Shangri La Hotel, Tokyo

History

The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, was opened on March 2, 2009. It was the first property in Japan from Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. The group opened its first property in 1971 in Singapore and currently operates 112 hotels.

The hotel has 200 guestrooms and suites spread over 11 floors of the Mori-built Marunouchi Trust Tower Main. The hotel offers a "Meet & Great" service whereby special staff escort guests to and from Tokyo Station's platforms, including the shinkansen. It is also offers excursions to other luxury hotels and resorts around the country, such as in Kyoto and Hakone.

Design and construction

The hotel's interior was designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, based in Santa Monica, California, while Andre Fu of Hong Kong-based AFSO designed the Presidential Suite, Horizon Club Lounge, Piacere, the signature Italian restaurant, and Nadaman, the Japanese kaiseki restaurant.

Art collection

The hotel contains some 2,000 pieces of art.

Rooms and suites

The hotel has 200 rooms of which six are luxurious suites. The rooms are divided on either side of the hotel, facing either Tokyo Bay and Tokyo Sky Tree (the world's tallest tower), or towards the city and Tokyo Imperial Palace overlooking Tokyo Station. The rooms located in the corners of the hotel are titled Premier Bay View and Premier City View accordingly. The Horizon Club floor rooms follow the same pattern, but also include personal concierge service and access to the Horizon Club Lounge.

Restaurants and lounge

The hotel's Italian restaurant is led by Chef Paolo Pelosi, and sometimes welcomes chefs from the world's leading Michelin Star restaurants, such as Chef Marco Stabile of Ora d'Aria in Florence, for collaboration dinners like 'Modern Tuscan Cuisine'. Piacere was decorated with the Best Award of Excellence at the Wine Spectator Grand Awards 2012.

Originally established in 1830, Nadaman originated in Osaka and has served royalty and world leaders. The restaurant 29th floor of Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, was designed by Hong Kong architect Andre Fu, drawing from nature with bamboo-shaped partitions and ceramic tiles with cherry-blossom motifs. Head chef Takahiko Yoshida follows the kaiseki (multi course) tradition.

With 104 seats on the 28th floor, The Lobby Lounge offers a wide range of food from Asian specialities to continental breakfasts, snacks and coffees and afternoon tea sets. It is centred on a bar counter with a "cascading chandelier".

CHI, The Spa

CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, offers spa services, including the Kisetsu Ritual and Samurai Treatment. The six spa rooms are entirely private and the largest self-contained spa suites in Tokyo, containing their own showers, bathtub, saunas, surrounded by Tibetan artifacts, writings and furniture.

Awards

In 2009, Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo was listed for the "Best New Business Hotel Award" by Wallpaper magazine

The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo was voted the number one luxury hotel in the world in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice Award 2012.

Events

The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo hosts events in its ballroom, including visiting performers such as the Leipzig String Quartet (with proceeds going to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami), and hosting the Jacksons, Macy Gray and A.I. for an after-party live event for the Michael Jackson Tribute Show in December 2011.

Media reviews

The New York Times described the hotel as "lavish" with a "discreet entrance" that whisks visitors to a lobby "dotted with fresh orchids, cascading chandeliers and plush sofas - to recreate a resortlike feel, high above the city’s chaos."

Hemispheres, the onboard magazine of United Airlines selected the hotel for its "Three Perfect Days: Tokyo" article. The hotel was described as having an "ultramodern exterior" but a "gentleman’s-club opulence," with a view over Tokyo Station of "toylike bullet trains."