I’m planning our honeymoon next November and choosing the location was easy: Tokyo. I’ve been saving up my AAdvantage miles for years and getting two First Class tickets on JAL in their amazing Sky Suite seems like a perfect use of 320,000 miles (I hope…). Now come the hard part: where to stay.
Multiple friends have come back from Tokyo and raved about the Andaz, so that’s a must. Kyoto hotel prices are fairly high, so I’m transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt points for a 20,000 point per night redemption there. I’m also booking the St. Regis in Osaka using less than 25,000 points per night thanks to my Chase Sapphire Reserve redemption bonus. That leaves our last weekend in Tokyo.
The points fan in me wants to use 30,000 WoH points per night at the Park Hyatt, but both sets of friends that went to Tokyo last year say that it’s in a difficult location and rather stodgy. Do I go back to the Andaz for two nights? Is there somewhere else we should stay? Is the Park Hyatt worth it??? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Photo via Park Hyatt Tokyo
Skip the PHT. The area is super convenient as it’s walking distance to Shinjuku, but the physical plant of the hotel is super dated.
Service levels almost make up for it… until you try out the Andaz. The service, the facilities and the hard product make it much better than the PHT.
AndaZ i believe is around Roppongi. Pretty interesting business neighborhood sandwiched between the other fun ones … I’d say go for that (if you *insist* on Hyatt chain)
It’ll be easier to answer your question depending if you’re glob or not. I personally did not like Andaz (not bc of the room or anything, room was nice) – did not like the area bc there were no food options. I am in Japan to eat so the lack of food options nearby was disappointing. I also felt the breakfast was limited (not as many options). Taking the narita express is also not as convenient since the train station at the Andaz is smaller. Shinjuku is much more convenient. Shinjuku has so much food options. You should actually consider HR Tokyo. I’ve stayed at PH, Andaz and HR. If you’re not glob, you should stay at HR. A regular room at PH and Andaz won’t be worth it. Good luck deciding!
Thanks — I’m going to look into the Regency. I’m not globalist, so no major benefits for me at any of the Hyatt properties, but the redemption value seems too good to pass up.
Add to that: Shinjuku Station is a major hub and it’s easy to go anywhere you want — little neighborhoods, the express train back to the airport, the express train to neighboring cities (e.g. Hakone for the onsen).
We stayed at the Park Hyatt and had an excellent stay. A suite with a view of Mt. Fuji and terrific views of the city. Service was excellent and super professional. There is a culture of excellence in Tokyo and that certainly played out at the PH also. I would draw a comparison to a highly “yelped” restaurant, like Grimaldi’s pizza in NYC, Farmers Market in Wash DC or Porto’s out in LA/Glendale, CA. Once a place is that famous, people have out sized expectations of the experience and become disappointed. We have not stayed at other hotels in Tokyo to compare and yes the PH Tokyo can be a bit high-end and but the staff, New York bar, lower lounge, breakfast, room, and other components were all on point. You are correct that walking into the city is not as easy as other locations given the buildings size and location, but that did not stop us from hopping into a cab for a few minutes, picking a random location in downtown Shinjuku and just getting out and walking from there. Given the other great locations you’ve chosen, how can you lose. It’s the hotel from “Lost in Translation”! Regardless of your choice, all the best in marriage and your honeymoon.
Thank you so much! The Porto’s comparison really helped (I live ten minutes away).
My wife and I stayed at the HR Tokyo and last year and were not impressed. The hotel definitely feels “80’s” ish. The hotel is not bad but it is not nice enough for me to stay at for special occasions. I’ve never stayed at the PHT but I’m sure it is nicer than the HRT.
To be blunt: I would not recommend that hotel for your honeymoon, to stay at later for a family vacation with kids is fine, but not for your honeymoon.
Thank you for being blunt. I’ll take it off my list!
I was just at both the PH and HR last month. I was in the new club rooms at HR and they did a wonderful job with the refurbishment. The bathroom was luxurious and reminded me of the PH Seoul bathroom with the tub shower combo. See if you can Google the club room for photos. I’ve stayed at both suites and regular rooms for PH. The hotel is really dated. I’m assuming you will probably be in a regular room and compared to the HR club room, the HR is much nicer bc it’s new and modern. What matters to you more? Service that you’ll probably only “experience” for a few minutes or comfort while you’re in room resting? I understand it’s your honeymoon, but between the reg rooms at PH and HR, I’d go for the HR. The regular rooms at PH are not worth the 30k. Suite at PH vs club room, the suite. I’ve only stayed in a large room at the Andaz so I can’t compare it to a regular room. Based solely on location and your status, I’d still go for HR. You’re in Tokyo and will be out exploring so the room is really only for resting.
My fiance and i spent two nights at the andaz and was blown away. The spa the pool the view the rooftop bar. and i was pretty happy with the location i had maybe like a 20 min walk to the tsukiji fish market. and a short walk to tokyo tower. They give you a phone with data for free so you can get directions and call ubers and the like. I was in the same pickle as you when i was booking but while i was there i didnt think twice about the park hyatt
I would transfer your points to a globalist and get the benifites. Both the andaz and Park Hyatt are great and I’ve gotten amazing upgrades at the Park Hyatt twice. Nothing says amazing like a piano in your room. Get the room service breakfast and enjoy the New York bar. Also look at the Hyatt centric ginza I’ll be trying it out on opening day.
I don’t mean to derail the discussion here but I am in a very similar situation to Jason and curious if anyone has further insight. I will also be in Tokyo in November as part of a RTW trip for my honeymoon and currently have 3 nights booked at the Ritz Carlton with 70k SPG transferred to Marriott. Is this a good use/hotel selection or should I move UR to WoH like Jason? Many thanks!
Is it 70k/night or 70k total? It seems like WoH redemptions are a lot more valuable.
70k total SPG converted to 210k Marriott
I stayed at the HR Tokyo and loved it. I am an explorist and applied a club lounge certificate. However, it was not my honeymoon. If you have the points, I guess Andaz or PH. Its your honeymoon right? 🙂
I say get a gig writing a review of the hotel at which you most want to stay, informing them of your press credential and intent. Then stay in a luxury suite for nuthin’.
— Cousin Kenny