Review Park Hyatt Tokyo

[smittytabb]

There are reviews of this property all over the blogosphere but not here, so here it goes...I was able to book a 3 night stay in a suite at the PH Tokyo for June 2014 right after the devaluation announcement, but before it took effect. So, for 33,000 Gold Passport points per night or 99,000, we were able to have this experience. That is a lot of points, but now it would cost a whopping 144,000 points because the PH is no longer a category 6, but a 7, and the chart changed as well. Indeed the devaluation was a motivating factor behind choosing to take the trip and stay at Hyatt properties in Japan in the first place, and this is the first one we sampled. We flew into Narita and took the Narita Express train to Shinjuku Station, which is the busiest transportation hub in the world and it feels like it when you get off the train. It was our second trip to Tokyo so it never occurred to me to do anything but take the train. In retrospect, it might have been easier to have just taken the Narita Limousine bus right to the hotel, but I travel light and tend to do things like take the local train. So our intent was to take the free shuttle from Shinjuku to the hotel, but we never found the stop despite having a detailed map so that was disappointing, so we took a cab.

You are greeted at the door and whisked up to the reception upstairs. The check in was easy enough and we got settled and scoped out the room and then went up to the New York Bar to have a drink and some snacks before it closed. We actually ended up eating dinner there another night as well and really enjoyed the ambiance and the views. The food was good but overpriced as you would expect. But the place is iconic for a reason. The food in the French restaurant was just OK, but the buffet breakfast was quite nice and as a Diamond, complimentary. The Diamond reception that used to take place at the New York Bar has been moved the Peak Bar. It is still a nice event, but probably not as memorable as before.

Our suite was lovely and what you would expect, although I do wish that there had been a real door between the bedroom and living area. It just feels more like a cavernous junior suite and the noise carries more than when you have a legitimate suite with doors. I am not a spa girl, but I hear it on good authority from the hubster that the spa was amazing, as in one of the nicest spas he has ever been in (and he has been in a lot). Yes, I know. I order the beer. He gets the sweet drink. That's how we roll.

Surprisingly the concierge service was not terribly helpful, but they were able to call ahead to our next Hyatt property to put in a special room request for us which was nice. Generally, the reports about the service were so hyped by so many, that I was actually somewhat underawed. Would I stay there again? No, I've done it now, and I would want to try some other properties. Am I glad I did? Yes, especially since I was able to do it with the old award chart rates.

 

[bismark]

Just completed a three night stay on points (pre-deval) w/ Diamond.

We got upgraded to a corner room with views of Yoyogi park and Mt. Fuji (only visible one morning due to summer haze) which was nice but it also put us above the highway which meant the first night I was kept awake by police sirens and megaphones. The room itself is nice though the bathroom wasn't as impressive as at the Conrad Tokyo. My wife loved the toiletries. Room service did keep us well stocked with water bottles every day so that was quite appreciated during the mid-90s humidity. We used the shuttle multiple times a day to/from Shinjuku though it was full one time so we walked (pro-tip, use the underground walkway that starts by the city building, much cooler down there).

We tried both the breakfast buffet and the room service breakfast. Definitely recommend the buffet just for a better variety. Even still, we were more impressed with the breakfast buffet at the Seoul D-Cube City Sheraton which had a much more impressive and varied spread.

Evening drinks were fine, we don't drink alcohol so the appeal isn't as great but my wife enjoyed her mocktail.

We never tried the NY Bar/Grill, didn't feel a big draw.

Best part was definitely the spa. Men's locker room has windows for exterior walls, definitely a different experience walking around in my birthday suit overlooking Tokyo. Service, saunas, and whirlpools were great as well as the provided products (wife was very much in to the way I smelled afterwards, pro tip guys).

Service was good though no one greeted me by name in the mornings like with Bill Murray...

Overall definitely enjoyed it though it would be hard to recommend without Diamond and access to the spa given location and price.

 

[Road Humps]

We were here on a three night stay and loved it. Very elegant, spacious, and comfortable. I was surprised at an upsell offer to a higher level suite at checkin for an extra $550/nt. Passed on that, was quite pleased to stick with our 33,000 points per night Park Suite.

Room had a view of Mt. Fuji, which in retrospect I think they give you when you're on points because the better view is the other side of the building. But in the end turned out to be fantastic because on our first night a weather front swept through Tokyo and cleared out the haze, so we got a stunningly clear view of Mt. Fuji for the next two days.

Power situation was deplorable. Had to use a power strip I brought and had to plug it into the floor of the changing area closet in order to charge my devices. Very surprising.

Products were Aesop, which are always a welcome sight. Was forced into doing laundry because we mispacked (was expecting much cooler weather!). Spent $130 on three pairs of jeans, nine tshirts and polos, and a few pairs of underwear. Hurtful amount of money, but honestly was expecting worse and since my only other choice was to find a laundry outside the hotel (not terribly likely), we just paid it.

