Review: Park Hyatt Tokyo

I'd agree the Park Hyatt Tokyo is showing its age. There was some new releases about a year ago stating that a designer had been picked for the redo and that it should start in the next year or two. I guess that has not happened yet.

@ Nick — Couldn't agree more with your review. Although life is quite different for a Diamond at PH Tokyo. The generous breakfast (which can also be taken as room service), the unlimited evening cocktails and food at Peak Lounge, free access to the spa facilities, use of their bicycles where they packed us a lunch basket "to go", all gratis.

Andaz was sold out on my last visit to Tokyo so I stayed at the Regency, (they have a hand full of renovated rooms/ suites), which were great especially at 12k pts/night.

-JRL

For diamonds, the experience is completely different. You should make that distinction.

This ladies and gentlemen is why I read the blog. Thanks for the warning Nick good report and you undoubtedly saved some folks $ and points. Well done

Agreed that as a Diamond, the free breakfast, and drinks and snacks at the Peak Bar do change everything, but I do agree with the general comment that it does feel dated. Also as a tourist, I did not love the area. I do think the Peak Bar offering for Diamonds is unique as many Park Hyatt's do not have a club lounge solution in evenings. I believe they sell access to this for close to $50 per person, including unlimited drinks and snacks, and it seems to be quite popular with the business people around. In Sept 2014 we stayed here as well at 2 nights at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, using a Diamond Suite Award which was further upgraded 1 category from standard suite to an executive suite, and the difference in the room was very dramatic, but I do believe the Grand Hyatt Tokyo standard rooms are very nice as well. I do prefer the Roppongi area as well as a tourist.

As Michael JRL have stated, the experience will differ based on your status and I think that should be noted. While I completely agree with your assessment of the hard product, as a diamond some of your comments around the price point for breakfast and drinks are moot since they are comped. Status at this hotel definitely helps and as a diamond I would stay here again, though if I didn't have status I probably would look elsewhere.

Seems like Lucky would take exception with this review... https://onemileatatime.com/chasing-the-a380-park-hyatt-tokyo/

As a diamond, so do I. Several "Wow" moments at this hotel.

Appreciate that you get more benefits as a Diamond here, and I thank the commenters for pointing that out. (I've made it pretty clear in this trip report series that I'm not a Diamond, so these were perks I neither had access to, nor was made aware of.)

In any event, I had no quibbles with the soft product, nor, really the pricing of food and drink (and it remains worth pointing out that if you go for a drink at night the New York Bar is outrageously priced for everyone, including Diamonds).

My issue with the Park Hyatt Tokyo is that it's shamefully dated -- I mean, a renovation may take years, but surely they could without much effort swap out the 20 year old Toto toilets and install new showers? -- which is sadly the case regardless of Hyatt status.

To me, that's the crux of the experience, and even if I were a Diamond showered with free breakfast and free happy hour snacks, I'd be sorely disappointed with the property.

@Dan, I appreciate his review! We just have different viewpoints (and I think he might feel the same way if he visited today).

Personally, I had some "Wow" moments at this hotel, as in ... Wow, this carpet is f$&ing hideous. 😉

I think the hotel has a lot of fantastic qualities and I'm sure Diamonds get treated royally there. To me, free breakfast doesn't make up for a seriously out-of-date interior, especially at the quoted room rates, and I'd humbly submit that for Hyatt Gold Passport members of *any* status, the Andaz is for now the superior option.

I stayed here recently and thought it was somewhat "shabby chic" - a period piece from the 90s if you will - not every property needs to be ultra contemporary if its comfortable and well kept, which I certainly thought the hotel was, despite the over abundance of teal.

On a semi-related note, I found additional outlets by the desk were hidden in a panel that opened.

Stayed at the PH Tokyo ~10 years ago - sorry to hear they're not updating the property. We had dinner one night at the NY Grill. It was a top meal; and in particular the Kobe rib-eye steak. The views were elevated and phenomenal; as was the price. Still, it's on my list to have dinner there at least once again. It would have been interesting to have an updated review of the restaurant.

