Disclaimer: In exchange for a 2-night stay, I am writing this review of Park Hotel Tokyo.
Before we jump into particulars, you might be interested to learn more about the concept behind the hotel.
Art
Much like its sister property the Shiba Park Hotel, there is a core theme at the Park Hotel Tokyo. Whereas the former specializes in books, the latter focuses on art.
With changing exhibits throughout the year, Japanese artists are invited to present their works in the vast hotel atrium, on different room floors, and even in many hotel rooms themselves:
If you’re so inclined, many of the more than 400 works throughout the hotel are for sale.
Located in the modern business district of Shiodome, it’s certainly not the most lively part of town after dark, or on weekends. But it’s quite a good location for airport access– Shimbashi station on the Asakusa metro line connects to both Narita and Haneda airports. Alternatively, the hotel is a ~15-20 minute walk from Hamamatsucho station, which links to the Tokyo Haneda Airport monorail.
JR Shimbashi and JR Hamamatsucho stations also connect with the Yamanote circle line, which hits many of the most popular neighborhoods in the city.
Location
The Park Hotel Tokyo occupies floors 25 – 34 of the Shiodome Media Tower.
In addition to a ground-level entrance, there are also subterranean passageways to access the hotel, as well as another method to reach the Yurikamome monorail (which heads to the shopping district called Odaiba). Note that this monorail is different from the Tokyo Haneda Airport monorail at Hamamatsucho.
Unfortunately, the hotel falls victim to one of my biggest hotel pet peeves– no ground floor lobby. I could never understand why a guest would want to transfer between elevators to get to the room. Besides, if it were really a function of security, the least that could be done is require a room key to access the guest floor elevators.
If there were an express elevator from the guest floors to the subterranean shopping/metro station exit, that would be neat.
On the other hand, the 25th floor lobby view was something else….
I’ve been to Tokyo many times, yet rarely have had a Mt. Fuji view as clear as the one from my stay.
Check-In
I periodically quizzed reception staff about the hotel and the neighborhood; they were always helpful.
Check-in was smooth, and I never had to wait for assistance.
As an aside, if you like atriums — very specific, no? — for Tokyo this hotel has a good one:
Seriously, if you are an atrium fan, look up John Portman; he didn’t design this one, but he was influential in hotel atrium development.
n.b. much like the Shiba Park Hotel, this property has a tea/coffee/water self-service area, and a paid wine/nihonshu/beer space next to the reception desk.
Room
Covering the 26th thru 34th floors, there are a total of 268 guest rooms and suites.
My room was in a corner on the 31st floor, and offered neat views for a densha otaku (電車 オタク・railfan):
The room layout was unusual to me. The tv was far from the bed; where one would have expected the tv to be, instead had a projector!
Although I found the layout to be odd, most rooms have a more predictable design (such as the one at the beginning of this post).
Nevertheless, they all come with a fridge, glassware, kettle, closet space, and a safe.
The bathroom was clean-looking, and had a very nice shower.
In addition to having bamboo room keys, bathroom amenities are by THANN, a specialist in aromatic wood-based hair and skincare.
The bed was welcoming, the rail views — particularly around rush hour — kept me hooked, and overall, it was a quiet place to be.
Spa
If spas are to your liking, you’ve got THANN Sanctuary on the 26th floor. Open from 11 – 20 (11-8), the hotel spa knows a thing or two about aromatherapy.
Food
The Park Hotel Tokyo has two restaurants, Hanasanshou for multicourse kaiseki cuisine, and ART colours Dining for breakfast, tea time, lunch, and dinner. Additionally, there’s a bar, Bar The Society, which is known for local and international cocktails and mocktails. In fact, it was the first bar in Japan to be certified by The Scotch Malt Whiskey Society; on that note, there are more than 100 types of single malt whiskey to be tried.
Whereas I only had the opportunity to enjoy ART colours Dining for breakfast, regrettably I accidentally deleted photos of the buffet.
Regardless, breakfast at that restaurant is à la carte, with a small buffet of Japanese and Western bites.
Tally ’em Up
Save for minor quibbles like a non-ground floor lobby, and a limited breakfast menu, I think the Park Hotel Tokyo location and staff more than made up for those points.
If you’re looking to book a quiet hotel that is accessible to both hotels, and a short train ride from Tokyo station’s bullet trains, it’s a tough one to beat.
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