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Grand Hyatt Tokyo's Christophe Lorvo Tells Us Why They're the Center of the City's Universe

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 6-10-3 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
November 1, 2010 at 2:08 PM | by | Comments (0)

Welcome to our regular feature, Pitch Your Hotel, where we let hoteliers, general managers and other hotel execs tell us on-camera what makes their hotels so different from all the rest. And believe us, the competition is fierce these days. So sit back, relax and listen to them explain why their hotels are worthy of your hard-earned dollars or rewards points.

Not everyone can say they had a Friday night date with the General Manager of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, but we can! We sat down with Mr. Christopher Lorvo, to talk about how a hotel that's part of an international chain and so focused on business travel can still stand out in Tokyo.

Location, location, location. If you've been to Tokyo in the last several years, then you know all about the Roppongi Hills area, and how it's become an entertainment, dining, shopping and leisure destination in the center of the city, capped off by the skyscraping Mori Tower (with better views on the observation deck than Tokyo Tower offers). The Grand Hyatt sits at the base of this tower, and thus much of the answer to the Grand Hyatt's success lies in its seriously clutch location.

Taking care of bizness. There are only 365 days in the year, yet the Grand Hyatt Tokyo somehow manages to host 600 weddings annually, not to mention conventions and other high-profile events. When we strolled out one morning, the Tokyo International Film Festival had filled the hotel's valet parking area with free electric car shuttles to the various events, as the hotel was apparently a base for the festival officials and celebrities.


We filmed the Pitch Your Hotel right there, in front of the iconic head sculpture, one of two in the lobby

Keep the WiFi flowing. In fact, 70% of the hotel guests are here on business, and you can bet that means free and fast WiFi throughout the property and a variety of restaurants for wining and dining clients. The Roppongi Hills complex includes outdoor terraces and pavilions, some of which are part of the hotel, so you can catch a signal while lunching al fresco or pop inside their traditional izakaya for sake and yakitori with Japanese colleagues.


Looking up at the facade, with the tip of Mori Tower just behind

Japanese hospitality. When we asked Mr. Lorvo how the Grand Hyatt balances Hyatt's international formula with local Japanese culture, he of course mentioned the izakaya and Japanese dining options, but also he touched on how the hotel keeps up the very respectful and personal Japanese standard of service. Through your interaction with the people around you, you know you are in Tokyo and not anywhere else. If you're lucky, he'll even personally invite you to one of his GM cocktail evenings, where 30 random guests are picked to join him for a drink and spill about their experiences at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

We'll let Mr. Lorvo fill in the rest in the video above, and stay tuned for our inside video tour and photo gallery of a standard room at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo tomorrow!

Disclosure: HotelChatter stayed as a guest of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo but all opinions, photos and video are our own.

[All photos and video: HotelChatter]

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