Occupying the top 14 floors of a 52-level skyscraper, Park Hyatt Hotel is a luxurious retreat high above downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Synonymous with elegant sophistication, the Park Hyatt is to Tokyo what the Ritz is to London.
Make no mistake. The service here is impeccable and the hotel oozes discreet glamour from every polished marble tile.
From the moment I arrive kerbside before being whisked skywards 40 stories above the bustling Tokyo streets, it’s immediately apparent that I’m in very good hands.
All guestrooms at the Park Hyatt Tokyo occupy levels above the 41st floor. Lead-in room types come with all the luxuries you’d expect at this level while ‘View’ rooms and Suites take full advantage of commanding views of the Tokyo metropolis, home to 36 million residents.
What I enjoy most about my King Deluxe room is the bathtub dominating the wet area (oh, and complimentary high-speed wifi too!).
WELLNESS CENTRE
Club on the Park is a hotel gym on steroids. Spread across levels 45 and 47, whole body wellness and fitness takes centre stage in this luxurious haven of indulgence. Think treatment rooms with Vichy showers, facial and nail care rooms, including a specialty suite for couples to share their pampering in intimate decadence.
Whirlpool tubs, wet and dry saunas, cold plunge pools, aqua exercise classes and a 20m indoor lap pool (with views of snow-peaked Mt Fuji on a clear day) complete the ‘wet’ recreational activities.
Then there’s the gym and aerobics studio where fitness really gets serious. Tailored personal fitness programs are on offer, so too an extraordinary variety of group classes led by tightly toned instructors. Relaxation rooms with the library are a soothing cocoon from the real world far below post workout or spa treatment. Sigh.
FOOD AND DRINK
Commanding legendary status amongst film buffs, claim a window seat at surely one of the sexiest cocktail bars this side of Manhattan, the New York Bar. Enjoy enviable views of Tokyo from the 52nd floor through vast walls of towering glass framing a sprawling view of Tokyo far below.
Turn your back on the mesmerising view if you can and you’ll find an intimate liaisons kind of place that was captured so well in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation. The film followed the burgeoning relationship between Bill Murray’s aging movie star character Bob in the midst of a mid-life crisis, and Scarlet Johansson as college graduate-come-bored housewife Charlotte, accompanying her husband on a tedious business trip.
Insomniacs Bob and Charlotte gravitate towards the New York Bar late at night where they divulge their own troubled lives and relationships, compounded by a foreign Japanese location, hence the movie’s name.
The New York Bar is intimate and mysteriously moody where neon signs are distorted by crystal glassware casting shadows and light across cozy couples. Don’t even think of claiming a spot before dusk has descended to appreciate the sultry vibe with its tinkling grand piano jazzy soundtrack.
Nearby, the equally glamorous and slightly more boisterous New York Grill pays homage to its namesake with larger than life paintings of New York scenes, a menu featuring prime Japanese and imported beef, along with a glass-walled 1,800 bottle wine cellar.
THE VERDICT
If you have the budget necessary to experience exceptional Japanese hospitality in the finest surroundings far above the orderly bustle of Shinjuku, Park Hyatt Tokyo is a winner. Highly recommended.
NEED TO KNOW
- Rooms start at AU$250 per night
- There are 177 rooms including 23 suites
- All rooms feature TV’s in bathrooms (yes!), deep bathtubs and separate showers
- 8 bars & restaurants
- The hotel has a great CBD location is just a short walk to Shinjuku Station, Tokyo’s major transport hub
- More info: www.tokyo.park.hyatt.com
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