Ancient temples, sublime ryokan, next-level retail, and the highest densest concentration of Michelin stars anywhere in the world… it sounds cliché, certainly, but Tokyo really does have something for everybody.
This all-encompassing spirit of excellence is also present in the Japanese capital’s hotels: be it an affordable, design-led local or the pinnacle of five-star luxury, literally lofted (as is so often the case) 30 or more storeys above ground. Suffice it to say, if you’re headed to Tokyo in the near future, there are a lot of options worthy of consideration at any given budget.
For Team BH, these are our favourite Tokyo hotels — a mixture of small, value-led openings and venerable institutions — worth reserving this year.
RELATED: The 16 Best Hotels In Hong Kong For 2024
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The Best Hotels To Book For Your Next Tokyo Adventure
Chuo City
Bulgari Hotel Tokyo
The first hotel in Japan from the eponymous LVMH luxury house, Bulgari Tokyo opened to some serious fanfare last year. Among a host of notable international guests, actress Anne Hathaway was on hand to cut the proverbial ribbon.
Located at the apex of Yaesu Tower — within the city-in-a-city complex that is Tokyo Midtown — Bulgari’s first Japanese property marries glam Roman looks with craftsmanship that, predictably, pushes the limits of what shoukunin are capable of. Murano glass fittings sit seamlessly alongside traditional Kyoto textiles; and within the property’s 98 guestrooms, obsessive effort has been made to combine the blueprint of a global luxury hotel with touchpoints that speak directly to Bulgari’s history in Japan.
You’ll be unfazed to learn that the facilities here are all first-rate. Adopting a qualitative approach, the hotel’s spa and eight-seat sushi counter are just the tip of the iceberg. For a dapple of Fellini-esque charm, few settings anywhere in Tokyo beat Il Ristorante. Here, the award-winning Abruzzo chef Niko Romito serves what is arguably some of the city’s best pasta: best enjoyed, in classic Bulgari panache, on the restaurant’s 40th-storey terrace.
Ginza
The Tokyo Edition (Ginza)
The highly anticipated sequel to Ian Schrager’s initial foray into the Tokyo hotels scene, this outpost of the EDITION brand sets up shop just off Chuo Street — in the thick of Ginza’s swankiest retail enclave.
Offering a slinky, somewhat more intimate riposte to its sister property in Toranomon, the Ginza Edition balances the deceptively ascetic look of its 86 private spaces with a dining offering that’s purpose-built for some serious revels.
The brand’s signature ‘Punch Room’ concept (think highly shareable cocktails, ladled out of silver tureens) makes its Japanese debut here; and, come springtime, the rooftop is transformed into a sky-high topiary — slinging lo-fi wines and pristine views of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Muji Hotel Ginza
At this discrete address on the 10th floor of the MUJI flagship in Ginza, Japan’s international champion of “no-brand quality goods” applies its minimalist philosophy to the realm of accommodation.
Yes, it’s technically a property currently open to the public, but don’t expect to nab a booking here without preparing well in advance (some reports indicate guests have even waited 12 months to secure their optimal travel dates).
Populated by the same products and creative ethos at the heart of MUJI’s core business, travellers in Tokyo should expect compact lodgings (the biggest of which measures 52m2). Delightfully simplistic spaces, each room category offers floor-borne bedding, essential creature comforts, and a palette of dreamy neutral tones.
In short? A great option when your primary objective after a night out in Tokyo is to rest and recharge.
Shimokitazawa
Yuen Bettei Deita
If you thought ryokan (i.e. the traditional Japanese inn) was the stuff of the Kanto countryside, think again. Hidden amid the charming laneways of the Setagaya neighbourhood in Shimokitazawa, Yuen Bettei Deita articulates the concept of the now-ubiquitous ‘urban resort’ with uniquely Tokyo flair.
