There’s some hotels that are instantly attractive, usually because of stunning design, great views amazing looking amenities. Then there’s hotels that win you over with superb accommodations and service. For me, the Conrad Tokyo falls into the latter category. Having stayed there 4 times since Japan reopened for individual tourism in October last year, the Conrad Tokyo has quickly become one of my favourite hotels anywhere.
Readers of my first review of the Conrad Tokyo from October 2022 will know that I wasn’t convinced of its quality. It didn’t impress immediately like the Conrad Hong Kong did. Objectively, the two November stays were good but not mind-blowing. My most recent stay was in March, at the height of Sakura season. It didn’t start well actually, but everything after was just fantastic. Fair to say, my opinion of the Conrad Tokyo has improved considerably since the first stay. It’s not been a flawless journey, but the hotel has honestly done well on every stay. It’s possibly my favourite city hotel at the moment.
Here’s 5 reasons why the Conrad Tokyo is one of my favourite hotels, and why I absolutely love staying there:
1. Location, location, location
The Conrad Tokyo is located in the Shiodome are of Tokyo. While it’s mostly a business area, Shimbashi and Ginza are in close proximity. That’s choices aplenty for shopping and dining. Tsukiji Outer Market is a quick 10min walk away. I’ve been able to grab an early breakfast at Tsukiji in the morning before heading over to Haneda for 11am-ish flights.
That’s also helped by the fact that the Toei-Asakusa line runs through Shimbashi, providing direct service to Haneda via the Keikyu Main Line. The train ride to Haneda via the Keikyu is around 30-40min. If in a hurry, a quick 5min cab ride to Hamamatsucho and then the Tokyo Monorail is slightly faster. For Narita, Tokyo Station is just one or two stops away via JR lines, and from it’s possible to catch the Narita Express.
Earlier I mentioned about stunning views as part of a hotel’s attraction. The view from the hotel isn’t quite stunning, but still pretty lovely. The lobby lounge, TwentyEight, and the bay view rooms look out to Tokyo Bay, and immediately below, Hamarikyu Gardens. It’s quite a nice sight to wake up to, or when winding down with a nightcap.
The hotel is in a really convenient location with plenty of amenities around, and despite being in an office area, the hotel still offers a really great view (at least on one side!)
2. Fantastic service, especially the Executive Lounge
The hospitality at the Conrad Tokyo has always been good. I wouldn’t have called it outstanding, but that changed on the latest stay in March. When we checked-in, I was a little upset over two things: 1) no upgrade despite Diamond status and booked on an Impresario rate, leaving us in a city view room; 2) it was a Saturday with evening cocktails slot booking required and by the time we checked-in, we were only left with the most undesirable 8pm slot. The front desk couldn’t do anything about those problems, but I later called up the lounge to remonstrate about the slot availability. After some firm but calm back and forth, they were able to fit us in for the first slot at 5.50pm.
Later on, I discussed the room situation with the lounge staff. I knew there were bay view rooms and suites available from our second night onwards from the app, so I brought this up to them. I was fully prepared to pay the very reasonable top-up to a Bay View Suite (see my earlier reviews here and here for details on the bay suite upcharge for Diamonds). To my surprise and delight, the lounge staff offered a Bay View Suite upgrade for no charge, as service recovery for my unhappiness over the lounge slots. As service recoveries go, it was a very, very generous offer. The staff also made sure everything for our move the next day was seamless, with our bags moved directly to our new room from the original room.
I feel executive lounge staff (at least in Asia properties where lounges are full service) are empowered to do more for guests. I have been able to get later checkouts when asking at the lounge versus front desk. Here at the Conrad Tokyo, I honestly didn’t expect a service recovery of such generosity. I expected that squeezing us in earlier would be the end of it. Of course, I’m sure an upgrade wouldn’t have been forthcoming if I hadn’t lamented about the lack of upgrade, but nonetheless the offer showed the strength of a hotel and staff that truly value loyalty. The hotel has definitely earned my loyalty to them.
Besides the service recovery, the lounge staff were remarkable in other ways. One of the shift leaders, Rena, was awesome. She could remember me from my first stay, and subsequently whenever we were in the lounge, she would stop by to say hi if she had time to spare. There was another lady who was fantastic as well. During our 3-night stay in March this year, we had breakfast in the lounge twice. She attended to us on the first morning, and when we returned to the lounge for breakfast on our third morning, she wasn’t attending to us, but still stopped by our table to see how we were doing and remembered us by name. Truly top class service. It’s little soft touches like that make the experience wonderful.
