Japan mega trip review - Starwood and Hyatt

Been on FT for some time, and had a big blowout trip to Japan. My wife and I (1 room), son and niece (1 room), friends (1 room) and their 2 kids (1 room). Done on a mix of points and cash. I am SPG Plat and the Hyatt hotels booked for myself as a GOH award stay. Here are my impressions.

Read every thread and used the advice on FT to put together an itinerary - wanted to share our experiences to help others!

Westin Tokyo

SNA applied, so we had a 1BR + LR suite, connecting to our son's room. Our friends were put on a club floor. Rooms are the least Japanese of our entire stay, but large. Hotel's big - the opposite of the Suiran - so it's going to be busy. In some ways, its European style makes it, in my memory, the least desirable as the hotel could use a refresher, but walking back in the lobby, it remains immaculately maintained. Concierge historically has been less helpful than the PHT concierge, but I can't say we pushed them hard this trip. Staff in general was welcoming and unfailingly polite.

Buffet was generous, the most options of any stay. The har gow was probably better than anything I've eaten in Seattle, which is a low bar, but still noteworthy (I am Cantonese American, so I have a high bar!). My son's favorite breakfast buffet, in part due to the handmade onigiri selection (first time I've seen it here).

Plat benefits were excellent - our friends on a club floor meant they had breakfast there, and the club lounge was great for them - with a little child, a bit off hours, was a great place for them to come and decompress when they arrived from Portugal. They seemed fine with all of us using the buffet which is above Plat benefits (only supposed to apply to the Plat room).

I've stayed here a few times, and have grown to like the WT as a base -- big room (can fit 3), depato nearby (snacks galore), Ebisu/Daikanyama are great areas. Despite the European style, this place feels like the best value for us again as a family.

Our room was separated from the LR by a glass french door but in general, the rooms felt -- dark? I'd like to say worn, but that implies a shabbiness that isn't there. Well-maintained, but furnishings have been there for a while. I think it feels the same as when I first stayed there in 2006-ish. Hotel design has really moved on (PG vs PHT). But if I had a younger child, their Christmas lobby might just be worth it.

For a Plat with family staying on a "budget", this feels like the front-runner for the Tokyo hotels I've stayed at.

Other observations:

• Everyone uses Nespresso pods now so in room coffee is pretty good. Coffee in the 1st floor restaurant was good (winner here was the PHT coffee).
• First of many Bluetooth speakers so I could listen to Hamilton while family was out!
• Gym, like most of the gyms, was an afterthought - I wanted to use the Ebisu gym nearby but didn't get around to it. Maintaining a regular fitness regimen is pretty hard on vacation, next time I may try and research a place to get on a real spin bike or join Rapha Cycling Club to get access to a road bike rental, assuming there is one in Tokyo.
• Big office building nearby had several high-floor dining options, including a pretty good Izakaya. We made it to a nearby yokocho, but it proved to be a little too chaotic for a 3 yr old (and even our US teens). Adults ready to jump in and eat would have been fine!
• Don't think we had yukatas here.
• Every buffet miso soup was better than almost any miso soups I've had in the US save high end sushi places.
• Ditto for the rice.
• Not sure why people prefer the Sheraton Miyako to Westin.

Hyatt Regency Kyoto

A short Shinkansen ride and we hit the HRK for 2 nights. Our room was a GOH - so we got a lovely upgrade to a corner King room, with a generous sectional sofa. Wrote ahead to the GM, she was terrific and made sure that our friends' room was upgraded to a room large enough for a crib. Our room was a great hangout room, felt like a big studio rather than a hotel room. 

Arguably my wife's favorite hotel of the trip - blonde woods, calm, minimalist Japanese design, she loves the kimono fabric headboards, and our room had a giant wooden bathtub. If I had room for one in my house in Seattle, I'd have one of these (hooked into a graywater reclamation system). Location was good, short walk to the subway, a couple of temples nearby, FamiMa for essentials.

Service here was also excellent; we had the concierge get us reservations at Usagi No Ippo, a traditional machiya house dinner (recommended!) and we had to move the time around. Nothing complex but all handled gracefully.

