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Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Review

Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Review

Hyatt has a large footprint in Tokyo.  With four consecutive nights in the city, I originally booked two nights at the Andaz and two at the new Centric.  However, having just finished a stressful quarter at school and work, I decided I just wanted to stay in one place for the whole time.  I went with the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills; and I couldn’t have been happier.  It is now one of my favorite hotels.

Location

The Andaz Tokyo is located between Ginza and Roppongi and just south of the Imperial Palace.  It occupies the top 6 floors of the Toranomon Hill office park (side note: no hills).  The closest subway station is Toranomon on the Ginza line.  It is a 10 minute walk (or less).  There isn’t that much around the hotel so be prepared to use the subway a lot.

Toranomon Hills is an office complex.  I enjoyed that they have their own mascot.

Check In

The Andaz Tokyo has an entrance off of the street, but it takes you to an elevator as the lobby is actually on the 51st floor.

Art in the elevator

I arrived during the evening happy hour (in the lobby/lounge area each night from 6-8pm) and was offered to have a seat and a glass of wine while the staff checked me in.

The lobby is stocked with soda, water, juice and coffee 24 hours a day for guests to help themselves.

In addition to the wine reception (and snacks) in the evening, there is juice and some pastries put out in the morning.

A few minutes later the staff member came back and gave me the key to room 5042.  He also took the time to explain the property.  It was a very relaxing start to the stay.

It is worth checking out the views from the lobby as well.

I took a separate set of elevators down to my room on the 50th floor.  Off the elevators you go through a futuristic hallway to get to the rooms.

Room

I reserved a standard Andaz Room with King Bed using points — a total of 100,000 Hyatt points for the four nights.  I was given a room with a view of the Imperial Palace (the better views are of the Tokyo Tower).

The standard rooms are huge.  As you enter, the dressing room and bathroom are to your left.

This area’s decor is dark woods and marble.

Then you enter the bedroom area and it is all bright white and green carpet.  The contrast is striking.

The decor overall has a mid-century modern combined with traditional Japanese vibe.  It is very unique and I love it.  The hotel is still relatively new; however I found very little wear and tear.  They really keep the property up.

There are two desks/tables and a large sectional sofa against the window wall.

The bed rests against the wall opposite the window which means that you get the fantastic views from bed.

My one complaint is that the walls actually hide about 30% of the windows.  I don’t know why they would want to cover up the windows, but it does give it a floating fame perspective.  Still I would rather have more windows.

Next to the bed is a control switch panel for the blinds and lights, as well as the Do Not Disturb switch.

I found the bed to be extremely comfortable and the sheets very high quality.  The bed is low which might be a challenge for some.

Back towards the entry is the coffee maker and mini bar.  All non-alcoholic food and drink is included and replenished twice daily.

The snack items are some chocolates and rice crackers.

There is a safe built into the small cabinet in the entry under a funky glass lamp.

Each room also has a smart phone for free use by guests during their stay (seems to be a common item in hotels Asia, I had one in Hong Kong as well).

Bathroom

The Andaz Tokyo bathroom is large.  There are three doors (all that disappear into the walls when open); one to the dressing area, one to the main part of the bathroom, and one to the toilet.

The single vanity counter is made out of wood with a sunken sink.  However the wood counter is treated, it shows no water stains and looks amazing.

The toilet is opposite the sink.  It is quite high tech and opens and closes on its own.

The shower and tub are enclosed together with a glass door.  The shower has a rain shower and hand wand.  I found the pressure to be excellent though it took a while to get hot in the morning.

The tub is circular and huge.  I believe it is playing off the traditional barrel baths of Japan.

Bath salt with a seasonal scent was provided.

The products seemed to be a no/private-label selection.

The towels and robes were all very thick and in good shape.

Off the bathroom is a small dressing nook.  Both slippers and pajamas are supplied (though unlike airline pajamas, these are washed and reused).

There is also a little box of various bathroom goodies.

 

Pool & Spa

The pool at the Andaz Tokyo is located on the 37th (?) floor branded as the “AO”.  It seems to be a shared facility with the offices that are in the building (probably membership based).

After checking in, I was given a swim cap and goggles and told that I needed to wear the swim cap if I went in the lap pool.

Down the hall was the locker room as well as the gym.  Some great views for working out.

The locker room area is quite luxurious.  The men’s locker room had a very hot tub, cold plunge pool, and sauna.  I understand the women’s locker room has a steam room.

But perhaps the best part is a room with massage chairs!  The remote control was impossible for me to figure out so I just pushed buttons and enjoyed whatever it decided to treat me to.

The pool area also offered some spectacular views.  There were actually four separate pools.  The main lap pool, two hot tubs (one with jets, one without), and a separate cold pool area with two jetted seats and a float area where you were to back float on top off a jet of water.  I had never seen something like it before but it was amazingly relaxing.

Here is the in-room description of the AO Spa:

Restaurants

There are a number of restaurants and bars both in the hotel as well as in the building the hotel is in.  The only one I tried was the Tavern for breakfast on my last morning.  The buffet at Tavern is what (I imagine) is provided to Globalists.  I had some delicious French toast.

Service

I found the service of the Andaz Tokyo to be excellent all around.  In addition to my good check in experience (above), I found everyone to be knowledgeable and helpful.  I was surprised there wasn’t turn down service.  The first night housekeeping stopped by to make sure everything was okay with my room, but besides that, it was just the standard daily cleaning.

Overall

The Andaz properties I have stayed at (London and Amsterdam) all have a great vibe to them.  They are very luxurious but more on the end of comfortable rather than business or fancy.  The staff are warm.  The ability to grab a refreshment (in the lobby or your room) can’t cost the hotel that much but for me it goes a long way in making my stay more comfortable.  The culture they have created makes Andaz my favorite brand of any hotel.

The Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills is no different.  The fact that it is in the top of an office tower edge it out as the best Andaz I have stayed at.  The only real downside is the location (not great) and the cost.  Had I not used points, a base level room was going for $700+ per night.  The Park Hyatt Tokyo has a certain romanticism to it.  I have not stayed there, but it would be hard for me to not stay at the Andaz when I return to Tokyo.

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