Elsewhere, the staff at Cerise and the front desk are mostly great as well. Friendly, warm and unfailingly polite despite the crowds. There’s a gentleman at the front desk who checked us in once in November and again in March. Upon seeing our Singapore passports, proceeded to tell us how he used to work in Singapore. While it was amusing he repeated the story (and clearly didn’t remember us, but that’s expecting too much), it showed effort in trying to connect with guests. As I always say, in hospitality little things can matter a lot.
3. An excellent concierge
This somewhat related to service, but I feel it’s worthy of a mention on its own. In Japan, many high-end restaurants are difficult to book for foreigners. Of course, some won’t take reservations from foreigners/non-Japanese speakers at all. A good hotel concierge can unlock some restaurants. The Conrad Tokyo’s concierge has mostly delivered on all my requests. There were definitely a couple of desired restaurants they couldn’t book, but given I tended to give them only 1-3 months advance notice, it’s no surprise some restaurants were already full.
It isn’t just about what they were able to book (or not), but also how efficient they were. Most booking requests were turned around within 24h, and when they weren’t, it was due to public holidays or the restaurant being closed. This was in stark contrast to the sister Conrad Osaka, which had a terrible concierge that I actually had to call up and chase them to get moving.
A concierge team that’s responsive, efficient and extremely capable at their jobs can make or break a trip to Japan, and the Conrad Tokyo’s team is definitely one of the best around.
4. Excellent breakfast
As a Hilton Honors Diamond, I get complimentary breakfast and access to Executive Lounge. As is typical for properties in Asia, Diamonds are provided the full breakfast. While not the widest in variety, the breakfast at Cerise is quite a good standard. Over the four stays, I’ve particularly grown fond of a few dishes from the ala carte menu. The main one is probably the lobster omelet. The creamy omelet and briny lobster bisque sauce go well together. The Egg Benedict is pretty good too.
I can’t believe it took me until the 4th of the 4 stays to realise the Executive Lounge has an amazing (for hotel lounge breakfast) uni (sea urchin) scrambled egg with seaweed sauce. The uni isn’t quite top grade, but the whole dish is pretty brilliant. The sweet and briny sea urchin combined with savoury seaweed sauce on top of the beautifully scrambled egg is just fantastic. If you stay at the Conrad Tokyo and have lounge access, do not miss this dish.
5. A sense of comfort and warmth
This one might be cheating a little, since it’s no doubt in part due to a handful of stays in fairly short span of time. However, whenever I walk into the Conrad Tokyo, I feel a great sense of comfort. It’s an intangible warm feeling, and in some ways I feel like I’m returning home whenever I step into the Conrad Tokyo. It’s partly the familiarity, but the fantastic staff probably play a part in that as well. Whenever I’m at the Conrad Tokyo, I know that in general I’m going to have a lovely experience. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s the little soft touches that are memorable, and take a hotel from good to great. It makes guests feel welcome and special, and something not many hotels can achieve. (Take for example, my disastrous experience at the new Pan Pacific Orchard.)
The best hotels I’ve been to create pleasant intangible feelings that make want to stay there. The W Bali Seminyak is one such resort, the Conrad Tokyo is another. Great service and quality accommodation form the foundation, but the whole package shines, creating a wonderful experience. It’s a hotel I just love going back to, and it feels great whenever I’m there.
Are there any negatives?
The Conrad Tokyo is by no means perfect. Perhaps the chief negative are the slightly aging rooms. They’re not Conrad Hong Kong aged, but certainly not the most modern. That said, the room sizes are generous, and everything is well-maintained and very comfortable.
I also still get the sense that the staff tend to crack a little under pressure of large crowds, but when they get into their rhythm, they are generally fantastic as I’ve mentioned. The location is not quite central for tourist attractions, but it’s really convenient in terms of transport links, so honestly it’s not an issue. The hotel is popular, so breakfast and the lounge can get crowded, but that’s a problem not exclusive to the Conrad Tokyo. The staff do their best to keep things organised and moving, so as long as they maintain the high standards the crowds aren’t a particular bother. Overall, I’ve had very little to complain about the Conrad Tokyo, and even when things do go a little wrong, the recovery is excellent.
Conclusion
I love the Conrad Tokyo. I love the feeling I get stepping through the lobby, when I go up to the Executive lounge and get greeted by name by staff who recognise me. I don’t crave such recognition, but it sure is nice. It feels welcoming and warm. Unfortunately I don’t have any plans to return anytime soon, so that recognition will probably fade at some point. Still, the Conrad Tokyo is a hotel that has earned my loyalty by delivering wonderful experiences. If budget allows, there’s no hotel I’d rather stay at in Tokyo.