Other notes:

• HRK and PHT make me miss having status at Hyatt. Feels like the Westin Miyako doesn't have nearly the same Japanese design aesthetic and HRK.
• Maiko came and performed in the evenings, then chatted with guests in the hotel restaurant.
• Buffet was fine, IIRC. Nothing amazing, smaller in selection than the WT. I have a "better than work" standard, as I work for one of the big Silicon Valley tech companies with breakfast/lunch/dinner -- and every breakfast I had in JP was better than work. We almost always ordered Japanese breakfast.
• A small annoyance was that, if I had Japanese breakfast, I was politely told that I couldn't have anything but coffee/juice/fruit from the buffet. I had grabbed a piece of bread.
• Read some reviews wondering why this isn't a PHT -- and suggesting that some bathrooms might smell mildewy? Well, it's def not a PHT but I understand the sentiment - it might be the nicest Hyatt Regency in the world, and maybe I caught a whiff of a musty smell in the bathrooms with room showers, but all in all a fabulous stay.
• Std double room (son and niece) felt smallest of the places we stayed. My only real worry if I stayed again. Still, seems better than the Westin offering in town.
• Loved the wooden tub in the upgraded room.
• Gym is a long walk away, in what I assume is a new addition to the building. Clean, but IIRC not a lot of windows. Saw it, but didn’t work out there.

Suiran

One night here, because thought it'd be great to be near Arishiyama. It was. Get up early, walk around the grounds and area. Monkey Forest and Bamboo Forest before the tourists hit. Normally we wouldn’t switch hotels on a 3 night Kyoto stay for the change cost, but to be near the forest in the morning -- in a Kyoto summer -- with slow-to-organize kids -- well, I think it was the right call.

Our SNA cleared here, and we got a suite with a private hotspring tub. Didn't use it but did rent out the 2 onsens for families -- they were lovely and relaxing. Our room was sleek, but quirky. The BR had no windows - opened onto the hallway with windows, which made it great for sleeping but not for lounging. This was true of almost all the BRs come to think of it, in suites. Probably an artifact of design, since there's limited windows, so BRs probably are low priority. LR was smallish, so didn’t have the same hangout appeal -- also not as warm as the HRK. I know they had to stay within the design constraints of the original Kawasaki villa.

All but one of the staff was super polite - everyone had earpieces, and was in constant communication with each other. We had our luggage shipped, and one of the suitcases had meds in it - not all rooms were ready when we arrived - so I wanted some bags brought up early. The woman seemed quite put out about dropping a bag off with me, and the rest in our friend's room. I wasn’t sure what room they were in and she was visibly annoyed.

She was also annoyed when we had a few more keycards programmed. She actually reminded me to return all the keycards in a lecturing tone. I get it - we're pretty aware of recycling and these cards are just waste if we take them - but this seemed like a pretty patronizing reminder. We have a few kids, so cards got mixed up after the onsen. It happens. But her attitude was picked up by several people, and it really was noticeable in a small hotel setting.

We had our first adult dinner here in the hotel restaurant. It's pricey, but you pay for the convenience. Food was very good (my wife was less impressed) - not Narisawa, but the dining room was lovely and service was immediate if somewhat officious.

Breakfast was also excellent, IIRC was all off menu; as a Plat, we got breakfast for our room but that's it.  Everyone else paid, which was expected. No club either. But didn’t expect one given small hotel size

Misc notes:

• Wasn't asked about Plat benefit, they assumed we wanted the points
• Entry to hotel and hotel grounds were very Japanese -- so lovely.
• Location was great -- because we hadn't been to this side of Kyoto, and would return to explore more, though less central to Nishiki market, Gion, etc.
• Cat 7 hotel, and I understand why - just the ratio of hotel staff to guests seemed very high, maybe the higher than PHT. Seems like a good use of points, because room rate was $500+.
• Suiran felt the least child-friendly, primarily in small attitudinal ways. That being said, I couldn't say that they were ever not solicitous and helpful.
• Didn't see the gym but man, a cool pool in the Kyoto summer would be amazing.
• Room automation let us lower blinds - which was nice, since our view out one side was construction! And it was HOT.
• Wife says, 3 nights in Kyoto are way too short, even for a second visit here. She's right.
• Wife and friend had champagne out on the happy hour café deck, they said it was lovely.
• Friends crib situation well handled by room size assignment!

