Park Hotel Tokyo Review | Staying in Tokyo

Hotels come in different flavours and varieties. Sometimes I just want a no-frills base, other times I want luxury, or even just a home away from home. However, I do love it when a hotel offers something completely different to what I’ve experienced before. This is where the Park Hotel comes in. It is sold as an art museum you can stay in, something which sounded right up my street. Here is my Park Hotel Review. If you’re staying in Tokyo I suggest you read on; this is a good one.

Park Hotel Tokyo Review | Staying in Tokyo

Location

The Park Hotel Tokyo is in an ideal location for multiple reasons. Firstly, it is right in the centre of the city’s business district, so you aren’t far away from key attractions or restaurants. In fact, the hotel sits in the Shiodome Media Tower with a lift which goes right down to the Metro (BF1) of Shiodome Station. From here you can take either the Oedo or Yurikamome line to multiple places around the city, such as Ginza, Shibya and Asakusa.

If you are arriving from Haneda Airport the journey to the Park Hotel takes just 30 minutes to get here. Plus – and perhaps one of the bigger selling points – Tokyo Station is just one stop away. If you’re planning to take the Shinkansen over to Kyoto, the Park Hotel is the ideal hotel just before.

However, the real selling point is that the hotel is in the Shiodome Media Tower. The lobby begins on the 25th floor and all rooms are above it. Where we were (34th floor) we had an incredible view over the city. We could see Tokyo Tower easily and on the clearest day we even saw Mt. Fuji from our bed!

Rooms

Where things get really fun at the Park Hotel are the rooms, which is what I want to spend most of the review looking at.

Remember when I said that the Park Hotel was an art gallery which you could stay in? Well, during your stay you can opt to stay in either a “deluxe” or “artist” room. I would really recommend staying in the latter. Each of these rooms have actually been decorated by a local artist in their own style, each with their own message and meaning. This means that each of these rooms has a story to tell and during your stay you can truly discover this piece of work.

Our room was Sunrise which was created by artist Koki Tsukimoto in August 2023. It features two large whales, each representing the sunrise and moonrise. The rest of the room almost seems like a miniature cosmos of a faraway galaxy. You have stars, space dust, and alien-like structures which adorn the walls. The room also features an elephant (representing Yin and Yang) and a majestic Chinese-style dragon. Together, the work is said to represent the creation of the Earth and heaven. What I love though is that you can also see how your room was created on their website – here is how Koki Tsukimoto decorated room 3406.

If you’re worried about the art in the room taking away from the stay experience, you couldn’t be more wrong. The room featured everything you’d expect from a luxurious hotel; comfortable bedding, a generous bathroom and room size, and little extra amenities for you to enjoy. I actually felt that the artwork added to the luxurious and exclusive feeling. Nobody else in the world had a room like mine, and that was really cool.

An Art Museum You Can Stay In

Art lovers genuinely are in for a treat at the Park Hotel. Whilst artist rooms feature a unique piece, the entire hotel has features and work for you to enjoy.

The atrium lobby by itself is a work of art. It doubles as a gallery space and has a ceiling located ten floors above it, making it light and extremely modern. The corridors with their adjacent rooms surround this space on all of the floors, allowing guests to peer down and see large pieces from above. These corridors also feature their very own gallery with a unique theme. Guests can visit each of the floors and see the unique work on offer, something which we loved doing. Our floor (34) had the theme of Birds and Flowers by Nagisa Nakauchi and Wakako Kawakami. This even featured giant parakeets!

Whilst there was art in the hotel, the views of Tokyo was art in itself. Like I said, our room featured a view of Tokyo Tower and the city beyond, something which could be seen from the lobby too. We also managed to see Mt Fuji topped with snow for the first time since the Spring from our hotel room. This fusion of art work inside the hotel with outside was mesmerising, and entirely deliberate from the hotel.

The concept of an art museum you can stay in has to be a central point of my Park Hotel Tokyo review. It is just so unique and daring. If anything I feel it added to the luxurious feel of the hotel. It still felt formal and what you would expect in the Business District, but brought Japanese art and beauty to the forefront of our minds.

Dining

The Park Hotel Tokyo completely nails the dining experience. The restaurant (ART Lounge) is on the 25th floor and again has a lovely view of Tokyo. Below you can spot Shinkansen entering and leaving Tokyo Station and, afar, you can spot Tokyo Bay and the ocean.

Breakfast was incredible. You have a very generous buffet which features hot and cold Western /. Japanese options, as well as plenty of juices, coffees and more. Once you sit down, you are also offered a warm plate. This menu consists of eggs in different ways, as well as a few vegan-friendly options like fresh fruit. The quality and taste of this food was incredible; it was prepared and crafted to such a high standard.

You have a few different choices for eating at the Park Hotel. Hanasanshou is the flagship Japanese-style restaurant and is certainly a luxurious experience. You have an ever-changing menu of seasonal foods, each crafted by culinary masters behind the scenes. It is the pricier option though and it starts at ¥11,000 (£55) per person, going up to ¥18,000 (£90). This does include 5 courses though and beautifully-presented food. ART Colours Dining is the less-formal experience and is open all day. They serve different lunch and dinner options, including Western dishes like pizza.

All of the food can be ordered to your room at an additional cost and we really enjoyed our dining experiences here. The attention to detail was immaculate and you could really tell that a lot of effort had gone in to preparation and sourcing the very best ingredients. Even the pizza dough wheat was locally organic. If however you want to go out, the location of the hotel is perfect for a quick journey to nearby restaurants in local tourist hubs.

Service

Park Hotel Tokyo service is easy to review; it is everything you want from Japanese hospitality. We felt well-and-truly spoilt and the service was always attentive and thoughtful; effortlessly polished.

Our check-in was incredibly smooth, despite arriving slightly early. Our bags were dropped off and were in our room by the time we returned. The staff also made sure that we knew how to get around and provided local knowledge to recommend places to see, eat and explore. In some hotels during our stay there was a notable language-barrier (English is not widely-spoken in Japan), but this was not the case at the Park Hotel.

One thing I noticed was that each interaction in the hotel felt truly genuine and persona. Our stay was filled with a warmth from the staff members we encountered and, like everywhere in Japan, a great sense of pride and perfection came in to play.

Overall, the service was everything you want from a luxury hotel. It was personal, warm and incredibly efficient.

Final Thoughts | Park Hotel Tokyo Review

Our two nights at the Park Hotel were a genuine highlight of our two weeks in Japan. Whilst the service, food and location were immaculate, it is the art which sold it for us. Having a unique, beautiful room which has been designed by a local artist was incredibly special and I feel privileged to have stayed in room 3406. The celebration of local Japanese artists around the hotel made exploring the hotel a treat and the ultimate base to return to after exploring.

If you are after a culturally-enriching, unique experience inside a luxury hotel, then you couldn’t ask for anything more whilst staying in Tokyo. The Park Hotel really is a gem and I’d encourage anyone to stay there, whether they proactively enjoy art or not.