Tsukikage, the property’s sole on-site eatery, specialises in an assortment of traditional ingredients — many of which pay homage to the immediate area’s rich heritage of tea production. During dinnertime, the kitchen serves a range of seasonal dishes, often prepared tableside in the nabemono (“hot pot”) style.
The real clincher, however, is the hotel’s very own integrated onsen fed from source springs in Lake Ashi and Hakone.
Rich in alkaline, these baths provide guests with respite from fatigue, muscle pain, arthralgia, and a range of other chronic ailments. Indeed, even if you’re staying elsewhere in Tokyo, the hotel opens its onsen to external guests — perfect for a pre-dinner pick-me-up.
Marunouchi
The Peninsula Tokyo
Still one of the high watermarks of Tokyo’s luxury hotel scene some 17 years after first opening, The Peninsula’s outpost in the Japanese capital is more than a match for its counterparts in Hong Kong or London. Equidistant from such iconic landmarks as Tokyo Station and Hibiya Park, this is a property where the phrase “low-key” never enters the conversation.
Toyota Centuries in Brewster green; white-gloved bellhops; one of finest Cantonese eateries in Tokyo; Keisen Hama’s Lying Dragon Gate keeping a watchful eye over the lobby — every feature here is crafted to illicit a pleasurable utterance (or three) from guests.
Intriguingly, among veteran travellers, it’s reported that The Peninsula Tokyo offers something akin to value-for-money in the luxury bracket. Entry-level rooms measure at least 54m2, and are all equipped with wonderfully over-the-top details: our favourite of which must surely be the freestanding walk-in wardrobe and high-speed nail dryer. Because God forbid you have to towel-dry your own cuticles.
Palace Hotel Tokyo
Not to be confused with the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Imperial Hotel, this property derives its name from a truly enviable location — a stone’s throw from the East Gardens of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.
Once the preserve of well-heeled Japanese locals, the Palace Hotel underwent a comprehensive refurbishment in the late 2010s; and has returned with a dashing new gloss that has made it every inch a formidable alternative to Tokyo’s many imported luxury stays.
Inside the airy main lobby and guestrooms, the Palace’s look is that of a chic (suitably imperious) private residence: full of double-height glass, embroidered ecru carpets, and darkened purple hues. Amenities plumb the best of Japan’s artisanal heritage and, in a rare occurrence for space-starved Tokyo, a number of the Deluxe rooms are even framed by balconies — great for getting a hawk’s view of the Imperial Palace Plaza.
Naturally, there’s plenty to do within the property, should you prefer holing up for the duration of your stay. Since 2012, the Palace Hotel has played host to Japan’s only Evian co-branded spa. Additionally, there are no less than seven bars & restaurants to choose from, with Michelin-starred Esterre (opened in partnership with the legendary Alain Ducasse) ranking as a must-book.
Four Seasons Tokyo (Marunouchi)
Upon arrival at Four Seasons’ older (and indeed smaller) Tokyo outpost, guests will be struck by the intimate atmosphere the famed Canadian luxury hotelier has successfully conjured.
Unlike its splashier sibling property at Otemachi, the liminal spaces at Four Seasons Marunouchi have been engineered to be as unobtrusive as possible — yielding all the more reason to loaf in one of the hotel’s 60 suites & rooms. Four Seasons’ stylish (yet somewhat indefinable) pan-global aesthetic is fully on display: with neutral-coloured walls and buttery suede surfaces cocooning each guest’s quarters in a force field of luxury.
These rooms shall satisfy all but the pickiest of sleepers. Yet the reason you’re apt to see so many local Tokyoites (aside from the hotel’s setting in the middle of the CBD) has to do with chowtime. Between Maison Marunouchi and a dedicated Champagne lounge, Francophiles have a lot to be excited about.
Despite that, on the culinary front, the hotel’s clear piece de resistance is Sézanne. Helmed by British maestro Daniel Calvert (formerly of Belon Hong Kong) it won the 50 Best Academy’s coveted Best Restaurant in Asia award earlier this year. Hunting for reservations? Plan accordingly.
