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Tokyo's Park Hyatt Teams Up With Tastemaker For Anniversary CD

Where: 3712 Nishi Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, 163-1055

Do you know Nigo? If you are a fashion-conscious person living in Asia and clued into what's hot, then you would know that he is the current king of street style, a byproduct of founding and designing the clothing and shoe brand Bape, amongst other projects he has going on. He collects modern art, regularly hangs out with the likes of Kanye West and Pharrell, and is mobbed anywhere he goes. Naturally, a hotel is going to want a piece of this action, and the revered Park Hyatt Tokyo is the lucky recipient of a collaboration with him.

To celebrate their 15th anniversary, the Park Hyatt asked Nigo—who has spent time in the 50th floor's Tokyo Suite—to compile music tracks for a special edition CD that evokes Tokyo's mixed cultures. Hypebeast explains the direction with a bit more detail:

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Tags: Hotel Restaurants / Tokyo Hotels / Park Hyatt Hotels / → All Tags

Park Hyatt Tokyo Gets a Taste of Jean Georges

Where: 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Who said American exports are down lately? Our favorite tongue-twisting chef, Jean Georges Vongerichten, is sending his trusty lieutenant, Mark Lapico, to the Park Hyatt Tokyo’s New York Grill from July 6-12.

Lapico’s work at Vongerichten’s famous eponymous Jean Georges restaurant in New York has earned him four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and the “Most Outstanding Restaurant” title at the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards.

Vongerichten’s own cuisine marries contemporary French and Asian cuisines thanks to his years of working in Asia, and Lapico helps take that concept to another level with dishes like yellowfin tuna ribbons with avocado, spicy radish and ginger marinade.

If you’re planning to stay at this vertiginous high-rise hotel (rooms start on the 41st floor) beloved of Sofia Coppola and “Lost In Translation” fans everywhere, rooms during Lapico’s brief tenure will run you about $375 for a standard king up to $1120 for a Park Suite Twin. Book in advance and ask for a room with a view of Mount Fuji to contemplate after your meal.

Tags: Hotel Deals / Japan Hotels / Tokyo Hotels / → All Tags

485 Hotels in Japan Are Half-Price For Spring

We usually expect Japanese hotels to be a bit on the pricey side, so it's nice to see a few good hotel deals going in the land of sushi. Major reservation website JAPANiCAN (it's an offshoot of the huge JTB) has got a big Spring Hotel Special sale going that makes Japan seem suddenly dirt cheap.

For hotel stays up until the end of June this year, there are special rates going at around 50% off the rack rate. With 485 different hotels across Japan included in the sale, it shouldn't be hard to find one whatever your destination. The sale also includes a few big name Tokyo hotels like the Keio Plaza Tokyo or the Hotel Monterey Ginza.

Starting rates for these specials get down as low as JPY 2,940 ($30) per person – which is cheaper than the hourly rate at some love hotels in Japan, although the rooms you book through JAPANiCAN probably won't have Hello Kitty S&M rooms. But you can't have everything.

[Photo: shagy6six6]

Tags: Hotel Hell / Snapshot / Capsule Hotels / → All Tags

Be Careful Which Button You Push in Your Capsule Hotel Pod

Whoopsie daisy. Here's an example of, um, too-easy, anything-you-want-at-the-touch-of-a-button hotel technology gone awry. Or just an unfortunate incident in a Japanese capsule hotel (one that, for a change, does not involve passing gas).

Flickr user Omer van Kloeten posted this snapshot of what appears to maybe be a lightswitch (or something) inside his pod at a Japanese capsule hotel. Um, however:

In an effort to find the light switch (which ended up being the last one I tried), I pressed this one, which turned out to be the porno pay per view channels. Only later did I notice that the note above it said, among other things, 300円 (yen).

Oh noes. We probably would have done the same thing thinking it was a lightswitch. That's what we'd call a total Hotel FML, right? Except that 300 Yen is, like, 3 US dollars. So, eh.

[Photo: Omer van Kloeten]

Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Tom Cruise / Tokyo Hotels / → All Tags

When the Going Gets Tough, Hole Yourself Up in a Ritz-Carlton

Where: 9-7-1 Akasaka, Tokyo, Japan

Poor Katie Holmes. She's always seemed so nice and innocent and friendly — but then she married Tom Cruise and now everyone just kinda whispers and gossips about her. Things must be rough, what with the recent speculation about her Scientology-supporting hubby putting her on a crazy-strict diet, her tired-looking face (she's a new mom!) and all that.