I don't think Nick ever criticized the level of service he received at the PH. Unless they have updated rooms that are only accessible to Diamonds, I fail to see how being a Diamond would have changed his impression of the hotel.

I used my free nights here in 2012 and I didn't really understand the appeal. The location isn't great and the decor reminded me of a mid-range vegas hotel. In the same trip I stayed at the Conrad Tokyo before the PH Tokyo. The location wasn't great at the Conrad but it was above a subway stop and the decor was spot on. This only made PH even more disappointing.

That room carpet looks absolutely disgusting. It looks more like something you could find in a cheap 2 stars english hotel, not in a 650$ a night hotel. I wouldn't pay more than 100$ a night for a room with a floor like that. The views are stunning anyway.

Nick, do you not use Tripadvisor when booking hotels? A quick look on TA would have shown just how dated the PH Tokyo is and none of this would have been a surprise to you.

The taxi fare between Tokyo and Narita Airport is highway robbery. My cousin and I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Shinjuku (adjacent to the Park Hyatt). We took the train there but a taxi on the way back. We couldn't take our eyes away from the meter. Some of the scariest moments of my life.

Which are the category 7 properties?

My wife and I are staying at PHT now, spending 4 nights at Conrad before that. Nick's comments are right on the money. Rooms and common areas feel dated and in a need of a refresh. We also feel that Conrad's access to subway is superior. We are Diamonds, so Peak Lounge drinks and canapes + free breakfast are nice. Service is incredible, but so was Conrad's. At Conrad's we had a bay view. At PHT - Mt. Fuji (I also snapped that picture last night with Mt Fuji backlighted by the sunset). My wife gives a slight edge to PHT's amenities, towels, bathrobes.

@Bob: I haven't stayed at the Conrad, but I'd agree with your wife that the PHT's amenities are outstanding. The fluffiest towels and robes, great pillows, and excellent Aesop toiletries.

Great report and very comprehensive pictures, Nick. Completely agree about the dated looking bathroom fixtures. That combination of chrome/plastic was popular in a lot of Asian hotels in the 90s and personally I find them an eyesore as well.

Stayed a few nights at the Conrad and PHT as a lowly Hilton Gold / Hyatt Silver earlier this year. I found the PHT superior. Best service I've ever received at a hotel. Built in lightning/HDMI connector on the TV let me stream video from my phone. Only complaint was that the room was tiny. Conrad had good transit access but an overwhelming bad perfume in the hallways, which also had so much wood trim you may as well have been in a treehouse.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

The author is an 'infrequent but savvy traveler' while possessing a 'sparse portfolio of miles flown and hotel stays per year,' yet oozes with snobbery and haughtiness when 'blessing the hearts' of those 1,998 TA reviews who have collectively ranked the hotel as Shinjuku's best.

I happen to agree with many of your comments, but the tone of your post reeks and damages your credibility.

If one wanted to stay in Shinjuku, which has several new, non-chain properties, and not using points, which hotels, large or boutique, would you suggest?

Maybe it's a generational thing, but your post brought back many fond memories of our PH stay a year ago. To be sure I do not pay much attention to colors and furnishings except when they are garish or dysfunctional. But I found our corner room (with views of Mt. Fuji) to be quite wonderful. Yes, the bathroom and light controls are a bit quirky (this is Japan after all, not Tampa). Yes the location is not terribly convenient to the metro and a bit of a walk to the more interesting parts of Shinjuku. But the hotel staff was wonderful, and was quick to swing into action when we had an issue at the Peaks Bar. I'm sure it didn't help that you missed out on the free fantastic room service breakfast (no Diamond status?) which pretty much blew away any room service breakfast I've ever had. Interestingly the NY Bar was my least favorite aspect - filled with cig smoke and high priced watered down drinks - barely worth a visit just to say you'd been there.

Of course I haven't stayed at the Andaz, so it may indeed be a notch above the PH. Looks nice in your photos, if a bit minimalist.

And $650 seems a bit high - we saw rooms ranging from 39k-51k yen a year ago ($325-425) which is pretty cheap compared to NYC - for a much better product.

I'm thinking maybe you've been spoiled with a few too many suites at other Hyatt and SPG properties, which make the standard PHT room look comparatively weak.

