Happy Easter, all! I just returned back home after an amazing two-week trip with Dad to San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, and Tokyo. At the tail end of the trip, it’s safe to say that I knocked an aspirational hotel stay off my bucket list, as we spent our last night at the legendary Park Hyatt Tokyo.
The Park Hyatt Tokyo is often referred to as the “best hotel” in Tokyo according to Trip Advisor and other reviews circulating around the internet; some even refer to it as the best hotel in the world, period. Naturally, I was curious to give it a try and my expectations were quite high.
Getting the Room
Many people tend to burn their two-free night certificates from the Hyatt Visa here since a standard room can range from $550-$1000 per night, depending on the season. Since I already used my two-free nights last year at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, another option aside from paying the standard rate was to use 22,000 Hyatt GoldPassport points (transferred from Ultimate Rewards) for a free night. Since Dad and I were traveling together, it ended up being “justifiable”, at 11,000 points each, for a one-night stay.
The Location/Getting There
I’ll be honest, the location was not ideal. Unless you’re a business traveler and are happy to be in the heart of the Shinjuku business district, then the location will not impress you if you are a tourist yearning for a real “Tokyo” experience. The hotel is situated on the top floors of a sleek office building, and at times I felt like I was in Manhattan rather than in Japan. You can get to the hotel via public transportation, the shuttle, or a taxi.
I found these directions to be the easiest and most convenient:
Take the Oedo Line (“E” on the Toei Line) to the Tochomae stop (E28). When you exit the train, look for exit A4 and proceed up the stairs. Make a right onto the sidewalk and continue walking until you identify the distinguished Park Tower building (pictured below). It’ll be about a 7 minute walk.
If you decide to get off at Shinjuku station, you can also walk directly to the Park Hyatt Tokyo if you choose. This option will take you probably about 12-15 minutes. Alternatively, there is a complimentary Park Hyatt courtesy shuttle that runs every 20 minutes from the Shinjuku L-Tower. Information about the shuttle service can be found here.
If public transportation is not your thing, you can go the taxi route, but be sure to pay the price. A taxi from Shinjuku station to the hotel will run you about 700-800 Yen, while coming directly from NRT will cost you a hefty 27,000 Yen if you ask the hotel to arrange the transfer for you. Do not be afraid of public transportation in Tokyo – it’s extremely easy to use and efficient.
Since we had an early flight out of HND the following morning, and the metros do not run between midnight and 5 am, the hotel staff recommended that we take the “Airport Limousine” bus at 10:50 pm for 1200 Yen per person. We were able to stow our bags at the hotel free of charge from check out until the time of our bus to the airport.
The Property/The Room
The hotel is located on floors 41-51 of the Park Tower, and I’ll be honest, it’s a gorgeous hotel all around with sleek modern designs and amazing panoramic-views of the city. Upon entering the building, you’ll be greeted by a number of staff members who will give you undivided-personal attention. You’ll then be directed to the elevator which will take you up to the 41st floor for check-in. The first thing that will meet your eyes upon exiting the elevator is an amazing lobby bar complete with a sky-ceiling atrium, providing an abundance of natural light.
We booked at standard room, and as Platinum guests, we were not upgraded, but that’s OK because we wanted two beds anyway. The room was modern, spacious, cozy, and I was generally impressed with it. The only thing I learned I was not a fan of was the green carpet because I felt it did not photograph well. All of the small touches in the room definitely lived up to “5-star luxury”. I appreciated the hand-written welcome note and welcome amenity (some sweet, peanut-based snack).
The bathroom was spacious and featured a full standing-shower and large bathtub, with a large vanity area. There were more towels than I could ever imagine needing, and I was a huge fan of the Aesop amenities.
The Service/Stay Experience
Hands down, the service was impeccable. I have never experienced such attentive staff in my life. Everyone from the doorman to the gentleman who delivered an iron to my room exceeded my service expectations completely. In fact, the service was so attentive that at some points it felt slightly overwhelming. I’m usually not used to such over-the-top treatment, but it definitely stuck with me in a good way.
I also had an opportunity to experience the breakfast the following morning as a guest of a Hyatt Diamond member (thanks, Summer!). The breakfast spread was plentiful and there was also an option to order from the menu. I chose to order from the menu and every course was spectacular.
Let’s connect:Â 
So what would you use the 22k points for instead?
Yeah, don’t like the location either. Grand Hyatt is way better for its location.
No over-priced drink from the rooftop bar?
Good on you for not buying into the hype. I don’t know from personal experience what the Park Hyatt Tokyo is like, but it sure is nice to read a review that doesn’t assume that obsequious service and a office-tower location are what make a hotel stay memorable.
@Andy: I prefer to use points on flights rather than hotel stays
@Gerard: Yes, I agree! GH is in MUCH better location. Originally had a room booked there, but changed to PH at the last minute just to see what it was all about.
@The Weekly Flyer: HaHa nope, did not spend much time at the hotel to experience the rooftop bar (or pool, gym, spa, etc).
@LarryInNYC: Amen. To me, hotels are all about a clean and quiet place to stay. With such a short amount of time in Tokyo to begin with, we barely spent time in the PH room. I’d rather spend more $ on experiences rather than a chic hotel
I like the PH because of the stark contrast to the madness on street level, it is a place of extreme luxury and serenity in hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Great to chill out with your partner.