So what do you do when you're Katie Holmes and the going gets tough and people are commenting on your appearance and your lifestyle? Well, you fly across the globe and lock yourself in a Ritz-Carlton Tokyo room — and you don't come out until you're feeling and looking like a beautiful new butterfly.

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Tags: Tokyo Hotels / Hotel News / Intercontinental Hotels / Hotel Lounges / Business Travel Hotels / → All Tags

Chillax With the Biz Class at ANA Intercontinental Tokyo's New Lounge

Where: 1-12-33 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 107-0052

Most leisure travelers will never get to experience it, let along know it exists, but for the busy business traveler, a hote's executive club lounge is a home away from home. Recognizing that Tokyo is a city with a huge executive traffic, the ANA Intercontinental Hotel has emerged as the frontrunner in the race to have the best lounge simply by building the biggest with the best views.

In fact, the new executive club lounge at the ANA is the entire country's largest as such, and the 2,000-square-foot space boasts more than just impressive couches, but six distinct areas: a welcome reception, library, relaxation space, dining room, bar and meeting facility. Instead of aiming for generic luxury with the design, the Intercontinental wants to know that you are kicking butt and taking names in business in Tokyo, so expect cultural touches like transparent divider screens, lacquer ware and bamboo use.

Although the lounge is large, it is far from packed and noisy as only 198 of the hotel's 843 guest rooms have access to it, and its startlingly awesome views of Tokyo's city centre, the Imperial Palace, the National Diet building and Roppongi Hills. Executive rooms begin at $350, which is quite good for Tokyo and the included use of the club facilities; free executive club martinis all around.

[Photo: IHG AHA Hotels Group Japan]

Tags: Killer View / Movie Set Hotels / Tokyo Hotels / → All Tags

Park Hyatt Tokyo's Views Don't Get Lost in Translation

Where: 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, 163-1055

We are suckers for a room with a killer view.  We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.

Wow. This snapshot was sent in by reader E., who went to Japan this fall and nabbed a pic of this view from the Park Hyatt Tokyo. While the shot isn't technically from a room, he offers this explanation:

A snapshot from The New York Bar & Grill at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, floor 52. Since the hotel starts from the 41st floor, this is pretty much what you are looking at from any given room. Jaw-dropping views, good cocktails, all hushed modern elegance - loved it. It's not the best photo, but blame it on the drinks we had.

For movie buffs (or ScarJo fans): yes, this is the bar where many of the scenes from Lost in Translation were filmed. Um, killer views, plus an opportunity to live out a ScarJo/Bill Murray romance and indulge in potent booze? Sounds like perfection to us — though it's a bit pricey.

Rooms here start at 45000 JPY, which comes out to about 500 USD. But in addition to killer views like this, rooms offer deep soaking tubs, Egyptian cotton linens and beautiful green marble and granite finishes.

Tags: Hotels Deals / Hotel Openings / Tokyo Hotels / Shangri-La Hotels / → All Tags

The Most Boring, Conservative Hotel Deal Ever

Where: 1-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 100-8283

We always get wind of the most outrageous hotel packages here at HC, but the opening of the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo may just mean the arrival of what is the most boring, conservative deal ever. For the March 2 debut of their first property in Japan, Shangri-La wants to celebrate by offering a "Discover Shangri-La" package bearing the hefty pricetag of ¥110,000, or $1,240 for one night.

Sure the hotel is right next to Tokyo Station in the revitalized Marunouchi district, but for the opening rate of a hotel to be in the four digits, you'd think they'd be offering some serious perks, right? Wrong--this most boring package only includes breakfast and a commemorative gift, which they're keeping under wraps, but it's some sort of engraved silver something.

Why not dinner in their Italian or Japanese restaurants or at least a gift certificate to the shops above which the hotel sits? They should rename the package to "all business, no play" at The Shangri-La, if a guest can't even trade in the silver gift for some spa services. We'll stick to the crazier hotels in districts like Shibuya and Harajuku, thank you very much.

Tags: Hotel Closings / Japanese Love Hotels / Hello Kitty Hotel / → All Tags

The Hello Kitty Room at the Hotel Adonis is Gone Forever

No! Say it isn't true! HotelChatter tipster quimbys has just passed on some devastating news to us from on-the-spot in Osaka. Allow us to explain our distress …

We're sure you haven't forgotten one of our favorite Japanese love hotels, the Hotel Adonis in Tennoji, central Osaka. As if the whole love hotel concept isn't fascinating enough, the Adonis was specializing in cute-character-themed S&M and was home to the famous Hello Kitty S&M Room. Note the use of past tense here? That's because this is the recent news from on the ground:

I went by there this morning, January 11, 2009, and the place was inexplicably closed. My guess is that authorities found out about the place and found it an embarrassment. (Or) Perhaps Tomy didn't want its trademark Hello Kitty associated with the darker side of pleasure.

