Incredible views of the Imperial Palace and gardens, including the magnificent cherry blossom trees. Spacious room with every amenity. Dedicated concierge team tackles every request with ease and efficiency. Room service on time, orders perfect and service gracious. Ditto restaurants. Lobby is a quiet oasis away from the beautiful noise that is Tokyo. Every staff member was courteous and welcoming. Many pros and no cons. Will stay here again in a heartbeat.

I'm currently a guest here at Aman Tokyo. I made a reservation for the Lobby Lounge for dinner and drinks. I was running about 15-18 mins late due to rouge Uber and called to let them know. When I got to the host stand of the Lobby Lounge the older gentleman host greeted me. When I asked to be seated a smidge closer to the window (middle row) to enjoy the view he refused and mumbled something in very poor English and then walked off. When I asked the waitress for some bread and butter she brought me butter. I then asked a second time for bread. And a third - it never came. My penne dish also never arrived so I decided to leave and try another spot. I asked for the bill. Once I asked for the bill magically the bread and pasta both arrived out of thin air. I refused them both. They tried to charge me for both and I refused. Eventually they comped the drink I had at that point. Very disappointing service. Nagano the manager did his best to salvage the situation but not much was going to fix the situation at this point. They managed to mess up the really easy stuff (bread and butter!). While the space is truly stunning the staff manage to ruin it with their unwelcoming attitude, poor English and outright painfully inept service. I'd suggest trying another one of the many 5* hotel options here in Tokyo. This Aman has lots it's way...

Expectations are sky high due to the world’s best hotels ranking and the price. It is a great hotel with the superb interior design. The insta worthy lobby is stunning. But I thought it fell short of expectations as the service was not personal. No staff remembered or addressed us by name, like the other Amans. It was a rather open hotel which meant anyone could loiter in the lobby and that deprived hotel guests of privacy. It is a bucket list ticked but sadly that’s it.

Aman Tokyo Arriving tired and dishevelled after a long flight on a snowy morning in early March, Aman Tokyo was the perfect place to be in such a state. After ascending you are treated instantly to a magnificent cathedral-like space with its sweeping views of Otemachi. Seated and given green tea, check in is the only part of the Aman Tokyo experience that feels like a conventional hotel, but this is probably unavoidable. Within 1 minute of arriving, I am escorted to my room with its spectacular views of the Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds and beyond including a glorious Mount Fuji when bathed in early morning light. The snowfall on arrival hid Fuji from view but it provided a rather magical introduction to the great sense of peace and serenity that you feel from Aman Tokyo. Normally, hotel rooms always underwhelm me on arrival. Having pored over the photos on the hotel’s website, and even other reviews, there’s usually some deceit at play - wide angle lens to make it look bigger, cropping of ugly buildings in the view etc - but Aman Tokyo is better in person than it is on the hotel’s website, beautiful as it is. The room is huge, and it feels it too. The ryokan aesthetic is much more authentic and atmospheric in person. The standout feature aside from the mesmerising view of the city (easily one of the best in the world, let alone Tokyo) is the stone furo bath which means you can have a traditional Japanese bathing experience whilst sipping a herbal tea and admiring Fuji gleaming in the distance. The room is a peaceful and rewarding place to spend time. There is no noise from surrounding rooms. This isn’t one of those city hotels where you hear distant clunking of doors. At the end of each day, I actually looked forward to being back in it before bathing and changing for the evening - a rarity in my experience. I had encountered a lot of negativity amongst Japanese travel purists about the property “Why” they asked “bother paying that money for a non-Japanese hotel when you can get a real luxury ryokan for less?” Show me the ryokan with these celestial views and I’ll stay there. There isn’t one. Tokyo is a vertical city, it isn’t Kyoto. I had considered the Hoshinoya, a new property relatively close by, but it had the same room rate and had nothing like the views that the Aman offered. I also needn’t have worried about Aman Tokyo not feeling Japanese enough in character or spirit. Of the international five stars, including the Park Hyatt, this is the one that felt the most in touch with the location - in design, in particular, but also in soul. Service is a little more formal than the typical Aman experience, which is understandable given it is a “city resort” and guests are a mixture of business and leisure travellers. However, it still exceeds the typical five star experience. On the morning of departure, I was personally accompanied to the Shinkansen tracks by a staff member who not only carried my bags onto the train itself but also helped liaising with station staff about the ticket logistics. I ate in the bar and the snack style food was good. They could use a few more modern Japanese dishes here. The drinks are also very good. Yes they’re expensive but not really any different to the likes of Mandarin or Four Seasons. The gym is excellent with high quality new equipment with digital interfaces. The spa facility, and in particular the onsen experience, was soothing and so relaxing it had a danger of making my jet lag even worse. It was usually fairly empty, which is ideal given that you’re conducting the steam and onsen bath entirely nude. Aman Tokyo was recently rated one of the best hotels in the world in the 50 Best awards and on this experience it’s hard to argue with it: physical product is superb, service is sublime.

Our first Aman experience and definitely not the last, if anything we are keen to try other Aman locations now. We stayed at Aman Tokyo for our anniversary and it was absolutely flawless. We arrived early after a long haul flight from London and the staff at the car bay were super attentive. They guided us to the reception and the kind staff member at reception explained our room wasn’t ready yet but welcomed us to wait in the lobby. We knew we arrive earlier than check in time but the lobby was extremely tranquil, not like other luxury hotels which at times can always be busy. We were only waiting at the lobby for around 20 mins until the receptionist said our room was ready. During the waiting time we were offered a drink and a hot towel which is usually customary in Japan but regardless everything offered was done in a very elegant manner. Non invasive, welcoming and not too much. Balance is everything! We were upgraded to a suite and it was absolutely gorgeous. It’s a pity we could not enjoy it much. There is so much to do in Tokyo and the last thing you want to do is stay in your hotel room. We used the gym early in the morning and it was super. Great selection of equipment, great view and there was even a ballet bar ! We didn’t get to use the pool or the onsen but I’m sure it is fantastic. Breakfast in the room was the best Japanese breakfast I’ve had and it’s been awhile since we have found something which really is mind blowing. Overall the staff is top, the room is incredible, the food quality is outstanding and location is fantastic. If ££££ is not an issue, it’s by far our favourite in Tokyo. (And this particular trip we stayed at 7 different 5 star establishments) If you are looking for a private flawless hotel, Aman Tokyo is the one.