Opened in 2005 as the Prince hotel chain's most upscale property, 4 km southwest of Tokyo Station and within walking distance of six subway and train stations, this 33-story triangular high-rise is set amid a green park next to Zozoji Temple. Tokyo Tower looms nearby, and Roppongi with its nightlife and Roppongi Hills complex are within strolling distance.
The hotel, designed by Tange Associates, is rather stark in its modernity, with cool marble and glass the dominant features. After checking in at sit-down reception desks, guests are ushered over a bridge spanning a pool of water and under the soaring 31-story hollow-core atrium.
On the top floor is Brise Verte, serving Continental cuisine along with panoramic views of Tokyo Bay and the
Rainbow Bridge. On the opposite side of the same story is the Stellar Garden lounge, where guests relax over drinks while gazing upon Tokyo Tower and beyond. Other restaurants are relegated to the basement, where Japanese restaurants serve kaiseki, sushi, yakitori, Japanese steak and tempura. Also here is Yomeiden, offering Cantonese cuisine along with Chinese performances ranging from acrobatics and magic shows to live music, Prince Parlor, a very informal eatery specializing in healthy organic food, including vegetarian sandwiches and desserts, and an all-purpose cafe with computers for Internet usage. Rounding out entertainment options are the Lobby Lounge, facing a granite wall of cascading water, a bakery, Mokuren with its choice selection of premium whisky and brandy and live piano music, and Melody Line, one of Tokyo's pre-eminent jazz bars. Room service is around the clock.
The health club has the usual workout equipment, along with a 25-m pool complete with lights and music channeled under water and a hot-spring bath with waters pumped up from 1,600 m beneath the hotel. A bowling alley complete with dartboard and billiards provides more sporting options. The hotel, with its own convention center, claims to have one of Japan's largest ballrooms, with a capacity of 3,600, buffet-style. An hourly free service shuttles guests to Hamamatsucho Station.
Accommodations, from the third to 31st floors, sport contemporary blond-wood furnishings, mattresses that conform to body shapes, large desks, free Internet access, and spacious baths featuring whirlpool tubs and separate shower stalls. But it's the views that set this hotel apart, with panoramas unimpeded by any nearby buildings and half the rooms boasting balconies. Rooms from the 19th and up are executive 
rooms, with their own special keys for floor access and free entrance to the hotel's health club. The 28th floor is reserved for ladies, with rooms adding humidifiers, air purifiers, scales, massage chairs and curling irons. Fourteen rooms are for the handicapped (among the highest number in Tokyo), and more than 50% are designated smoke-free.
The hotel's great views, parklike surroundings and proximity to Roppongi attract a steady flow of guests. However, its isolation gives the Grand Hyatt an edge among those seeking quick and convenient access to shopping and dining just beyond hotel doors, and the Ritz-Carlton will appeal to those who want every possible luxury and even better views.
