Hoshinoya Tokyo

This is our second day at HOSHINOYA Tokyo. The minute we stepped into the hotel we were transported to the time of Luxury Ancient Japan. First of all you have to takeoff your shoes before even getting to the reception to check in, and a dedicated attendant will take and store it for you. During your time inside the hotel you will be walking barefooted or with socks only. Our room s on the 12 floor is something else, and I will let the pictures of one of them do the talking. The staff are the friendliest I’ve ever encountered, and very eager to assist you in anyway they can.

Truly impeccable level of service. I’ve come to understand that is the standard for Hoshinoya Resorts; and, after our recent 6 night stay in Tokyo, that level of service will lead me to actively seek out Hoshinoya properties in the future. The refreshing tea at check in signaled that this was going to be a special stay that few other properties match. And that continued through the overview of the property, tour of the room, and confirmation of the week’s services. We enjoyed the Ryokan-inspired floor plan to the room with the tatami floors, low futon chairs, and low to the ground bed with a supremely comfortable Western-style mattress. We also enjoyed the communal lounge for morning coffee/tea, afternoon snack, and evening drinks. The spa offered one of the better massages either of us has had. Ninety minutes of pure relaxation. We hotly debated whether to have a massage at the start of our trip to work out the travel soreness or before departing to ease back into the 14 hour flight. Our plans necessitated the latter but the right answer would have been both. One of the great joys of Asian travel is the morning breakfast buffet. I’m a sucker for congee. While the breakfast was not a buffet, the Japanese breakfast was a treat. The flavors lingered in a positive way, and each day brought a new set of dishes. Prior to booking, we hotly debated if Otemachi was the right location to serve as a home base. Ultimately, if your goal is night-life focused then you may be happier in the western areas of town. But that wasn’t the focal point of our trip and we found Otemachi to be well-connected by subway and car to everything we wanted to do. I would absolutely stay in this part of town again. And of course, when I do, it will be a Hoshinoya Tokyo. Clearly, I’ve become a fan for life.

The hotel was beautiful and the hot springs were really relaxing but it was missing the 5 star service. I suggest for the price to stay across the street at the four seasons. 1. Taking our shoes off upon entry was really cool for the experience at first but then it became quite annoying. 2. We had lots of dust in our air conditioning vents- looked like it was never cleaned 3. You have no view where as the four seasons Is just absolutely stunning- we ended up dining here and had afternoon tea. 4. I never felt like it was a 5 star experience. Nothing super special about the service 5. The lounge are on each floor was a really nice touch. 6. I wanted to order breakfast in to the room and they told me I couldn’t and needed to reserve the night before- I found this odd for a 5 star hotel. That we could never order room service. We ended up having to eat breakfast from the 7/11 downstairs 7. We also did the sword activity one morning, the views were absolutely stunning but the activity itself fell flat and as not interesting at all. Not worth the money. We paid 5500 each to go to a helipad and take photos.