Indulge in Sophisticated Elegance at These 5 Stylish Designer Hotels in Tokyo

Palace Hotel is a long-established hotel that opened its doors in 1961. After undergoing large-scale renovations, it was newly opened in 2012 under the name Palace Hotel Tokyo. This luxurious designer hotel is located right in the middle of Tokyo under a very special address - Marunouchi 1-1-1! The principal design was overseen by designer Terry McGinnity, who works mainly in the U.K. and Europe. You'll be able to enjoy a modern design that combines Japanese essence with a Western touch.

With its location adjacent to the Wadakuramon Gate moat by the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace, the hotel is a peaceful oasis surrounded by rich greenery and water - you'll have a hard time believing it's in the center of the city! Their foundation is based upon "harmony with nature" combined with a new brand concept - "A beautiful day in a beautiful country" - that was announced with the rebirth of the hotel in 2012. There are over 720 works of art decorating the interior of the hotel, including the lobby and the guest rooms. The art pieces depicting the green nature and water surrounding the hotel can be enjoyed just as if you're on a garden tour!

All of the guest rooms are extremely spacious with over 45㎡ in area per room. There's a gorgeous view of the natural environment from the window. There are hints of Japanese hues added to the interior, and each and every aspect of the rooms feature the utmost care and attention. The rooms located on the Wadakuramon Fountain Park side feature a full-on view of the cluster of skyscrapers in the Marunouchi area, which some could say closely resembles a view of Central Park in New York! At night, the water fountain in the park is lit up, providing guests with stunning and whimsical Tokyo night views.

Official website (English) | Official Website (Japanese)

There are 7 dining options and 3 bars for you to choose from, such as the modern French dining restaurant, Crown. The lounge bar Prive, located on the 6th floor, is popular for its outdoor terrace from which you can enjoy the oasis within the city and the views of the night scenery. The Palace Lounge, which has breathtaking views of the outside scenery from its position on the 1st floor, is a space where you can relax comfortably as if you're in your own home. The afternoon tea service here is highly recommended as well. The menu is a fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine, and includes sandwiches, cakes, Japanese desserts, sushi, and other delights presented in a 3-tiered lacquerware box.

Name: Palace Hotel Tokyo

Address: 1-1-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 東京都千代田区丸の内1丁目1−1

2. The Tokyo Station Hotel

The Tokyo Station Hotel is a designer hotel located within the Tokyo Station building that newly reopened along with the station in 2012. The station building, along with the gorgeous relief in the center of the dome ceiling, has been renovated and preserved as much as is possible for an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The classical, neutral colors utilized in the interior design create a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

There are a total of 150 rooms of various types, such as the palace side rooms situated on the Marunouchi Building side and the Maisonette rooms which occupy 2 floors. From the dome-shaped windows in the dome side rooms, you'll be able to gaze at the reliefs adorning the dome ceiling. The large, oblong windows and chandeliers hanging from the ceilings represent a classical European style which will have you forgetting that you're even in Tokyo. You can even relax in the comfortable and functional bathtubs within the rooms.

There are a plethora of dining choices, with 10 unique restaurants, such as the popular French restaurant Blanc Rouge. There are also Japanese and Chinese options and bars that can be found within the hotel! The loft on the highest floor of the station was not in use when it was first built; this area was renovated and it is now where the lounge Atrium, which offers a breakfast buffet for hotel guests, can be found. The menu includes roughly 70 Japanese and Western dishes made with carefully selected ingredients. Natural sunlight shines in from the ceiling, which has an impressive height of 9m and spacious area of over 400㎡.

Official Website (English) | Official Website (Japanese)

The building is exceptionally long, and there is a hallway that extends over 300m on the 3rd floor. On both sides of this hallway, there is a balcony open exclusively to hotel guests where you can enjoy the dome reliefs, the symbol of the station building, from up close. Stay at this hotel to gaze at the elegant reliefs that have been restored to their original state in the early 1900s! There are many valuable pictures and documents of the station, railroad, and hotel displayed in the hallway, so you can learn about the history spanning over 100 years.

Name: The Tokyo Station Hotel

Address: 1-9-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 東京都千代田区丸の内1-9-1

3. Hotel Niwa Tokyo

Hotel Niwa Tokyo opened in 2019 and is situated a 3-minute walk from JR Suidobashi Station in a quiet location you won't believe is in the city center! This is a gorgeous Japanese-style hotel with modern and simple designs that have taken inspiration from the sophisticated Edo-style ("Edo" is the former name for Tokyo). The stone-paved entrance is surrounded by greenery as it was inspired by the landscape of Musashino Forest, which gives it the look of a traditional Japanese inn! The comfortable open lobby is spacious with a 5m tall ceiling, and is blessed with sunlight shining in through the large windows. The light in the lobby is designed to look like a paper lantern, creating a Japanese vibe within the room.