So for everyone out there who dreamed of trying out the Hello Kitty room, looks like the chance is gone. Let this be a lesson to everyone who's not out there truly living for the moment. Carpe diem!

Tags: HotelChatter Flickr Pool / Tokyo Hotels / Peninsula Hotels / Hotel Bathrooms / → All Tags

Peninsula Tokyo's Luxe Loo Gets Rave Reviews

Where: 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Tokyo, Japan, 100-0006

Lyh1 has totally become our go-to guy when it comes to Tokyo hotel bathrooms. We all have our roles, ya know? And while he spread the hate on the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo’s bathroom, he’s all about the luxe loo in the Tokyo Peninsula’s deluxe suite.

From the HotelChatter Flickr pool:

It goes without mention that there is a shower cubicle with rainforest shower ( I guess it's the Raindance from Hansgrohe ) that has such powerful water pressure that it was really a joy to use. And rounding up is the mandatory high-tech Japanese toilet, this one comes with proximity sensor so that it will "open up" when you approach it and automatically flush and deordourize after doing the "business". Very impressive!

The only drawback is that this bathroom can be kinda small, esp for a suite. But every thing you need is here and nothing is missing. This is one of the best hotel bathroom I have experienced. Oh Gosh, I sound like an advertisement for this hotel :-P

Uh, yeah you do, buddy, but if you’re happy we’re happy. Also according Lyh1, the bathroom you’re ogling is all marble, granite, and glass, with dual sinks, a full-length spa tub, 20” LCD TV, the Peninsula’s signature DAVI brand toilet--and a window view. Bottom line? “The best that hotels in Tokyo have to offer,” Lyh1 concludes.

Got a pic you wanna share with us? Drop it in the pool!

Tags: Japanese Love Hotels / Japanese-Love-Hotels-Map / Hotel Woes / → All Tags

Are Japanese Love Hotels Dangerous for Old Guys?

We at HotelChatter are in love with the Japanese Love Hotels. The cheesy kitschy themes ranging from Alcatraz to Hello! Kitty can entertain us hours just reading about them.

But the love hotels have a dark side to them and it has to do with the dreaded V word. No, it's not vampires although they are en vogue these days. It's actually Viagra.

Yes, the drug that you hate to see advertised in your email inbox is being popped by older gentlemen right before they check into these love hotels and sometimes the outcome is not always the desired one. From The Tokyo Reporter:

The anonymous love hotel proprietor tells Nikkan Gendai (Nov. 29) that over the past three years, he’s had to deal with two fatalities. “I guess when men are having affairs, they tend to push themselves beyond their own limits. For an older man to take Viagra and then jump on a young girl’s bones, he’s asking for trouble.”

This love hotel proprietor even details the position that seems to be the most fatal. Adding to the sadness is that love hotels are really small so it's hard for emergency personnel to get in there and um...do what they need to do. Sad. We're guessing that old guys should stay out of the S&M-themed love hotels.

[Photo by Misty Keasler, from the book "Love Hotels: The Hidden Fantasy Rooms of Japan"]

Tags: Ryokans / Japan Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Kagaya Inn Wins Top Ranking in Japan 28 Years in a Row

Where: 80 Yobu Wakura-machi, Nanao, Ishikawa , Japan, 926-0192

Japan might be famous for kinky love hotels or claustrophobic capsule hotels, but the real Japan is something you’ll find in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. When the Sydney Morning Herald tried out the Kagaya Inn in Ishikawa prefecture recently they discovered it has been voted the best ryokan in the whole of Japan for the last 28 years running. There must be something good about it.

And there is. Kagaya has a hot spring attached, with baths and pools running over three floors--gender-segregated floors, because the Japanese do all this bathing naked. They also have rooms which, by Japanese standards, are enormous, and they’ll serve your ultra-attractive dinner there too. Ultra-attractive, but perhaps a little scary, because it’s likely to contain pickled sea snails and sea urchins.

As you might expect in a traditional Japan, the service is beyond perfect; sometimes thirty staff line up to bow and greet the incoming guests. For this privilege you’ll pay around 29,400 yen ($300) per person, which includes breakfast and dinner and all the naked bathing you can handle. Absolutely worth it, we think, and you might never want to come home.

[Photo: tokyofoodcast]