St Regis Osaka

Our trip with friends group 1 ended here - we stayed for 5 nights. SNA cleared and we had a giant 1 BR suite, with a huge couch. It's here that we noticed no hotels had PPV -- that sucked for our adult dinner night when we went to Sushi Yoshi (he's great, the anti-Jiro!). Kids stayed in our room, got nearby pizza and watched movies on my iPad. Pretty sure PHT had a Lightning connector so they coulda watched movies on the big screen. StR had Bluray players but no in house disc rentals. So why?

But pillow menu!!

Room automation was great, all the room controls next to the bed. Turndown seemed uneven - some nights, they left yukata out and others, they didn’t.

Son's room was small but well laid out -- tub overlooking the city proved to be a big hit. Not sure how we'd fit three in here when we come back. He said the bed was comfortable. When everyone else left, it was just wife and son - so he moved into our room. Additional guest charge was $180, only a bit less than keeping his room another night! But we get that JP hotels are strict about this, so it was fine.

Misc notes:

• Buffet was great but the table-service coffee was hit or miss -- one day, wife said it was nearly undrinkably weak. Food included a decent spread plus menu items. GF bread!
• No club lounge.
• Area is great - lots of out of hotel food options, our friends did that since their kids didn’t eat enough to justify the hotel buffet prices, at breakfast. Hommachi subway is right there, a stop to Shinsaibashi and another to Namba. Americamura and Dotonbori are minutes away.
• No pool, which was annoying here, given new construction and urban setting. I'm sure I went to the gym here, oh right - it's small, some windows, not enough fans for real workout on the bike.
• Butler service was useful for coffee and juice and overall attentiveness. Got us a thermometer when son had a little temp, and got us an appointment with an eye clinic when he might have pink eye.
• Excellent restaurant reservation help - Sushi yoshi, as noted, and a fantastic soba place nearby. Only fail was one night when I wanted a good midpriced a la carte sushi place - late because it was 6pm and we wanted to eat soon, and it was like Friday. Everything was taken, and the butler somewhat haughtily explained to me why sushi places don’t like a la carte for westerners -- language problems result in bad feelings and conflict, which is uncomfortable for Japanese people. I had to tell him, yes, I've eaten at several Michelin sushi places before, I understand.  I think it was really a language issue between us, he was trying to be helpful. Our son isn't omakase ready yet!
• We ended up at the Italian restaurant in the hotel - perfectly lovely, though pricey of course. Chef came out and we chatted about Japanese food aesthetics. Portions were small but tasty.
• A nice mix of western and Japanese design aesthetic. Westin Tokyo could shoot for this balance, and it'd be amazing. Art in the hotel was lovely.
• Bar was cool hangout -- sky lobby wasn't as lounge-y as PHT but the bar was cozy. Outdoor space had a little sand garden but blue lighting at night wasn't as amendable to night downtimes, as I would have liked, though it was well-used by guests.
• I love Osaka, would def return. Wife a little less so, she's more Kyoto. I suppose if I had to spend 5 nights in one place, it'd be Kyoto. Tho 5 nights here meant Nara day trip (though wife pointed out Nara would be a good overnight stay, maybe 2 nights).

Grand Sheraton Hiroshima

One night here, felt like not enough time. SNA didn't clear (seems like they don't do much upgrades). Additional child was an extra charge. They moved us into a larger room to accommodate the bed, I get the feeling they would not have done that otherwise, Plat status or no. A lot of Americans here, so maybe busier than I thought?

Room smelled like BO. Told them, they put an air filter in when we went out, it helped - but when we went out later next day, smell returned. They did offer to move us, but we had unpacked and the other room was smaller.

Definitely a step down in amenities from all the other hotels, but still excellent breakfast buffet. Selection not as broad, but buffet did highlight the provenance of the rice. Excellent and tasty! Coffee was solid. Service here wasn't as solicitous as other places, but it's a big Sheraton, not a St Regis or a Park Hyatt. Within expectations, it delivered. GF bread here!