Otemachi
Aman Tokyo
Touted by none other than Dorsia Travel as having “one of the best hard products of any city hotel in the world,” Aman Tokyo has long felt significant enough (in and of itself) to entice luxury travellers to Tokyo.
The first metropolitan property ever to be opened by the Aman group, it is responsible — in large part — for the spate of zen-like, soundproofed sanctuaries that appear to define luxury hospitality in 2024.
Centrally located on the doorstep of Nihonbashi, the hotel is a forerunner of the now-signature Kerry Hills style. Each guestroom (the smallest measuring a not insubstantial 71m2) derives its personality from emblematic Japanese building materials: basalt stone, washi, cypress timber — you get the idea.
The property has four solid F&B options on offer (including an Edomae sushi counter that utilises rice and sake produced exclusively for Aman). But really, the star attraction here is the eponymous spa. Spread over two storeys, it’s still one of the most comprehensive wellness destinations in Tokyo — a fact that’s unlikely to change any time soon.
Hoshinoya Tokyo
Originally an operator of high-end domestic ryokan (from the alpine city of Karuizawa), Hoshino Resorts underwent a comprehensive rebrand in 1995. In so doing, it expanded its operations to Taiwan, Mainland China, and further afield in Asia.
Aside from the group’s well-documented commitment to local produce and environmentally sound hospitality, the core of Hoshino’s ethos revolves around what a modern Japanese hotel would look sans Western influences. And if Hoshinoya, the company’s sanctified flagship in Otemachi, is any indication, the answer is “effing world-class.”
Seriously… the talking points here are as intriguing as they are endless. When the hotel broke ground, builders drilled 1.5 kilometres beneath Tokyo — in order to access onsen-grade ocean water that can be enjoyed in both indoor and outdoor settings. Similarly, Hoshinoya’s private spaces are quietly revolutionary. Each floor is occupied, at maximum, by six guestrooms — all seamlessly connected by an ochanoma (a kind of traditional living space, where guests can commune over a cup of matcha and sweets 24 hours a day).
Not for nothing, the property was also crowned No. 39 on the inaugural list of The World’s 50 Best Hotels in 2023.
Shibuya
Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park
This shiny, new Scandi-coded successor to the original Trunk (Hotel) on Cat Street has already made waves with hip urbanites: owing to its superbly inviting rooftop infinity pool and views overlooking Yoyogi Park — one of Tokyo’s biggest such public spaces.
The property’s guestrooms (many of which come furnished with balconies) are sized with the requisite Tokyo compactness; decorated with a mishmash of blond arbours and Danish bentwood furniture.
L’Ombelico, the hotel’s sole public eatery, does a mean trade in woodfired Neapolitan pizza. But, as at the TRUNK crew’s other two Tokyo hotels, the immediate neighbourhood is filled with equally (if not more) enticing options. (Begin your day with a coffee at nearby Fuglen, before decamping to Kakan — for what has been dubbed the Japanese capital’s “best mapo tofu.”)
Hotel Indigo Tokyo
Located in the same neighbourhood as Bunkamura and the famed 109 department store, Hotel Indigo is international group IHG’s take on the ubiquitous design-led, Gen Z-centric boutique brand.
Guestrooms embrace faux-retro styling cues that make liberal use of wood, multicoloured carpet, and vintage record sleeves; but with so much to do on Hotel Indigo’s doorstep, you’d be forgiven not for looking all that closely.
The words “wacky” and “WeWork-esque” are best used as far as the property’s dining offering goes, but that’s decidedly not meant as a negative. If you happen to be staying with a large group in-house, the 11th-floor terrace is a fantastic venue in which to commence (or conclude) your evening over draft beers and a menu of deliciously straightforward burgers and snacks (inspired by wafu fusion cuisine).
