The Okura Tokyo

I chose Okura for one and only one reason: it has what I consider to be the most beautiful hotel lobby in the world. My opinion, after staying there, is that I'll come here for photo ops next time. If you are looking for a luxurious stay, then Okura Tokyo (Prestige Tower) is not it. Having just stayed at SOWAKA in Kyoto, I booked a Corner Room in the Prestige Tower, hoping that the higher floor would offer a better city view. I initially assumed that the only difference between the Prestige and Heritage Towers was simply the room design. However, after reading some reviews, I discovered that the Heritage Tower was deemed to be more upscale and luxurious, while the Prestige Tower was more business-oriented, with a majority of guests coming from the US, seemingly on business trips. Our room was on the 36th floor. Unfortunately, we did not get a Tokyo Tower-facing room, and the views on our side were significantly less appealing, although it did offer some great views of the American Embassy and the Ambassador's Residence. The room felt smaller than the advertised 55sqm and had a moldy/cigarette smell that was typical of an older hotel. For a room costing nearly $600 per night, there was no welcome card, handwritten or printed, or welcome fruit basket - only a small notepad as a check-in gift. The hotel's soundproofing was rather poor, as I was woken up by a campaign loudspeaker downstairs. It's shocking can I could literally hear every single word as if the candidate was in the next room. Location was the biggest flaw. I booked it knowing that it's not near any major attractions, which was fine since I've been to Tokyo many times and have no sightseeing to do. Still, it's an 8-10 minute walk from the nearest subway stations. Since it's in the middle of a business district, shopping and dining options near the hotel were also limited. The overall service level at the Prestige Wing was comparable to that of a standard business hotel. Besides the lack of a personalized welcome gift, housekeeping was also quite disorganized. On our first day, we left some laundry in the laundry bag, filled out the form and left it at a clearly visible part of the room. Upon our return, we realized that housekeeping had been there, but did not take the laundry. At that point, the cutoff to receive them by the next morning had passed. Furthermore, my shirts were folded when they were returned, after the laundry bag clearly had "On Hangers" printed on it by the staff. Finally, the general English proficiency of the staff working there was the worst of the three hotels that I stayed at on this trip. The breakfast options were plentiful, but the flavors were just alright. I didn't have time to try the other facilities this time. They looked nice in the pictures, but I wouldn't exactly call them a plus. During my stay, I saw many Japanese couples taking wedding photos in the lobby. The lobby was truly beautiful, especially in the afternoon when the weather was good and you could see the reflections of the trees on the Japanese-style paper windows. I might return to try the Heritage Wing in the future, but I probably won't consider the Prestige Wing again.

This is a great location and the Hotel certainly delivers on all aspects from superb service and excellent facilities to fantastic accommodation. The food is excellent and tasty not to mention the patisseries are so yummy my diet went straight out the window. I can’t fault the hotel, I arrived early morning and check in is at 3pm, I asked for an early access and they really accommodated me, I checked in at 1pm and they took care of my luggage which was neatly placed in my room cupboard. The room was a mini suite with views that took in the Tokyo skyline which specifically was magnificent at night. The team at the hotel are super helpful and so polite! I would not hesitate to recommend the hotel to anyone who wants efficient service and effortless comfort. Bonus points was the three weddings that took place at the hotel, who doesn’t like witnessing a beautiful love story unfold!

To start with, the Okura is situated in a lovely oasis of Tokyo, yet conveniently near metro stations, shops and the Toranomon Hills Towers containing many spirited restaurants. The hotel’s ambience is one of quiet elegance and refined minimalist art. The service is top notch with staff responding to and anticipating guest needs at every turn without being intrusive. Our only complaint is that The Okura set the pace for disappointment in the rest of our Japan trip lodging. Well done!

Cold, perfunctory (borderline condescending) service; saved only by the size of the rooms, exquisite lobby and excellent facilities. It is a very storied hotel (with commensurately priced rooms), so perhaps our expectations were unrealistic or we don't understand what luxury service is in Japan. We have stayed in small humble inns where we were made to feel more welcome than The Okura. The feeling we got was that they would prefer much domestic guests to foreign ones. We will not be returning, not even to patronise its restaurants and bars. (Also after reading other reviews, it seems we were not the only ones who felt this way.)

Great hotel. Not much to say. Cleanliness, staff, rooms, gym, breakfast, location, all top-notch. Pavilions: I booked a room unaware that the hotel was divided into two sections, Prestige and Heritage. The sections are interconnected, but there's a certain unbalanced treatment. The Heritage entrance makes it look like a subway station. There are class dynamics within the two buildings.