Location was excellent too -- right next to train station (with great food court area). Peace Park was served by a JR tour bus - if you have the rail pass, the bus is free. Wife says she would have liked to spend more time in Hiroshima, we didn’t even make it to Miyajima since we wanted to take in the memorials. My friend (who recommended a great okonomiyaki place and who walked out of WTC Tower before it fell on 9/11 said it's 100x more intense than the 9/11 memorial, and she's right, it's amazing. The more informal exhibits are a little gloss-over-y of the JP war atrocities, but highlight the real debate that happened over whether the A-bomb should have been used.

Park Hyatt Tokyo

Back to the scene of the crime! Our first family visit ended here, and we did it again. Our GOH res burned a lot of points, and we had a giant suite for 3 nights, 2 nights in a double; they let us stay in the suite for $300/nt afterwards. Yes, please. Son was an additional charge, and wouldn’t have qualified for breakfast. I showed them an email I was sent to purchase happy hour and bfast benefits for $110, and he obliged. Would have been nice to be offered that on check in!

We had originally booked the Prince Gallery but old friends of ours from NYC were here (we had made tentative plans to meet in Tokyo) and we both have kids, so figured, we'd have more time together if we stayed at the PHT. Twist my arm. (Also a bit annoyed that the PHG pool didn't allow <18 yr olds in.)

I told my wife that some FT-ers say that the hotel is dated. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. The color palette, the sound design, the sky lobby -- she would live here if she could. I get the difference between the PG design and PHT; PHT feels more clubby, massive and solid. It definitely feels like an 80s-90s aesthetic, but I agree with my wife -- it still holds up today. Timeless, she calls it. The design touches, even the little tea tray, are just so. We had a welcome marshmallow snack and handmade candies. Will the Prince Gallery look this good in 20 years?

Our suite was massive in size, with entry foyer and closets, a great LR with solid views, a dark BR, and good sized bathroom. Interestingly, the tub here - while large - felt the most dated. IIRC we did have a bathroom that had windows onto the city before? I did at the PH Seoul, for sure. One side of the LR had shutters too, maybe for privacy or temp regulation. Room automation was good, though feeling a bit dated compared to the StR Osaka.

Breakfast - the best Japanese breakfast of all places. Fish was perfect. Coffee was outstanding. Selection in buffet was most limited, but you could order off the menu. Free breakfast was available for room service, but we never did that - it was good to get out of the room and on with our day.

The gym view - spectacular. Equipment (bike, anyway) is terrible, but no different than anywhere else. But I could really do my mat exercises in a way that made me want to linger, because of the view. Headphones on, Hamilton soundtrack: "look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now."

My son and I did use the pool once but not the spa (despite access). Wife didn’t end up using either.

Location: we used the shuttle bus to Shinjuku; well-repeated that location isn't ideal, even the Tochomae station is a 8-10 min walk away (though IIRC good for Ginza and Tsukiji). Fuunji ramen is near, as well as a michelin tempura place IIRC, but location is the biggest reason PHT isn't great for families.

Service: best service of our trip. It's clear that the PHT team has been doing it well for a long time - feels like the entire staff, men and women, are handsome and pretty, all helpful, all professional. Suiran aspires to this, but they fall short. St Regis Osaka is the closest in terms of service consistency. To be fair to the HRK, we didn't use them as much; they were also excellent. Really, service in JP was terrific.

Would we stay here again? I mean, of course. As much as I’d like to stay in Roppongi at the GHT, not sure if I was leaving SPG that I'd stay there because my wife loves the PHT (and HRK) so much. She's just happy walking around this place (and she's an artist, who really cares about these things). That being said, it's hard to imagine doing anything in Tokyo >1x because there's so much to do.

GHT: Roppongi has a ton of stuff to do, but if I left SPG, not sure I'd stay at the GHT without a GOH res. Maybe if we bookend Tokyo again like we did this time, GHT would be fine for the first 3 nights. I'd probably prefer to finish our stay next time at…

Prince Gallery: I regret missing out here. When we come again, we probably won't do Jun-Jul - but sakura season. Will probably stay here next time to see SPG's PHT competitor. The only way I can stay at Hyatt with GOH is to trade points on CC, and GOH is a premium so not advantageous. We'll get more bang for our buck on SPG alone given my Plat status. But it sure is tempting to come back.

