
The team at Doris & Dicky recommended the unique Park Hotel, a quirky hotel that occupies the top 10 floors of the Shiodome Media Tower, which holds its own among the architectural giants of this busy district. This charming 273-room hotel with its utterly breath-taking views of Tokyo, is conveniently located in Shiodome, Tokyo’s thriving new cultural and business district, situated 10 minutes' away from central Tokyo.
Our arrival at Park Hotel Tokyo
As the lift gathers speed during its fast ascent to the hotel, your stomach does somersaults as you climb each floor. Upon arrival, you'll notice the stunning atrium, which soars from the 25th to 34th floor of the hotel, allowing light to cascade through the glass ceiling.
The hotel concept is focused on ART (which includes the Atrium, Restaurants and Travel). Couple this with traditional Japanese hospitality and you're on to a winning combination.
The hotel regularly plays host to a variety of events throughout the year, including the ART Colours Exhibition, which features a different theme, according to the season. During our stay, the space was adorned with stunning red and white bird sculptures, which was a testament to the great emphasis this hotel places on art.
The hotel has a wide variety of rooms to choose from including traditional rooms or 'artist rooms', which feature striking, contemporary murals, which have been hand decorated by local artists. To encourage artistic inspiration, the artists take up residence in the hotel for several weeks to soak up the atmosphere and decide on a theme. Once the theme has been decided, the artist paints his/her vision directly on to the wall. We've been informed that eventually, all 33 rooms on the top floor of the hotel will feature artistic designs.
Our Room - The Cherry Blossom Artist Room
During our visit we stayed in the gorgeous Cherry Blossom artist room, which featured a dramatic mural with a magnificent cherry blossom tree. We were very content with our room, especially given that we had just missed seeing the renowned cherry blossom season! We loved everything about our room, including the dreamy white linen-bedding, the Thann Aromatic Wood Collection toiletries (a real treat) and of course, the large picture window in our bedroom, which afforded an incredible view of the Tokyo Tower - an experience we won't forget. Each morning, we enjoyed looking at this view and the buzz of the city below from the comfort of the window seat, with a cup of tea in hand.
The hotel has a gym, a full-service spa offering a range of massages (including the signature Japanese shiatsu massage), two restaurants and a cocktail bar.
Every morning a buffet-style breakfast is served in the atrium. Breakfast options included scrambled and boiled eggs, sausages and bacon, a continental selection of cold meats and cheeses, fresh breads and pastries, cereals, fruit and a variety of Japanese options including steamed rice, miso soup, grilled salmon and assorted pickles. Though a slight shock to the tastebuds at 9am, the Japanese breakfast offering was a welcome deviation from the norm!
Dining options at Park Hotel
For guests who don't want to venture too far for lunch or dinner, there are two onsite restaurants to enjoy - Tateru Yoshino Bis, a French restaurant or Hanasanshou, a Japanese restaurant, featuring Kaiseki cuisine, a style of traditional Japanese cuisine in which a series of very small, intricate dishes are prepared. Whichever restaurant you choose, you can't go wrong, as both have stunning views and a relaxed, yet stylish décor.
The Society Bar at Park Hotel
During our visit, we couldn’t resist popping by the alluring ‘The Society’ bar with its striking decor. We loved the dim lighting with its smoky orange hue, and of course, the backdrop of the city as its central focus. The skilled barman impressed us with his skills including carving a large ice-cube into a perfect ice rock for my Bloody Mary, which had the perfect balance of flavours. We also enjoyed a heady, dirty Gin Martini, which left me awestruck with its perfection. Lastly, we savoured an excellent array of Japanese whiskies. |
Throughout our stay, service was second to none and we can't say enough about the helpful concierge staff who went out of their way to make arrangements for my partner’s birthday. With only a short brief on what type of restaurant we were seeking for the occasion, they selected a Teppanyaki restaurant in Roppongi and even printed out a map for us (including the address in Japanese for our taxi driver). We're pretty sure they also had something to do with the perfect location of our table! As if that wasn't enough, they also left a bottle of Champagne and candles in our room, which was a real heart-warming touch.
Overall, Park Hotel is a great option if you're looking for a stylish and unique hotel with friendly service and great views of the city.
Shiodome Media Tower
1-7-1 Higashi Shimbashi
Tokyo
Japan 105-7227
www.dorisanddicky.com
http://en.parkhoteltokyo.com
Most suited for: Those on business trips, couples, lone travellers
Best bits: The stunning views of Tokyo, the exemplary service and the relaxed lounge area, which was perfect for enjoying a coffee and the morning paper as we planned our schedule each day Worst bits: The breakfast frankfurter sausages were pretty grim |
Our experience overall
The property ***** Food and Drink **** Staff attentiveness/friendliness ***** During this stay I was hosted by the lovely team at Park Hotel Tokyo. All words and opinions are my own. Luci Lyne |