Background The Shangri-La hotel is one year old this month and is the group’s first property in Japan. It is one of the new-generation Shangri-Las, which aim for a more boutique-style offering – the hotel has 200 rooms. The Vancouver property (reviewed in the February edition of Business Traveller) is also new-generation, as will be the Paris hotel (opening this year) and London’s (opening in 2012).
What’s it like? Occupying the top 11 levels of the 37-storey Marunouchi Trust Tower Main building, the hotel entrance is on the ground floor and staff escort guests to reception on the 28th floor. The hotel boasts more than 2,000 works of art and it’s a delight to stroll around looking at them all. There are several Swarovski crystal chandeliers, including a two-tonne, 480,000-piece one in the lobby that represents raindrops falling from a moonlit sky.
Where is it? Next to Tokyo station, where the Narita Express train arrives from the airport. The station is enormous and the hotel is poorly signposted so you won’t spot it until you are right outside. I strongly advise asking the hotel to send someone to meet you off the train – it’s free and will save you a lot of time (it takes about 20 minutes to reach the Narita Express platform from the hotel despite it being so close by). From Tokyo station you can catch the Yamanote line and the Tokyo Metro.
Room facilities All bedrooms have good-sized desks with a neat box for plugs and cables, 42-inch flatscreen TVs and Bose sound systems, safes, bedside curtain controls, Shangri-La toiletries, tea and coffee-making facilities, a minibar, a DVD player and free wired and wifi internet access.
Superior rooms have views of the city’s Nihombashi business district and are 50 sqm. My Deluxe room (also 50 sqm) faced the Imperial Palace, while others face Tokyo Bay. The décor was modern and cosy with warm reds, browns and creams. The bathroom was a wet room with a rainshower and separate tub.
Premier rooms (68 sqm) are on the corner of the building and have baths with views over the city, espresso machines and leaf tea. The four Executive suites are 120 sqm, while the 150 sqm Shangri-La suite has its own concierge service.
The Horizon Club lounge on the 37th floor is for guests staying in club rooms on floors 36 and 37. It offers great views and exceptional service. There’s a check-in and check-out facility, free shoe shine and pressing of one item of laundry, an à la carte and buffet breakfast (the Japanese offering is delicious), free juices and snacks throughout the day, and cocktails in the early evening.
Restaurants and bars The lobby lounge and bar on the 28th floor is a quiet place to hold a meeting or have a post-dinner drink. Afternoon tea is served here from 2.30pm to 5.30pm and there is often live music.
Also on the lobby level is Italian restaurant Piacere. The olive-green and sea-blue décor sets off the Mediterranean theme and all the furniture and fittings are Italian. The wine cellar has 2,000 vintages and there’s a cheese wagon and grappa collection. Open for breakfast 6.30am-10am (7am-10.30am at weekends), lunch 12pm-2.30pm and dinner 6pm-10pm.
Floor 29 has Nadaman, Shangri-La’s Japanese eatery, with décor depicting the city as a forest. A big wooden sculpture represents a pond with ripples and poems about nature carved into its surface. Open for lunch 11.30am-2.30pm and dinner 5.30pm-10pm.
Business and meeting facilities The ballroom on level 27 can cater for 200 people for dinner or 250 for cocktails – it’s a lovely space with more beautiful chandeliers. There are three other meeting rooms accommodating 50-60 people in each.
Leisure facilities The hotel’s signature spa, Chi (open 10am-10pm), is on the 29th floor and focuses on ancient Chinese healing methods. It’s also the first Chi spa to introduce Ila products from the Cotswolds. There are six treatment rooms with their own changing facilities. The décor is calm with Tibetan artefacts and jade stones to purify the body. There’s also a 20-metre indoor pool and a gym open 6.30am-10pm. Changing rooms have large hot tubs and steam rooms.
Verdict As you would expect from a five-star hotel, the service is faultless; however, the property is not easy to locate. The rooms are large and have all the mod cons a business traveller could need.
Felicity Cousins
FACT FILE
How many rooms? There are 200 rooms, including six suites, five Superior rooms, 80 Deluxe, 58 Deluxe Bay View, ten Premier, five Premier Bay View, five Premier City View, and 30 Horizon rooms.
Room highlights The amount of space, free internet, great views and large bathroom.
Price Internet rates for a midweek stay in April started from ¥45,361 (£313) for a Deluxe room.
Contact Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo, Marunouchi Trust Tower Main building, 1-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku; tel +813 6739 7888; shangri-la.com
