind the resort’s refreshed interiors — pays homage to the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s unique rule-breaking design from 1994, however with a delicate modern twist.

I discovered the resort’s total vibe to really feel extra formal, although not stuffy. Luxurious hospitality is available in all styles and sizes, and the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s model felt extra conventional than different luxurious inns I’ve stayed at in Tokyo.

The rooms

The Park Hyatt Tokyo has 171 rooms and suites. For my two-night keep throughout opening week, I used to be in a deluxe room with two twin beds and people dramatic views of Tokyo, together with glimpses of Yoyogi Park. Fortunate for me, the room felt harking back to the enduring shot from “Misplaced in Translation” the place Scarlett Johansson sits perched within the windowsill.

To me, the room felt very Japanese and considerably minimal in a refined, buttoned-up method.

A protracted, leather-based headboard with a room management panel encompassed each double beds, which have been plush, snug and cloudlike.

A sitting chair, a eating desk and a daybed occupied the far facet of the room, framing the home windows to verify the legendary view was entrance and heart.

An enormous 65-inch TV (with streaming companies) dominated the leisure console, whereas a wonderful cupboard system housed the minibar, the espresso machine, the glassware, tea units and snacks.

The cupboard, which opened to the facet and had pullout drawers, honors the aesthetic work of the resort’s unique designer, John Morford. And all through the room, Japanese parts, together with magnolia leaf decorations and washi lamps by celebrated designer Isamu Noguchi, abound.

The lavatory featured double vanities, an enormous mirror, Aesop tub merchandise and top-tier facilities like a Dyson hair dryer.

A soaking tub sat in a glass-enclosed room with a bathe, making it straightforward to soak for some time and rinse off in true Japanese model.

My favourite Japanese resort amenity, a elaborate rest room with a heated seat and an electrical bidet, was in one other room off to the facet.

A small however extremely practical walk-in closet sat on the finish of the lavatory. Inside the cupboard drawers, I discovered a wonderful Japanese yukata, a kimonolike sleeping garment that was snug to put on across the room.

Eating at Park Hyatt Tokyo

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is house to New York Bar, New York Grill, Girandole by Alain Ducasse (which doubles because the resort’s breakfast lounge), the Japanese restaurant Kozue, Delicatessen, The Peak Lounge and Bar, and the ground-level Pastry Boutique.

On my first day, I visited The Peak Lounge and Bar for a sundown afternoon tea expertise ($64 per particular person). From there, I watched the solar fade past Mount Fuji as Tokyo lit up at nightfall, all whereas having fun with a sequence of savory treats like a smoked duck breast, onion and fig tartlet and a mouthwatering bowl of snow crab beneath a poached egg — alongside luxurious sweets and baked items from the cake trolley, in fact.

Asian luxurious resort breakfasts are immaculate, and the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s morning choices are not any exception. From the menu, I ordered the standard Japanese breakfast set. Though I used to be instructed it will take about quarter-hour to arrange, it ended up taking considerably longer, nevertheless it was nicely definitely worth the wait. Frankly, I hardly knew what something within the field set was — fortunately, a visible map of the tray explaining every dish helped me be taught that I used to be consuming grilled flounder and Japanese delicacies like dried radish and cod roe, plus extra acquainted objects like miso soup and white rice.

Visitors can even take pleasure in Western choices for breakfast, in addition to buffet objects served in delicate glass containers like potato and lobster salad or recent yogurt. There was additionally a formidable unfold of pastries, breads, cereals and fruit for these seeking lighter fare.

For this New Yorker, dinner at New York Grill up on the 52nd ground felt like I used to be again at house, due to its vigorous vitality, chatty crowd and an total feeling of grandeur. The meals was scrumptious, too. My colleague and I loved a plate of mouthwatering pan-seared Japanese scallops ($35), a barely underwhelming shrimp cocktail that got here with a Thousand Island-style dipping sauce ($30), a hearty and tender grilled Australian lamb rack ($57) and a satisfying tahini-covered cauliflower steak with miso glaze ($27). Make sure to ask for a window seat for a facet of endless Tokyo views.

By far, my favourite spot within the resort was New York Bar, impressed by none apart from New York Metropolis’s Radio Metropolis Music Corridor and Carnegie Corridor. To me, a dreamy night time at a resort contains whisky and jazz music, and this bar did not disappoint. Each nights I visited, I listened to unbelievable reside jazz, absorbing the tunes and the glowing metropolis sights whereas sipping drinks, like old-fashioneds and whisky sours (each $17), from a menu devoted to totally different eras of cocktails.

Contemplating I used to be visiting throughout opening week, it is value noting that there have been just a few minor service hiccups throughout the eating experiences, principally associated to timing. I am positive the resort’s bars and eating places will quickly discover their footing, and each single resort workers member made up for delays with utter kindness and shows of Japanese hospitality.

Facilities and repair

• Membership on the Park, a multifloor membership and spa, gives a glimmering indoor swimming pool encased by home windows on all sides, a complete health club (with unbelievable views, unsurprisingly) and gendered steam rooms, saunas and baths.
• Pleasant doormen can prepare transportation and supply friends help, like umbrellas for wet days.
• 4 occasion areas in numerous sizes can be found to ebook on-site.

Location and logistics

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is situated on the thirty ninth to 52nd flooring of the Shinjuku Park Tower in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward. Although Shinjuku is a busy neighborhood, the resort is in a quieter, extra business-oriented a part of the ward, so if you wish to be proper in the midst of the motion, you would possibly look elsewhere.

The resort is a few 30-minute automotive trip from Haneda Airport (HND), which might price anyplace from $50 to $70 to get to in a taxi, relying on visitors and time of day. It is about 47 miles from Narita Worldwide Airport (NRT) and fewer than a mile from Shinjuku Station.

What it prices to remain at Park Hyatt Tokyo

Money charges on the Park Hyatt Tokyo can fluctuate wildly relying on the season, however we discovered charges as little as about $700 per night time — although they’ll simply climb over $1,000 per night time throughout peak dates.

As a Class 8 World of Hyatt property, customary award availability begins round 35,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time. Suites could be booked from 61,000 factors per night time, although suite availability for factors redemptions is tough to search out proper now.

When reserving the Park Hyatt Tokyo, you’ll wish to use one of many bank cards that earn essentially the most factors for Hyatt stays, in addition to one which presumably gives computerized World of Hyatt elite standing for value-added advantages. These embrace:

Accessibility

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is a really accessible resort, providing accessible visitor rooms and public areas, in addition to a devoted webpage providing extra info. As at all times, TPG recommends contacting the resort straight earlier than reserving to verify accessibility options.

Backside line

When the Park Hyatt Tokyo opened in 1994, it was a sport changer for Tokyo’s luxurious hospitality scene. Now, 30 years later, the brand new iteration of the resort feels recent and fashionable whereas nonetheless honoring what made the resort particular within the first place. And as an enormous fan of “Misplaced in Translation,” it is good to see that the recent design nonetheless very a lot displays the cinematic legacy of this iconic resort.

Positive, it would really feel a bit formal at instances, and there are nonetheless some new-hotel jitters to be labored out. However all in all, the Park Hyatt Tokyo is a legend within the World of Hyatt ecosystem for a motive — and now it is again and higher than ever.

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