I think it's impressive that a hotel that is 21 years old is still considered to be in the top league...

If anyone wants to see the take on the new design: The Tokyo Suite has been refurbished (and there are pics I posted on trip advisor). I don't think that Hyatt will spend any money on the PHT anymore. If they want to keep the Park Hyatt brand in Tokyo, they will have to look for a different (more central) location.

As a Diamond, I won't pick the Andaz and my preferred hotel is the Grand Hyatt. Great Club Lounge with free flowing champagne (Louis Roederer), best corporate rates and generous upgrades to the Executive Suite.

Stayed at PHT in King suite last week using a diamond suite upgrade. Complete waste of an upgrade. Hotel is terribly dated and far from everything. Having moved there after four nights at the Ritz at Tokyo midtown the PHT's problems were even more glaring. Writing this from the grill at the Kyoto Hyatt which is about 1k nicer than PHT. Ridiculous that this property isn't park branded, it's nicer in every way than the Tokyo property.

I recently spent 10 days in Tokyo including a back to back stay at both Hyatts (5 days Andaz & 5 days Park Hyatt) and wished I would have stayed all 10 at the Andaz. The Andaz is amazing, love the rooms, decor, pool (w/ crazy whirlpools that make u float like an astronaut), bar, restaurants were all amazing. I'm not sure what all the hype is about over at the Park Hyatt.. Rooms are dated, the pool pale's in comparison to the Andaz. PH restaurants are good but there are much better options elsewhere. PH service was average (maybe my expectations were too high). Lucky's review is pretty much spot on so far. I'm interested to get his take on the comparison.

This is by far the best, most comprehensive hotel review I've ever read.

Well done, Nick, and thank you.

Thank you for a good review, Nick.

Think it is nice to see what a product is when you don't necessarily have the top status, as many of us don't.

With that said, I understand the charm of a nice older hotel. One that comes to mind is the IC HK. It is not the newest, but even after many years, I appreciated the rooms and facilities. I think just because a hotel is older, and the carpeting is from a different decade, it should not necessarily knock it down a rung. Of course there are many options in a big city like Tokyo, so you can favor with your wallet as you would like.

However, one this that has bothered me, is the way a reputation of a hotel (or restaurant too) can sometimes outlive its current state. I think sites like TripAdvisor (and Yelp) help facilitate that and I have been clamoring for a feature for years to filter out reviews past a certain date or to see rating trends over time. I don't need to know what a traveler in 2004 thought of a hotel. Or that there was a refurbishment in 2008 made noise and disrupted your stay. One would think this would be much sought after feature and would help keep places with good reviews from becoming complacent and those with less glamorous reviews an opportunity to improve.

So glad Hubs and I chose the Grand Hyatt Roppongi during our visit last Christmas! Not only was the room cheaper, but we upgraded to the club room (well worth it) and the property seemed a lot newer than the Park. We visited the Park Hyatt for drinks, which was enough for me. Really curious to check out the Andaz.

Well, since I am going to complain, let me start with a compliment. That was a very thorough review. Very. Thank you for that, and some really useful photos.

However, your photos undercut your argument. Teal? You complain that there is teal? If you want to say a hotel is in need of a remodel, I expect to see photos with scratched, beat up furniture at least. That was a crazy amount of nitpicking to squeeze into one review. As mentioned in comments above, you tone is down right silly. We get it, you really enjoyed the Andaz. If you are going to turn the review into a hissy fit, don't make us read it.

There is one, and only one, complaint you made that is spot on: the location. There was a long running thread on FT comparing the Tokyo PH vs. GH. The consensus: if you are going to _stay_ at the hotel, use the facilities, have romantic time enjoying the view, then the PH is worth it, but for anyone who is going to Tokyo to be a tourist, skip the PH. The location is a PITA.

@Sam, now you know why the locals always want to fly out of Haneda. Getting to Narita is ridiculous.

@AdamH I've thought that too. Old hotel reviews are worthless. The review sites need to clean this up.