The Peak was lovely each night - not shy on the pours, but they have an odd system. You must go up to the bartender and place your order and then retrieve it when its ready. But then later rounds (if you get that far) they will just bring to you. We could never quite figure it out, but paid them a visit each night.

Definitely stop in the NY Bar, even just for one as the view is jawdropping as is the ambience. If we had the deep pockets we would have stayed all night. Honestly wasn't shocked at $19 drinks -- they're running about $14-16 in Chicago at better restaurants and bars, but whether your here or there that adds up fast!

Wound up not using the shuttle much because it only runs from 9a-9p and for some reason our timing didn't work well. Good luck finding the pickup point outside Shinjuku Station. Best i can tell you is exit at B17 and sort of bear right, then cross the street at the first crosswalk. Better to just take a $7 cab ride if you're impatient or tired. Alternately take the Metro to Tochomae and walk about 5 minutes to the hotel. You could do that every time, but will likely have to switch Metro lines at Shinjuku, which could try your patience as well.

Breakfast was quite nice, but not as nice as I had expected. I'm a Diamond, so its comped and at that price its well worth it. But if I were paying retail for it I wouldn't be happy. I was definitely unhappy with $10 glasses of Diet Coke -- although those got removed from the bill before we checked out.

We discussed and if we return to Tokyo, we'd stay at the Grand Hyatt in a suite (we stayed there two nights prior to PH). Better value overall. It was really nice to stay at the PH, but now that we've done it don't need to go back.

 

[smittytabb]

We were here on a three night stay and loved it. Very elegant, spacious, and comfortable. I was surprised at an upsell offer to a higher level suite at checkin for an extra $550/nt. Passed on that, was quite pleased to stick with our 33,000 points per night Park Suite.

Room had a view of Mt. Fuji, which in retrospect I think they give you when you're on points because the better view is the other side of the building. But in the end turned out to be fantastic because on our first night a weather front swept through Tokyo and cleared out the haze, so we got a stunningly clear view of Mt. Fuji for the next two days.

Power situation was deplorable. Had to use a power strip I brought and had to plug it into the floor of the changing area closet in order to charge my devices. Very surprising.

Products were Aesop, which are always a welcome sight. Was forced into doing laundry because we mispacked (was expecting much cooler weather!). Spent $130 on three pairs of jeans, nine tshirts and polos, and a few pairs of underwear. Hurtful amount of money, but honestly was expecting worse and since my only other choice was to find a laundry outside the hotel (not terribly likely), we just paid it.

The Peak was lovely each night - not shy on the pours, but they have an odd system. You must go up to the bartender and place your order and then retrieve it when its ready. But then later rounds (if you get that far) they will just bring to you. We could never quite figure it out, but paid them a visit each night.

Definitely stop in the NY Bar, even just for one as the view is jawdropping as is the ambience. If we had the deep pockets we would have stayed all night. Honestly wasn't shocked at $19 drinks -- they're running about $14-16 in Chicago at better restaurants and bars, but whether your here or there that adds up fast!

Wound up not using the shuttle much because it only runs from 9a-9p and for some reason our timing didn't work well. Good luck finding the pickup point outside Shinjuku Station. Best i can tell you is exit at B17 and sort of bear right, then cross the street at the first crosswalk. Better to just take a $7 cab ride if you're impatient or tired. Alternately take the Metro to Tochomae and walk about 5 minutes to the hotel. You could do that every time, but will likely have to switch Metro lines at Shinjuku, which could try your patience as well.

Breakfast was quite nice, but not as nice as I had expected. I'm a Diamond, so its comped and at that price its well worth it. But if I were paying retail for it I wouldn't be happy. I was definitely unhappy with $10 glasses of Diet Coke -- although those got removed from the bill before we checked out.

We discussed and if we return to Tokyo, we'd stay at the Grand Hyatt in a suite (we stayed there two nights prior to PH). Better value overall. It was really nice to stay at the PH, but now that we've done it don't need to go back.

Incredibly jealous of your Mt. Fuji view. I had a similar suite, but never had the view, as the clouds never cleared the whole time we were in Japan! More reasons to go back of course, but I would also choose to stay at the Grand Hyatt or even Hyatt Regency the next go around. BTW, we never did find the shuttle stop, ever. We used the Hyatt Regency shuttle and walked the rest of the way. Mostly we take the subway anyway. The Peak was great at night and we spent way too much time in the New York Bar! I agree the drink prices were in line with what I pay in NYC or Chicago or London, and that actually surprised me too. Agree at the breakfast, and like you am Diamond, so it was comped.