Celebrity Life

Commanding impressive vistas of the Imperial Palace and its expansive gardens, Palace Hotel Tokyo is a stunner of a hotel.

The historic hotel building originally opened in 1961 and was reconstructed from the ground up before it reopened again in 2012. Today, it remains one of Tokyo's top hotels and offers an understated elegance with a sense of royal romance. Traditional Japanese touches are folded in neatly with the contemporary style of the hotel and its design, along with its five-star service, stays true to the vision of omotenashi -- Japan's unique approach to hospitality.

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Location: 10/10

Claiming one of Tokyo's prime addresses at 1-1-1 Marunouchi, the hotel offers guests a central location in the heart of Chiyoda's bustling business and retail district. It is however, also just across from the Imperial Palace gardens which lends its landscape as a beautiful backdrop. Guests will notice many runners and joggers in the area making full use of the scenery, while tourists and locals alike snap pictures of the tree-line boulevards. Palace Hotel Tokyo is also just a few minutes’ walk from Otemachi station, and then only a few minutes more to Tokyo Station, making it incredibly convenient and in the vicinity of popular dining and shopping outlets.

Design: 9/10

Grace and elegance emanates the hotel and is conveyed through the clean lines of contemporary design, along with Japanese accents, abstract art and floral displays. It's a grand entrance into Palace Hotel Tokyo and this continues throughout the restaurants, bars, event spaces, rooms and suites. Earthy tones, dark woods and plush textiles are brightened with splashes of chartreuse to create a more relaxed, but always refined style.

Ambience: 9/10

The hotel's central business district location means the area is mostly quiet and its calmness is reflected within the hotel. Although the main lobby and ground floor does get busy with guests, especially on weekends, it never really feels loud. Shoulders drop and immediate welcomes and greetings are offered by the team. It's a friendly atmosphere, although at times a little business-like. About twenty percent of guests are Japanese and the rest from overseas, mostly the US. During our stay, we spotted business professionals, couples and multi-generation families.

Rooms: 8/10

Almost half of the 278 guest rooms and 12 suites in this hotel have private balconies, which is a rarity in Tokyo, and offer that stunning open air view. We stayed in the Deluxe room category with a king bed and balcony which also featured an open-style bathroom; fitted with bathtub and separate shower and washroom. The rooms are exceptionally clean and share the same contemporary design as the rest of the hotel, only slightly more cosy. All rooms feature basic amenities such as complimentary water, tea and coffee, but also offers shoe shining which attests to the strong business audience. Built-in international power sockets are extremely useful also.

Service & Facilities: 9/10

Palace Hotel Tokyo's well-trained staff are swift and knowledgable. All of whom have impeccable English, which is great when your Japanese isn't up to scratch. The hotel also has ten different restaurant and bar options. On the fifth floor is their Evian Spa, fitness centre and indoor swimming pool. While the rest of the hotel holds eight multi-purpose function rooms along with its own wedding chapel and Japanese Shinto shrine.

Food & Drink: 9/10

Guests with club lounge access can enjoy breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails and canapés in the lounge. Although options are limited here, the quality of food and beverage is high. Other dining and bar options at the hotel include French fine dining restaurant Esterre, the first collaboration between a Japanese hotel and Ducasse Paris (by acclaimed chef and restaurateur Alain Ducasse), one Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Amber Palace, kaiseki haute cuisine at Wadakura, a dark and moody bar offering in the form of Royal Bar and much more.

Rates: start from approximately HK$5,015/night to HK$71,633/night. While suites start from HK$11,462/night. All prices may vary depending on availability and season.

Rating: 9/10

Perfect for: an elegant stay in one of Tokyo's most iconic and luxurious properties.

The post Hotel Review: Palace Hotel Tokyo Offers an Elegant Escape with Imperial Views appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Hoshinoya Tokyo opened in 2016 and was built on the Hoshino Resorts' philosophy to create experiences from elements that are indigenous to the location.

So you may wonder why this hotel was built in the busy Otemachi financial district. It turns out that a naturally occurring hot spring lay beneath -- 1,500 metres underground -- making it the perfect location to open a luxury ryokan and onsen. In other words, Hoshinoya Tokyo is a traditional Japanese inn developed as a modern hotel, outfitted with a rooftop hot spring in the urban heart of the city.

