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Luxury in the heart of Tokyo’s nightlife center: Roppongi Hills.
Two years ago I made my first trip to Tokyo and used points to stay at the Ritz Carlton and not only loved the city, but wanted to come back as soon as possible. Last month the stars aligned and I was presented with the chance to surprise my girlfriend for her birthday. We’d talked quite a bit about Tokyo, and it immediately became the focal point of my planning. We would only be in town for 2 nights, and I wanted something central, and I also wanted to use points to stay somewhere we wouldn’t pay out of pocket for. I had club upgrade certs from being Hyatt Explorist and thought this would be a perfect use for them. The Grand Hyatt Tokyo was available for our dates and I jumped on it with the upgrade confirmed at booking.
We’d just landed at Haneda after a great flight on American’s 777-200 new super diamond business class.
We were absolutely buzzing with excitement. She had no idea where she would be staying or what we’d be doing in the city. The first stop…The Grand Hyatt Tokyo.
The Deets:
- When: September 2017
- Where: Tokyo
- Loyalty: World of Hyatt
- Status: Explorist
- Rate: 25k per night + Club upgrade certificate
- Rates were nearly $800 a night, cash.
First Impression.
The hotel is attached to the Roppongi Hill shopping complex which is an uber posh shopping mall. One of the other reasons I’d chosen the Grand Hyatt was that it was across the street from Sukiyabashi Jiro ( where we’d eat the next day) and I somewhat knew the area from 2015.
Check In-
Swift. We were met by bellhops that promptly took our bags and escorted us inside. We were told our room wasn’t quite ready and that we could wait in the club level. So we headed on up.
Club Level
There are club levels in Asia, and then there are clubs levels pretty much everywhere else. Maybe the Middle East compares, but Asia has just about the best club levels around. The Grand Hyatt Tokyo was no exception. It was large enough to never really feel crowded, but small enough to still feel intimate and luxurious.
The food is excellent and suffices for not only a breakfast replacement, but you can fill up for dinner as well.
The Room
The room is roughly 450 sq ft and features every modern amenity. Amenity kits, incredible toto toilet ( a personal fave), to complete blackout remote controlled curtains.
The bathroom was kitted out as well. I love the shower/tub enclosure.
There was also a personal note left for us, and welcome chocolates. Quite a nice touch, I thought.
There was also the toto…love it. It amazes me that these fancy things are all around Tokyo, including public toilets, and they are always in great condition. A cultural plus for the Japanese and their respect for property.
The Spa and Gym.
Both are extremely well maintained and very fancy. We hopped in the pool and swam around. Technically there are no photos around, but since we were alone I quickly snapped a few shots. The entire hotel, let alone this facility, is overly staffed. I mean, there are people everywhere that are ready to help you do whatever it is that you need done. Phenomenal showing for the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.
Overall:
Would I choose to stay here again? Absolutely. I loved the location, the amenities, and the club level is fantastic. Would I have rather paid cash and points? Probably. I think the staff goes out of their way to treat you like a treasured guest, and I would highly recommend the property to anyone who is looking for a central, luxurious hotel.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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