Shinjuku
Groove Shinjuku, A Parkroyal Hotel
A brand-spanking-new build in the heart of Kabukicho, Hotel Groove is Tokyo’s answer to the Ovolo and Ace Hotel brands of the world. Night owls take note: this is a very assured choice of accommodation if you’re looking to spend most of your trip carousing and drinking among the mini-bars of Golden Gai.
That said, what time you do spend in the hotel will be perfectly comfortable. Even the entry-level Deluxe and Premier rooms make the most out of their compact floorplans: utilising clever details like integrated strip lighting and a split rain shower/basin combo that saves on space by being closer to the entry.
In keeping with the hotel’s trendy and propulsive surroundings, guests dining in-house can expect modern mixology in addition to a proto-Italian diner which makes use of seasonal ingredients, sourced from the surrounding Kanto region.
Finally, it may seem like faint praise, but it’s also worth mentioning that Hotel Groove offers self-serve laundry facilities — a welcome addition for long-stay guests.
Toranomon
Janu Tokyo
Inarguably the newest addition to our shortlist of Tokyo hotels for 2024, Janu is the inaugural property (and global flagship) from Aman’s spirited — and somewhat more affordable — sibling brand. Currently the only hotel to have set up shop within the groundbreaking Azabudai Hills community, it offers many of the same surface-level pleasures of the Aman group.
Designer Jean-Michel Gathy has imbued each of the hotel’s 122 rooms & suites with a palpable serenity: working with ample natural light and soothing shades of beige and ochre. Still, one can feel no-holds-barred luxury lurking in the bones. Case in point: Janu’s very smallest rooms start at 55m2, and all come fettered with a soaking tub and twin vanities.
Beyond the private spaces, guests shall have plenty to do upon Janu’s shared grounds. The property boasts no fewer than 8 bars & restaurants: including venues individually dedicated to sumibiyaki (charcoal grilling) and washoku (quite literally “food of Japan”), plus the obligatory high-end Italian eatery.
And lest it be outdone by Aman Tokyo, Janu is also home to a 4,000m2 wellness centre. Across a truly staggering array of facilities, the “health is wealth” brigade is sure to have a field day: there’s a 25-metre pool, “hydrotherapy area,” and (at 340m2) a gym that’s roughly twice the size of the average Aussie home.
The Okura Tokyo
Notably featured in the 1964 Ian Fleming novel You Only Live Twice, The Okura Tokyo is a retrofuturistic marvel; and hands-down one of the most visually striking hotels to grace our travel guide.
In 2019, the property underwent a leviathan US$1 billion renovation, resulting in its expansion into a two-building complex: the modern 41-storey Prestige Tower, and the 17-storey Heritage Wing — home to digs with a more palpably Japanese sensibility.
Full to bursting with fantastic dining options (our default playbook would involve teppanyaki at Sazanka; followed by an excellent Martini at Starlight), one could easily write an entire essay about the world-class facilities that The Okura brings to bear.
However, for Japonophiles, the real treasure is in the property’s communal spaces. Local architect Yoshio Taniguchi (whose father designed the original Okura) has refreshed and reimagined the hotel in modern day; with plenty of reverence given to preserving historic details.
The epicentre of this exercise in great taste? The lobby, we’d wager. An impeccably conceived throwback to Economic Miracle-era Tokyo, the space is populated by suave mid-century furniture, traditional shoji screens, silk panelling, and the iconic hexagonal lanterns that nod to The Okura’s logo. Utsukushii!
Hotel Toranomon Hills
Part of the Hyatt group’s boutique-y ‘Unbound’ collection, the somewhat literally named Hotel Toranomon Hills is likely to appeal to frequent Tokyo fliers. Made with seasoned visitors to the Japanese capital in mind, it dispenses with the conspicuous hallmarks of luxury — in favour of a stay that merges convenience, location, and intelligent design in equal measure.
This is immediately apparent in facilities like the communal lounge: an ode to quasi-Scandi style (overseen, fittingly, by Space Copenhagen) where guests are supplied with showers and amenities akin to what you might find at your favourite airport lounge.
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