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Location: 9/10

Conveniently situated in Tokyo's Chiyoda neighbourhood, Hoshinoya Tokyo is easily accessible by train or car. It's located just outside Otemachi subway station and only a ten minute walk from Tokyo station. The Imperial Palace and its expansive majestic gardens are just across the road too, which is worth visiting during your stay. The area surrounding the hotel is mainly filled with offices and taxis can sometimes find it a little difficult to find a direct drop off point. Guests are therefore advised to use the Otemachi Financial City Grand Cubes underground parking lot or be dropped off on the second basement level.

Design: 9/10

From afar, the hotel's monolithic dark exterior is deceivingly gloomy. A closer look reveals incredible lattice work, inspired by the geometric komon patterns of hemp leaves, that veils Hoshinoya Tokyo. Once inside, a theatrical entrance provided by automatic doors open up to a light, airy genkan entrance with soft tatami mats, high ceilings and walls lined with chestnut and bamboo shoeboxes. The hotel blends the old and the new seamlessly. It's where traditional aromatic woods, washi paper screens and low furnishings meet modern design elements, clean lines and geometric shapes.

Ambience: 10/10

Upon entering, and taking off your shoes, one immediately enters a state of blissful zen. The sight, smell and sound (or lack thereof) are, for want of a better description, relaxing. And it is this quietly calm ambience that runs throughout Hoshinoya Tokyo. So much so, that guests will feel the effects for some time, even after leaving.  During our stay, we noticed guests mostly consisted of multi-generation families and couples from Japan and other Asian countries. No young babies were seen but the facilities are made to be baby-friendly.

Rooms: 8/10

This 17-floor hotel features 84 rooms divided into three categories. The Yuri or Sakura rooms are made for two and range from 441 to 527 sq. ft. with bamboo furnishings in the traditional Japanese-style room. We stayed in the Kiku, a corner room which is the largest room at 893 sq. ft. and more spacious. It features a king size bed, walk-in closet, dining and living area, and a sizeable bathroom with a bathtub and shower room. The room basks in natural light and the sliding windows reveal the aluminium lattice which casts a rather stunning shadow on the tatami mats. Unfortunately though, the windows are not sound proof and I was woken up by sirens from a nearby fire station.

Service & Facilities: 9/10

The staff at Hoshinoya Tokyo are friendly and warm, which makes for a wonderful stay as you needn't worry about much. Service is quick and the team are extremely knowledgable, which is helpful if, like me, you tend to have a lot of questions. There are cultural performances and ceremonies to partake in too, some of which (for example, the tea ceremony) have additional fees. Kimonos and pyjamas are provided during your stay which is a great touch, but unless you possess a smaller frame, you are likely to find them a tad too small. The top floor public onsen is only open to hotel guests, so it does feel somewhat private. Of course traditional onsen rules must be adhered to. So if you do have tattoos, these must be covered with the stickers they provide. There is also a spa to further your luxury wellness experience. For those that wish to workout, you'll need to walk down to the nearby Spa Otemachi Fitness Club.

Food & Drink: 9/10

For dinner, guests are offered Nippon cuisine created by Executive Chef Noriyuki Hamada. The culinary style focuses on seafood, which is customary in ryokan dining and it is indeed a decadent experience. The meal is a cross between molecular gastronomy and kaiseiki, Japan's haute cuisine. We sampled the tasting menu featuring seasonal items, which in our case was a snow crab roe emulsion, and monkfish liver with kumquat sansho pepper and meringue dish. All of which are prepared exceptionally and enhanced by chef's creative French techniques. As a result, the dinner is fun to eat, though the atmosphere was a little too silent for our taste. Breakfast is served in your room, which is a pleasant and private experience to enjoy.

Rates: start from HK$5,940/night excluding tax, service charge and meals. Prices may vary depending on availability and season.

Rating: 9/10

Perfect for:  a relaxed and reenergising stay in Tokyo's most luxurious ryokan.

