Tokyo for the New Year: Park Hyatt Tokyo

Austrian Airlines Business Class Chicago to Vienna
Austrian Airlines Business Class Schengen Lounge Vienna
Austrian Airlines Regional Business Class Vienna to Prague
Turkish Airlines Regional Business Class Prague to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Business Class Istanbul to Tokyo Narita
Park Hyatt Tokyo
Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel
Ushigoro
Hilton Narita
Narita-san Shinsho-ji
Swiss Business Class Tokyo Narita to Zurich
Park Hyatt Zurich
Oneworld Lounge Zurich Airport
Swiss Business Lounge Zurich Airport
Austrian Airlines Regional Business Class Zurich to Vienna
Austrian Airlines Business Class Vienna to Chicago

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From the airport, I took an airport limo bus to the Park Hyatt Tokyo. They have buses that stop in front of the Park Hyatt, and a one-way ticket combined with a one-day metro pass was 3100 yen. The bus ride is long, as Narita is quite far from Tokyo, and the Park Hyatt was the last stop on the bus that I took, so I ended up getting to the hotel about one hour and 45 minutes after the bus left from the airport.

Once I arrived at the hotel, I was immediately welcomed and asked if I was staying at the hotel that night. I said that I was and gave them my name, and then I was whisked up to the 41st floor for check in. As we approached the check-in area, an agent greeted me by name and escorted me to the room since in-room check-in is a Platinum member benefit. I have Platinum status through the Chase Hyatt credit card, and I used one of the free night certificates from the sign-up bonus to pay for my stay.

The Park Hyatt is definitely the nicest hotel that I’ve stayed at. Everything about it feels luxurious, from the incredible views to the prompt service. Every person that I interacted with made me feel welcomed and like nothing I could ask for was too much of a hassle.

The room offered plenty of space for myself, with a large and comfortable bed and a spacious bathroom. The toilet was a typical Japanese toilet with heated seats and numerous functions, and I wonder why more countries haven’t adopted heated toilet seats.

After putting down my stuff, I went to the 45th floor to go to the gym, which is actually on the 47th floor. The views from the gym are stunning, and it was one of my favorite parts of the hotel. The gym was actually decently equipped with free weights instead of the typical treadmill/elliptical/hand weights that you find at most hotel gyms, so I was able to get a good workout in, which felt great after sitting on planes and letting my muscles atrophy for the past 2 days.

Later that night, I went to the New York Bar to further recreate the “Lost in Translation” experience and listen to live jazz. While there’s normally a 2200 yen cover charge once the jazz starts, this is waived for hotel guests, and there was no pressure by the wait staff to order anything as a hotel guest.

The next morning, I headed back to the gym for a morning swim and some sunrise yoga. Words can’t do this experience any justice.

I’m no connoisseur of fine hotels, but the Park Hyatt Tokyo exceeded all of my expectations. The service was superb, everyone that I interacted with was gracious, and the views are incredible. The only drawback to the hotel is the location, as it’s a little isolated, but I didn’t mind taking the shuttle to/from Shinjuku station, and the walk wasn’t bad either. This hotel is expensive, even with points now that it’s a 30k per night category 7 hotel, but it’s definitely an experience worth having.