 Misc notes:

• Wife says, breakfast buffets are double edged swords, because they keep you in the hotel when you could be in the city. Yeah, but it's also a way of regrouping before you head out and stave off hangrytime. Son's least favorite buffet - fewest Chinese options. We try and be GF so that hurts the pancake options.
• Everytime I stay here (the fact that I say this makes me grateful for the life I have) I worry about losing the physical key. But something I love about a physical key.
• Bathroom toilets automatically opened on approach. YES. Best of trip! No power deodorizer option, I think we had this at the StR.
• PHT had Aesop, StR and Suiran Remede. Both bath products were pretty nice.
• Guidebook in room was really excellent. Monocle, maybe?
• Spent time at Twilight happy hour; good snacks (carrot soup was fantastic). Great way to unwind after a day on the town, before dinner.
• Wife and I went to Narisawa, reservation arranged by hotel. Amazing presentation, a little too cerebral for my wife. She preferred a more dynamic meal, like Sushi Yoshi (or like Florilege, where I've been before). Still, amazing.
• Fuunji ramen in walking distance, tsukemen to die for. But it's a counter, our group of 8 was broken up into groups of 1 to 3 ppl. There's some nearby tempura place that's supposed to be great, we didn't make it there. Also Nagi ramen, I love that place but not enough to go back to at the expense of other places.
• Family loved Dominique Ansel, no line for the cronut.
• Went to NY Bar twice, great scene. Mocktail was excellent (Rainbow Room) - funny to be in an NYC themed place, being former NY-ers. But pricey! Had to remind myself, it was the experience we were paying for.
• Singer was great. Couldn’t not think of Lost in Translation "Midnight at the Oasis" scene, though. Bill Murray's suite was nicer than ours!
• Hallway leading to our room on 44 was WIDE. It felt like walking into a grand hallway. And we had a foyer -- wife wanted to throw a party in the suite. It felt like a profligate use of square footage!
• Design seems like it targets privacy - winding hallways, shelves, prevent clear line of sight everywhere except the sky lobby, and even there, it felt private. I get why celebs like this place. Gramercy Tavern in NYC had same design idea. Lots of nooks, but never felt claustrophobic.
• I would say the place isn't as family friendly as I'd like but kids can use the pool and I saw plenty of little ones. And I cannot say the staff ever made our son (or friends' kids) feel unwelcome.
• As much as location isnt great, being close to Shinjuku is cool; we took an 1040am shuttle bus to Shinjuku, got food gifts at Odyaku, back by noon. Bus to NRT 1220. No sweat. Odyaku depato was very good.
• This is a hotel to linger in, more so than any other we stayed in, I think - don't spend 1 or 2 nights here. Spend a few. Soak it in.
• Wife said, only our family could mess up such a beautiful room. We just exploded our stuff over the suite.

If we were to do this again:

• Fly in and out of Haneda. We flew in here, and speed to hotel was amazing. Long drive to NRT means less time in Japan. But DeltaOne award travel was hard to nail down, we're done with Delta. Alaska for us now, and MR and UR points will have to be cobbled together. Maybe Premium Economy for us next time? Trip back we barely slept so maybe flat beds there, PE on the way back?
  • Or fly out of KIX.
• I don’t want to spend less than 5 nights because of points bonus, at SPG so:
• 5 nights at Suiran. Otherwise, 3 at HRK/2 at Suiran. I'm gonna write the GM there about the service.
• 5 nights at Prince Gallery (Tokyo is a never-ending wonderland, and family wants to go back to Disney Sea anyway) - maybe a night there, too?
• 1-2 nights in Nara - OR 1-2 nights in Hokkaido
• 2 nights in Naoshima (wife loved this place, not enough time last time)
• 1-2 nights in Kanazawa
• 3 nights in Osaka (I'd book on cash, room rates at StR were pretty reasonable, 228 USD before taxes)

Depending on friends, we might try and get an AirBnB for 6 if we travel with them. But glad we didn’t do that this time, since the AirBnB crackdown happened right before we left. We're comfortable enough with Japan that I think we could easily explore without concierge services now.