Maybe it is an age issue as I am 63 and I take it you are much younger, but great service is much more important to me that a hotel looking dated. As long as the bed is comfortable and everything is clean, I'll overlook teal decor and your other whiny complaints. I'm using my 2 free nights at PH Tokyo in a few weeks and there was nothing in your review that dampened my enthusiasm. I can't wait, as a Diamond member, to have a room service Japanese breakfast and to enjoy the impeccable service, great views, and cocktails and snacks in the Peak Lounge. I find it totally incredible and am extremely grateful that I get to enjoy all this for FREE.

You act like you've never seen a classy fish harp hand table before!

Most reviews that I see on miles-and-points blogs are for either Park Hyatt Tokyo or Andaz Tokyo. Tokyo has a Hyatt Regency which is a category 3 hotel. Any reviews on that property? If one plans to be active throughout the day, is it worth spending the points on Park Hyatt (or Andaz)?

I am looking at that property (Hyatt Regency Tokyo) actually for a 5 night stay. My experience at Hyatt Regencies have been very good. Just stayed at Hyatt Regency Calgary and got an upgrade to a parlor suite at the executive floor. My Vancouver Hyatt stay is not bad either.

And no Suite upgrade options for diamonds at Andaz whereas you can confirm at booking for the PH into a park suite

Fair points on the room and location but love the PH for two reasons: their concierges work miracles and their gym is awesome. Wife and I started 3 months in Asia here and they setup two full days of dining at some of the hardest reservations to get in the world (Tempura Kondo, Quintessence, etc.) without trouble. The views from the gym and pool are amazing and was almost vacant when I was there last October (treadmills over elliptical any day!)

The Conrad has better rooms, better location, and I prefer their dining and drink options, BUT their concierges struggle to setup simple things and the gym is nothing special. All in? I’ll take the PH during the week and Conrad for the weekends.

@ bob

I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo earlier this year (when it was a category 2, an absolute bargain). It is kind of outdated, i'd say the rooms are slightly worse than Park Hyatt Tokyo. Lounge is average, there is apparently a michelin restaurant on site. Location wise it is basically the same as Park Hyatt Tokyo, except on the west of Shinjuku. There is a direct bus from the airport (both NRT and HND) that go to the hotel.

The only reason to take a taxi between Tokyo and Narita is if you're hauling a massive load or disabled. Why anyone would choose to stay in the yakuza-infested craphole of Shinjuku is beyond me -- perhaps to see the idiotic Robot Cabaret.

Nearby the Andaz, I've been fortunate to stay at the Okura, once the best hotel in Tokyo - and I'm surprised its not mentioned. Its a masterpiece of architecture and art from the 60's where James Bond stayed and heads of state met Japan's Emperor (including Obama). This month the Okura is being torn down to be replaced with lame glass office towers with a hotel on the bottom. All to compete with the likes of the Andaz.

I travel to Japan frequently and find there is different sort of sensibility there. (Perhaps linked to the concept of wabi sabi?) Although the level of aesthetics throughout the country are high, they value economy and asperity profoundly, and do not aim to fix what isn't broken. This is evident both at highly-rated hotels and those with distinguished reputations. I do agree with your assessment of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, but after much travel throughout the country over the past decade, find my appreciation has increasingly aligned with the local offerings, and find the Park Hyatt Tokyo a fine choice all things considered.

I did not enjoy my stay at the Andaz very much. I felt too far removed from the neighborhoods I usually frequent. The room setup also didn't suit me. The desk was too large and so close to the bed that I correctly predicted that my partner would walk into it when getting out of bed. I think less/smaller-sized furniture would be more ideal. You also can not use a Dismond Suite Upgrade award here as suites are limited in number.

Just read the comment above mine. I, too, was sad when I heard the Main Wing of the Hotel Okura Tokyo dating from the 1960s would be demolished. The main lobby was iconic and epitomized timelessness. But the guestrooms were in dire need of an overhaul. So I wouldn't blame the Andaz, time had taken its toll and the 2020 Olympics provided further impetus.

Also, the yakuza are everywhere and another reason to take a taxi between the airport and downtown is if your employer is picking up the tab.

Crazy to see this look exactly the same as it did when I stayed in 2014! That’s 12 years with no changes which is wild.