I think it would work well on day 3 or 4 of a week long stay.
I agree with you on the location, hence why I won’t be staying there on my next 23 hr transit stop – its so far away and there is so much to see and do in Tokyo.
Love your review – brings back memories.
Luxury = nickeling and diming at its finest
To be entirely fair, the reason PH is so highly praised on the blogs, or ‘legendary’ is that it’s the nicest hotel easily accessible via points. It was likely the best western hotel in Tokyo when it opened in 94; however, at this point FS/Ritz/Peninsula are better hotels. Of course, you don’t find as much coverage on those, since they’re expensive.
I assume your comment on using the points for flight instead of hotel was based on earning the points as Ultimate Rewards, and thus transferring them to United instead of Hyatt?
Thanks for that helpful and honest review.Ii am with you on preferring to use the points to fly and find a nice hotel in a cool hood. I had been thinking of using the 2 nights on my Hyatt card there but perhaps will now go for NYC or Paris. Very helpful review Angelina, thanks!
You are most welcome for breakfast – should have joined me for the free Diamond happy hour drinks as well! My impression of the hotel overall isn’t far off from yours. I loved it, but the location was not fantastic for what I did in Tokyo. Had it just been a tad closer to the station I might have felt a little better about the location.
I am personally all for luxury and service (esp when on points), but I don’t feel compelled that I have to return there on my next trip to Tokyo. I would like to return there some day, but I’d like to try other Tokyo hotels out as well. Again, glad I stayed there though. I do think that in the miles and points community the experience there may suffer a tad from a little over-hyping.
I like your hotel reviews the best. You do them with your readers in mind and not just focusing on stuff u care about!
Whats your opinion of conrad tokyo and how do you get there? thanks
As a fellow New Jerseyan (sp???), I think we have similar ideas on what we look for in hotels. Thanks for the review! I am going to Tokyo in December and spending two nights at the Conrad. I did for a brief minute think about Park Hyatt Tokyo… but I do value 50k Hilton points much lower than 22k Ultimate Rewards (especially now) and I also have Gold status with Hilton, getting me free breakfast (a problem you clearly solved another way!)
Looking forward to Summer’s review also.
Hi guys i am going to conrad tokyo april 18, any advice would be appreciated
I really do not understand the comments re location. Shinjuku is one of the key centres of Tokyo and is actually the number one spot visited by foreigners to Japan. Shinjuku station also provides you with almost finite possibilities to get anywhere in the city within minutes along with the Tokyo Metro which has an equally amazing network with main stations under the Shinjuku hotels. The subway from Shinjuku to Roppongi is 12 minutes and only a few dollars. The real Tokyo is also on the east side of Shinjuku station with the largest shopping area in the city and 24 hour night life and entertainment. Places like Omotosando, Shibuya, Yoyogi are only a short taxi or subway ride away or a great 30 minute walk to explore the city.
Sorry many of you need to get out and about and explore. Tokyo is a massive city and wether you are near Tokyo Station, Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro or Shinagawa you have to travel unless you just walk around one area!
Park Hyatt is a beautiful stylish low key hotel and the Hilton and Hyatt Regency are also great hotels in Shinjuku adjacent the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings and observatory.
Hotel location in Tokyo is overrated. It doesn’t matter whether your lodging is in Shinjuku, Akasaka, Tokyo station area, etc. You will be out and about in many different neighborhoods anyway. The subway system is easy to use and goes everywhere. You can easily move across town with no difficulty. No place is more than a 10-15 min walk, max, from a subway stop.
We stayed at the Hilton (Hilton Gold, no Hyatt status then) and liked it. We were upgraded to Executive Lounge floor which was great. The Hilton hotel bus to Shinjuku ran right on schedule then JR trains all over Tokyo. My wife and daughter did the subway once, but JR coverage in Tokyo is just fine. If you have a JR pass that will get around on JR, otherwise get the penguin card (I forget the name) which does both JR and subway in Tokyo.
I just got back from a two week business trip to Tokyo and while I worked a lot, I was able to get out an explore Tokyo. I found it to be one of the cleanest, most energetic, and BRIGHT cities I have ever visited. The people were either really friendly and helpful or respectfully indifferent.
I was put up at the Ritz right there in the Tokyo Midtown Tower but never once ate at any of the hotel restaurants – I usually went to a local restaurant or grabbed something to go at the Precce (think 24 hour Whole Foods) in the Midtown Plaza/Galleria complex. I did have a $25 martini on the first night, hey you only live once, right?
As a Marriott Silver (and the fact I stayed 14 nights) I got a welcome note with a martini glass filled with strawberries. On the start of my second week I received another note and some bottled water (San Pel), and upon departure I received yet another note and some really good chocolates.
That said, if I were there with my wife and kids, the Ritz would’ve been overkill (ok, it would be my money) as we wouldn’t be in the room all that much. It’s not like we’d be entertaining anyone.
I absolutely love the subway…once I figured out there are 3 different systems and a simple trip to Shibuya from Roppongi can vary in cost depending on how you ignorantly route yourself.