Top Hotels in Japan

I was very fortunate to stay in Suites in some of the top hotels in Japan during a recent 10 day trip. Hospitality in Japan is some of the best, if not the best, in the world! Next time you are in Japan try staying at any of these hotels. They won’t disappoint.

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The St. Regis Osaka

Location: Exit 7 @ Honmachi Station, Osaka

Best Feature: Butler Service

Rate Type: Award Stay

Nightly Rate: 12,000 SPG points (now 20,000 points)

Room Booked: Deluxe

Room Received: Hagi Suite #2517 (Grand Deluxe Suite) using SPG Suite Night Award Upgrade

Review: The location of the hotel just above Honmachi Station makes this an excellent choice for touring around the city. You can get everywhere via trains in Japan. Kyoto and Yamazaki Distillery were our side trips while using this hotel as a home base. Breakfast is a massive buffet which is included for Platinum members and you even have the option for a traditional Japanese breakfast. Butler service is the St Regis brand signature feature and it was amazing in Osaka. The black tea they served was worth trying to buy some to bring home, but we found out it was made exclusively for St Regis Osaka and not for sale. As a Platinum welcome gift, they give you 1 free drink at the hotel bar for each guest which is a nice place to wind down at the end of the day. I wouldn’t hesitate to book another stay here in the future!

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Park Hyatt Tokyo

Location: 15 minute walk or hotel shuttle from Shinjuku Station, Tokyo

Best Feature: Iconic New York Bar

Rate Type: Standard

Nightly Rate: JPY 57,000

Room Booked: Park King

Room Recieved: Park Suite King #4218 using Hyatt Diamond Suite Upgrade

Review: The location isn’t the most convenient to the train station but they do offer a shuttle service from Shinjuku Station. The Park Suite which we stayed in had a view of Mount Fuji on a clear day and offered the largest room we stayed in during our trip to Japan. It was massive coming in at 100 sq meters (~1,075 sq feet). The look and feel is somewhat older but still very refined. While staying at the Park Hyatt Tokyo you should check out New York Bar where Lost in Translation was filmed. There is no cover charge if you are a hotel guest and they offer live jazz music every night. Breakfast wasn’t included in the rate and I had just dropped to World of Hyatt Explorist level so we grabbed food at Shinjuku station. This iconic hotel is still worth a stay, but I would rather spend my money at The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho as it’s modern and high tech.

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The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho

Location: Exit D @ Akasaka-Mitsuke Station, Tokyo

Best Feature: Very Modern and High Tech

Rate Type: AMEX Fine Hotel & Resorts

Nightly Rate: JPY 48,000

Room Booked: Deluxe

Room Received: Designer Suite #3231 using SPG Suite Night Award Upgrade

Review: My SPG Ambassador, Tiffiny, helped clear my SNA (Suite Night Award) as it didn’t clear right away even though they were still selling the room for the night I was staying. I’m not sure the approvals are all “fully automated” as SPG says. The suite was massive for Tokyo. The restroom had dual sinks, a tub with TV, shower and mist sauna. It was the best bathroom I’ve seen to date in terms of amenities. The king bed was elevated from the rest of the room and was super comfy. I loved the views looking back towards Tokyo station. An iPad controlled the room and you could even order room service off of it. Very high tech and modern design. The Club lounge was excellent, but I did try the sushi restaurant for dinner as I used the AMEX FHR (Fine Hotels & Resorts) rate so I had 10,000 yen to spend. The cheapest preset menu was around 7,000 yen but it was well worth it! I had a drink at the Sky Gallery Lounge to end the night. I did notice the staff was all female except for the morning I checked out the desk staff was all male. This hotel beats the following Tokyo hotels: Westin, Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt and Hilton. It was along the lines of the St Regis Osaka. I highly recommend it. Perfect hotel!

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Takaragawa Onsen Onsenkaku

Location: 1 hour bus ride from Jōmō-Kōgen Station, Gunma

Best Feature: Authentic Experience

Rate Type: Standard

Nightly Rate: JPY 26,920

Room Booked: Honkan (original building) or “Higashikan (east building)

Room Received: Honkan (original building)

Review: We hopped on the bullet train in Green Class (Business Class) from Tokyo Station up to Jōmō-Kōgen Station which took around 90 minutes. We reached speeds of 147mph! The hotel bus was waiting for us in the parking lot. It was an older 20 passenger bus which meant most of the fumes from the exhaust ended up inside the cabin but it was a fun 1 hour adventure up the mountain. On the way home to the station, they sent us in a full size 50 passenger coach which was a much more pleasant ride. The Onsen resort offered traditional tatami mats to sleep on a night and due to the cold weather they were even heated (heated floor). We stayed in the original building which was built in 1955 and no renovations to date. The rate included breakfast and a traditional Japanese dinner each night which were amazing! I was shocked at how excellent the food was for a mountain side resort. For lunch, you could grab food at the ramen shop across the river. The highlight were the 4 outdoor onsens which were open for use at anytime. Three were mixed gender and one female only, but they do offer a coverup for women and a small hand towel for the men. Relaxing in the onsen with the snow falling was picture perfect! If you want a authentic Japanese experience, definitely stay here for 2 nights.