There are 238 rooms in total. There are 5 types of rooms available, ranging from compact and functional 18㎡ standard rooms to 36㎡ premium rooms. Behind the shoji (paper sliding doors) you'll find a modern Japanese space softly lit by natural light. There are art pieces made out of Japanese paper around the bed, which has a headboard at the top. You can have a comfortable and relaxing soak in the bath tubs available in each of the guest rooms, and the premium room includes a wide jacuzzi tub with a TV!

Niwa means "garden" in Japanese, and true to the hotel's name, it features a beautiful courtyard garden. Water streams down from rocks within the garden, which has over 40 types of flora growing in its enclosure. Even though you're in the middle of a city, you can fully relax in this soothing space, where you'll feel like you're in a forest with a small stream running through it.

Official Website (English) | Official Website (Japanese)

There are 2 restaurants here where you can enjoy authentic Japanese and Western cuisine while gazing out at the garden. You can relish in grilled French cuisine that is made with fresh vegetables sent directly from farms at Dining Lieu, or Kaiseki cuisine (traditional Japanese course cuisine) made with carefully selected seasonal seafood directly procured from the production areas.

Name: Hotel Niwa Tokyo

Address: 1-1-16, Kandamisaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 東京都千代田区神田三崎町1-1-16

4. Park Hotel Tokyo

The Park Hotel is an art hotel located on the upper floors of Shiodome Media Tower. Their concept is "Infinite time and space amid cognizant Japanese beauty," and they focus on providing guests with opportunities to enjoy Japanese aesthetics in several different areas of ART - Atrium, Restaurant, and Travel. Through the window by the entrance on the 25th floor, you can see Tokyo Tower. On days with good weather, you can see a splendid view of Mt. Fuji. The hotel's atrium is the largest in Tokyo, stretching from the 25th floor to the 34th floor. The "Art colours" exhibition, which features the beauty of Japan's seasons through art, and other events are held here.

The guest rooms have been color coordinated by designers from Paris so that many aspects of the rooms, including the curtains and bed sheets, have a unified accent of color. The Simmons beds in the rooms guarantee a comfortable night's sleep, and guests can get a gorgeous night view of Tokyo in whichever room they stay in. The tower side rooms, from which you can enjoy both the symbolic Tower Tower and the night scenery, and the corner rooms, which offer a panoramic view of the city, are highly recommended.

The Artist Rooms are a clear representation of the importance of art at Park Hotel Tokyo. Artist in Hotel is an initiative that began in 2012 in which artists paint on the walls of the guest rooms. All of the guest rooms on the 31st floor will eventually be painted. The rooms are painted with the distinct, individualistic styles of the Japanese and Western artists, so each room is unique and one-of-a-kind. Japanese artist Hiroko Otake's motif is featured in the "Cherry Blossoms" room, a brilliant space depicting gold leaf and numerous butterflies as cherry blossoms.

Official Website (English) | Official Website (Japanese)

The ART Lounge situated in the center of the atrium is an open space that is blessed by sunshine flowing in from the ceilings - you'll feel as if you're outside in a park! Here, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, desserts, or dinner while appreciating the exhibition pieces of "Art colours." At night, you can enjoy a projection mapping piece that's projected onto a 30m high wall.

Name: Park Hotel Tokyo

Address: Shiodome Media Tower, 1-7-1, Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 東京都港区東新橋1-7-1 汐留メディアタワー

5. THE GATE HOTEL KAMINARIMON by HULIC

THE GATE HOTEL KAMINARIMON by HULIC is an art hotel that opened in 2012. It is conveniently located by Kaminarimon in Asakusa, and just a 15-minute walk from TOKYO SKYTREE. This hotel's selling point is its "intimate" appeal - a hotel that you can feel comfortable and easily relax in. The first thing you'll see when you get off at the lobby on the 13th floor is the towering TOKYO SKYTREE in the distance. Down below, you'll be able to see the working class townscape stretching out before you!

Whether it's the furniture, the wallpaper, the lights, or even the small accessories, the guest rooms have an exquisite color scheme and extremely chic and high-class design in every regard. All of the guest rooms include a premium bed from Slumberland, a UK bed manufacturer, ensuring a comfortable yet stylish space for you to stay. You'll also be able to enjoy a soothing shower with the Hansgrohe Raindance showerheads, which makes it feel like you're showering under the gentle rain!

There's a restaurant & bar that serves Western-style dishes on the 13th floor that is available 24 hours a day for hotel guests. There are table seats as well as seats on the terrace, so you'll be able to enjoy your meal gazing out at TOKYO SKYTREE, whether it's at breakfast time with the morning sun shining on you, or in the evening when you're surrounded by glittering city lights. Their specialty is breakfast, and their signature dish from the breakfast menu is eggs benedict! You can also savor many different ingredients and flavors with many delicious delights, such as fresh honey flowing from a bee hive, fresh seasonal vegetables, freshly squeezed fruit juice, and Echire butter.