The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in a King bedroom on the 48th floor for a short stay in Tokyo. Overall, I would describe our stay as pleasant, despite some initial issues. It is a nice hotel, and I presume if money does not play a great role, you will not do much wrong with the Ritz-Carlton. I realize Tokyo is very expensive, but for prices of way over $1000 per night, I must say personally, I expected a little more. So the price-value ratio is what ultimately prevents me from giving 5/5, and why I hesitate to come again. Key strengths: - The view from the hotel and all of the rooms is fantastic. Clearly, this is the main strength of this hotel over other hotels. With good weather, one is able to see Mount Fuji, but either way the view is great. The entire hotel is located above the 45th floor. - Breakfast is decent for the price. You can choose from an either a Western style breakfast (including a dish and the buffet) or Japanese breakfast. From everything we tried, we could clearly see the hotel’s focus on high-quality ingredients and presentation. - As usual for many of Marriott’s luxury hotels, the bed was absolutely fantastic (it's a basic thing, but a strength we always notice staying at Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, and co.). - The hotel has a spa with daylight and an equally great view as the rest of the hotel. The spa includes a large pool and a whirlpool, as well as gender-separated saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs. Key weaknesses: - Our start upon check-in was anything but great. Our room was not yet ready for another two hours, and we wanted to wait for it to be ready by having a drink or two. We had to learn that there was literally no place for hotel guests to stay that afternoon, because both the main bar and the lobby bar were fully booked for (external) reservations. Honestly, for a hotel this pricey, I find this unacceptable. I understand that hotels can generate quite a bit of revenue from external guests (e.g., for high tea), but for more than $1000 a night, I expect the hotel to be a place to hang about for me as an overnight guest. We chose this hotel also because the bar and the lobby bar have beautiful views, but if I cannot visit either one as a hotel guest, this asset becomes worthless. Unfortunately, the staff could also not recommend *any* alternative bar we could head to while waiting, because the area around the hotel basically consists of a shopping mall. - The hotel’s location from my perspective is okay but not great, even taking into account that Tokyo is gigantic and that there is no “optimal” location for all of the sights and things to do. Sure, it is a chic neighborhood, but in the immediate vicinity of the hotel (e.g., by walking), there is not really anything but fancy shopping malls. We enjoy hotels that are in the middle of a vibrant part of the city, and many Ritz-Carlton hotels are exactly there. This hotel is not in a bad location overall, just not great either. The hotel is not exactly new, and the rooms and spa appear a little worn out. However, you can still feel the luxury that this hotel stands for, for example, in terms of space and quality materials. Again, for a hotel this pricey, I would expect an interior that is state-of-the-art and maintained to perfection.

It is an outstanding hotel in a fabulous location but it is service that make it an unbelievable hotel. I purchased access to their incredible club lounge (and it was worth every penny). They anticipate your needs and respond beautifully to any requests. They make me feel welcomed and appreciated and that it is most about at this level of hotel. But the hotel itself is exquisite and in a fab location. I spend over 100 nights a year at marriott Bonvoy hotels. And this Ritz is near the very top of any place that I have stayed anywhere in the world. I very much look forward to coming back.

Positive: the rooms were clean and spacious, and the bed was very comfortable. Bell service was great and their pool and spa circuit was really nice and relaxing. Hotel decor is dated. I emailed “guest relations” before we arrived and never received a response. Service we encountered was cold and stiff. Nothing really stood out and at this price point something should.

Rooms are pretty good. Very clean and nice views but starting to show age. Location is OK. Roppongi is not the liveliest area. The problem with this hotel is the service. Upon check in, they offered breakfast as a Bonvoy perk. I asked if they had Japanese breakfast options and the lady at the front said "no, only Western". I found this odd and subsequently declined the breakfast. I later found out they did have a Japanese breakfast. Sign of poor training or just no care. Concierge is a complete disaster. I specifically asked for non tourist food recommendations. One of the places they ended up booking for us was all tourists. On top of that, this place openly discriminates on diners. Some are treated and offered different experiences than others, even though everyone is paying the same prices close to $1,000 per person! When I told the hotel, they said the place would give refund of the food portion of the bill. However, this is not the point. Being discriminated is extremely demeaning and hotel should figure out why people paying the same price get different levels of experiences. Concierge played games for a month and claimed they didnt recieve emails, people were away, and/or just never responded. Horrible service. Would never stay again. We have ambassador status at this hotel and they don't value loyalty.

My Family and Me were there for the last three days, the staff was great and the rooms were cool too. They should renovate the floors , but they’re fine. The breakfast buffet isn’t that big but most of the time everything is there. We are very grateful for this experience