The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

The property was full for a conference – literally no rooms were available for me to tour.  You might ask why would I go see a hotel where I can’t even get in a single room?  I had guests stay earlier in the year and had a wonderful time.  I had gotten to know the Virtuoso rep for the hotel and wanted to meet in person.  The common areas were great to see and give a feel for what the guest experience will be like.

They have 245 rooms and suites and 60 of them are the club level.  The hotel lobby is on the 45th floor of the Midtown Tower at the Roppongi subway stop. The hotel occupies the top nine floors and the first three levels of the tower.

I took the metro from Haneda International Airport, which takes about an hour and you do have to switch stations.  There are better ways to get to the hotel, this would not be my recommendation, now that I have done it.  If you do though, the metro signs are well marked for how to get to the hotel.  The Ritz is part of the Midtown Tower complex, which has lots of shopping and other stores, mostly very high end.  The elevator for the lobby is a bit tricky to find, so follow the signs!

Once you arrive off the lobby, the beautiful Ritz Carlton emerges.  It smells lovely everywhere. The hotel had a renovation finished just over a year ago and it is a beautiful hotel with a traditional Japanese design.

To be honest, I spent most of my time at lunch at Hinokizaka, the Teppanyaki bar.  My Virtuoso rep friend for the hotel and I had our own personal chef.  It was amazing and one of my favorite lunches to this day.  The chef made everything in front of us and it was all small bites.  We had foie gras, wagyu beef, local Japanese mushrooms, sparkling sake…it was a true culinary delight.  It is a must to visit.

The hotel has a great bar right off the front lobby in which guests through a Virtuoso advisor can arrange a whiskey tasting for cost.  Japanese whiskey outranked Irish whiskey as the world’s best a couple years ago and has quite the following now.  Smoking is still quite popular in Japan, so there is a smoking area of the bar.

They have two other restaurants Azure 45, featuring French cuisine and is a Michelin star and the Towers, where most guests take breakfast.

My favorite room category of any hotel is always the club level. It is a little oasis with complimentary food and drinks served at various times throughout the day.  The RC Club is no exception – it is open from 7 am to 10 pm, has an exclusive afternoon tea, daily five food and beverage presentations, and more.  When staying in a room with club access, guests check in at the Club instead of the front desk.  This club was one of the prettier interior spaces I have been in, compared to other clubs.

The pool has large windows for city views and the hot tub juts out with the best views of all.  The spa features the Australian product, Samadara, which is the only found at the RC Tokyo.  They also have ESPA products.  The property also has a full workout room.

I would visit The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo again in a heartbeat.  This hotel has so much to offer and is true luxury.

The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo is a Virtuoso property and through our partnership, I am proud to offer the following amenities: upgrade upon arrival, subject to availability; breakfast buffet daily for two guests; a $100 USD equivalent hotel credit; and early check in/late check out, based on availability.