The post Hotel Review: Hoshinoya is the Ryokan that Brings Luxury Wellness into the City of Tokyo appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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Location: 9/10

Discreetly tucked away within the cobblestone lanes of historical Kagurazaka, which was once an entertainment hub during the Edo period, Trunk House is a hidden gem. So much so, you may even walk past without noticing, which is what happened when we arrived. The 70-year-old former training house for geishas quietly blends in with other wooden houses and is the hotel secret that you'll want to keep. On the other hand, it is conveniently located just northwest of Iidabashi station and close to Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku area. It's worth exploring on foot as you'll find cafés, boutiques, nostalgic restaurants, temples and more in the neighbourhood. What's more, if you're lucky, a chance encounter with a modern day geisha is waiting just along the narrow alleyways around Trunk House.

Design: 1o/10

This second property from the Trunk brand is considered Tokyo's first “townhouse hotel” concept. The traditional geisha house was taken over by Trunk founder Yoshitaka Nojiri who, together with his design team, took one year to fully renovate the interior while meticulously restoring the exterior to its original state. Showcasing a combination of both contemporary and traditional elements, the hotel's design feels understated yet luxuriously practical and stylish. Highlights include traditional-style tatami flooring, the tearoom's irori fireplace, a landscaped mini-garden, and wood panel ceilings that boast the building's original beams. This is juxtaposed with modern accents of industrial textiles, a metal-framed sofa, brass pendant lights and leather floor cushions.

Ambience: 10/10

Trunk House is the kind of space that instantly makes you feel cool for staying there. Designed to preserve a slice of Tokyo that is home to a thriving arts, culture and literature scene, you can imagine the modern creatives this might attract. Rumour has it that a certain high profile rapper -- full of direction -- was said to visit recently with his family, too.

Rooms: 9/10

Trunk House is an open plan living space that sleeps up to six in their solo suite. Upon entering, you will find yourself in the spacious dining room and kitchen facing a mini-garden which looks like a framed piece of art. Also downstairs is what the team call "Japan's smallest disco", which welcomes guests to let loose in private, or more specifically in a soundproofed room complete with an illuminated dance floor, state-of-the-art karaoke system, minibar and glitter ball. A keycard gives access to the upstairs space where a tearoom, along with all its ceremonial entertainment, can be enjoyed. Here, an aromatic hinoki cypress wood bathtub steals the show, and is surrounded by adult artwork known as shunga by local artist Masumi Ishikawa, which echoes old Japanese public baths. It can be covered up if younger guests are staying. The bedroom's space is clean and smart; revealing a hidden wardrobe and kitchen pantry as well as king size bed, which was comfortable but may feel too low for some guests.

Service & Facilities: 9/10

With 24-hour butler service -- via WhatsApp, Line, WeChat or good old fashioned speech -- guests are of course well looked after. But aside from the thoughtful service, which is both speedy and attentive, the team is extremely well trained and warm. From performing tea ceremonies, to running hot baths before bedtime, to joining karaoke for a sing song (upon request), Trunk House offers what will likely be one of the most heartfelt services you come across in Japan. As a townhouse concept, there are obviously less facilities than a bigger hotel. So for those seeking a gym, spa, or swimming pool, this rare and culturally rich experience may not be for you.

Food & Drink: 10/10

Head Chef Masashi Okamoto's creative interpretation of contemporary Japanese cuisine is fresh, bold and definitely worth saving your appetite for. During our stay this was offered over eight courses. For dinner, the tasting menu showcased a whole host of fresh Japanese ingredients in which Okamoto prepared and cleverly enhanced each dish. From Hokkaido oyster done two ways, to homemade aged duck ham, to foie gras chawanmushi (his take on egg custard), to lightly deep-fried Kobe beef. The food is, to put it simply, outstanding. It's paired with some fantastic wines, sakes, and shochu too. There is even some very rare Japanese whiskies such as an extremely valuable Hibiki 30 Year Old. Breakfast is equally impressive and presents an opulent array of small dishes to go with the perfectly cooked rice, including caviar, sea urchin, bottarga and much more.

Rates: From HK$35,588/night (prices may vary depending on availability and season) for double occupancy and includes breakfast and complimentary minibar (excluding alcohol). There is an additional charge of HK$3,558 per person. The property can accommodate up to six persons.

Rating: 9.5/10

Perfect for:  exploring the new and old Tokyo in an ultra private and stylish setting.

The post Hotel Review: Trunk House is Tokyo’s Luxury Geisha House turned Hotel Full of Charm appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.