My standard hotel reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.

  • Highlights
  • Lobby & Check-in
  • Room
  • Hotel Space / Ambiance
  • Food & Drink
  • Fitness
  • Miscellaneous

 

Bus Tickets to the hotel. Very efficient and convenient out of Narita

Bus Tickets to the hotel. Very efficient and convenient from Narita airport

Highlights: Grand Hyatt Tokyo

First international review! Service in Japan is amazing, and Japanese hotels are worlds better than anything in the US or Europe that I have experienced. Beautiful gym, pool, spa, and sauna, all included in my reservation in Grand Hyatt Tokyo. There were hundreds of art pieces in the hotel, making it a beautiful place to check out. Also, direct hotel bus from Narita airport (NRT) for 3100 JPY, which comes to about $28 at recent exchange rates – for a 1.5-2 hour bus ride, it’s pretty decent! Traffic gets a bit congested though.

 

Lobby & Check-in

The amazing hospitality started as soon as we disembarked the airport bus. White gloved bell attendants swooped in to walk our luggage to the check-in desk, where we were quickly welcomed. We received no drinks/breakfast due to our mere Platinum status (sorry, DiscoveristTM). Very efficient and attentive.

 

Room

The same attendant showed us to our room, walked through every facet and feature of the room’s many switches and toggles, and showed us the amazing Japanese toilet. For those who don’t know, the Japanese washlet has several amazing features, such as heated seats, remote lid opening and closing, front and back wash sprays, and a built-in dryer. It’s a sanitary machine all on its own. Although it was an anniversary, we did not receive a larger room, only one on a higher floor with a great, great view of Tokyo.

One minor hiccup – our original key did not initially work, but the attendant swiftly went back and returned with a fresh, working key. Such speedy service.

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Hotel Space / Ambiance

This one compares well to any in the US, in terms of upscale regalness. It has floors for convention and business meeting space, several pianos, beautiful artwork, and more. Art is very present in the hotel, as the attendant informed us there were hundreds of pieces in this one property. It caters to business travelers and couples looking to be right in the heart of Tokyo action, at Roppongi Hills.

 

Food & Drink

Unfortunately, food & drink was not provided in this hotel, outside of bottled water in the room and some snacks in the gym (See: Fitness). This hotel started the Japan trip, with its branded water bottle. A nice touch.

 

Fitness

Nagomi Spa & Fitness, courtesy of Grand Hyatt Tokyo Website

Nagomi Spa & Fitness, courtesy of Grand Hyatt Tokyo Website

Due to copyright or privacy issues, they did not allow me to take photos. There is a very large, expansive pool, and a smallish and tightly-packed gym. This was the first experience I had to see both a welcome attendant to sign you in to the fitness center, and one or more employees manning the gym. These employees handed out towels, water bottles, and rushed to wipe down machines and make sure everything was in tip-top shape. It was a sight to see, making my experience all that more enjoyable.

And yes, while some hotels start with a fresh towel and water, the hotel was the first one I’ve seen to also have an attendant cleaning and servicing both times I went.

In the locker room, there was similar service, providing towels and other amenities for guests. Both locker rooms had the standard showers, but also came with saunas, massage chairs (what?), fresh juices, water, and small snacks such as dried fruits and a nut assortment. I staged some already-shelled pistachios to snack on later. Such an amazing experience.

 

Miscellaneous

Ippudo Ramen in Roppongi, Tokyo. Better (and cheaper!) than NYC

Ippudo Ramen in nearby Roppongi, Tokyo. Better (and cheaper!) than NYC. Under $9 USD out the door!

This stay at a Grand Hyatt exceeded any expectations I had of the hotel, and rivals the times at Park Hyatt New York. It is a Category six hotel, costing 25,000 Hyatt points or 12,500 points and $150 cash, which is quite reasonable. We used one of the lady’s Hyatt credit card Free Night certificates for the stay, which was well worth it. Post tax price of this night was about 54,000 JPY, which came to about $475 USD. Not bad for a free night! I would definitely return to this hotel, perhaps to try their breakfast and restaurants. No access to the club lounge to our lack of meaningful status.

This hotel is very close to nearby Roppongi, and its many shops, bars, and restaurants, very popular with the business crowd after work. Additionally, Grand Hyatt Tokyo is in the Roppongi Hills mall. I will be sure to explore that as well next time. I simply cannot wait to return to Japan, as it was a wonderfully amazing trip, which all started here in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

Stay tuned for the other hotel reviews of my amazing Japan trip! You’ll be able to find them all on my TravelUpdate page.

 

Featured Image is the lobby area of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

 

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