During my last vacation in Japan I started my trip with a few days in Tokyo. For the first part of my stay I chose the Westin Tokyo. As usual I booked via the SPG website which guarantees me the best prices (and if not, 20% less on the best rate found elsewhere).
A hotel well located in the center of Tokyo
The Westin is located in Ebisu, south of Shibuya. It is quite close to the historic city center, the district is animated and quite rich in restaurants around. Good location whether you are here for tourism or business knowing however that in cities as large as Tokyo this kind of judgment is always very relative.
Arrival at the hotel
I arrived in the early morning from Narita airport (yes…it is still used). To my great delight I had my room immediately available. I had been warned that despite the promises of the loyalty program, I should not expect much in Japan. Although suites were available, I was only upgraded from a “traditional” room to an Executive Club. For the rest the welcome was cordial and the check-in process efficient.
The reception is like the rest of the hotel lobby: majestic and sober. A little preview here but we will come back to it later.
The Executive Club room
Let’s not sulk. The executive club room offers, compared to the standard or deluxe room, a little extra space, a nice view and access to the executive lounge.
Composed of only one room, the room includes a “day” part composed of a desk and a sofa, with a clear view on the city.
Facing the sofa the bed.
And in the entrance a spacious bathroom.
In a city like Tokyo where the square meter is rare and expensive it is therefore a quality service. The bedding is of good quality and you sleep well, as always at Westin.
As for the “fake vintage in a modern building” style, it remains sober and therefore avoids an unfortunately too frequent lack of taste, even if I prefer hotels that assume their modernity to the end and avoid a sometimes difficult mixture of genres. The old is no longer a guarantee of standing nor a statutory message.
However, the fact of reconciling in such a reduced space a day and night part and that it is perceived by the customer is a very good point.
Let’s finish with the traditional video.
Luxury and sobriety
In general the hotel gives an impression of luxury and sobriety. These photos from the lobby are proof of that.
It gives an impression of space and calm that is appreciable in a lobby of this size. I would have liked the same style (black marble and wood) to be used on the floors, it would have really given a different scope and created a different atmosphere than this carpet.
Fitness with a view
If I did not test the spa of the hotel (named “The Parisian Spa”), I went to the gym. It is of average size and if the number of “cardio” machines seems to me sufficient I am afraid that given the exiguity of the space which is dedicated to them the amateurs of free weights, weight machines and exercises on the ground quickly find themselves squeezed as soon as half a dozen people decide to practise these exercises.
On the other hand one will appreciate the view.
At the Westin Tokyo, you can indulge yourself
The hotel offers no less than 10 dining options and I was able to try some of them.
First of all, the executive lounge.
The place is posh.
There again the view on Tokyo is there.
For the aperitif as well as for breakfast, the service is satisfactory without competing with the best of the genre.
And I particularly appreciatedsome of the good manners reminded to the guests.
I also took the breakfast at the buffet of the hotel and there we clearly change dimension. The offer is rich, varied and of high quality.
Even a cheese platter is available.
And the result in the plate:
Impossible not to find what you want, whatever you like to have for breakfast.
I also tried, for dinner, the Mai, a very good traditional Japanese restaurant but I won’t come back to it, and the Yebisu, an excellent teppanyakiwith the pleasure to see the dishes being prepared with meticulousness and dexterity in front of your eyes to end up in your plate a few seconds later.
During this delicious dinner I took some abalone…and I let you discoverhow this mollusc starts alive under your eyes to end up in your plate.
A culinary and visual experience not to be missed. Needless to say, the meat and mollusc were of the highest quality and the result was very good.
One last word about the hotel bar. Ambiance classe et cosy, excellent service, rien à redire.
Conclusion: promise kept
The Westin Tokyo delivers on its promise. Standing, service, restoration, everything is ok. For 250 euros in a city where we know the high prices and the consequences of the scarcity of square meters, it is a hotel that will suit the demanding tourist as well as the businessman. After remains the design of the rooms on which they could have tried to be more modern but each person has his own tastes…
You get exactly what you expect from a Westin. No more, no less and that’s the main thing.
Grades :
Room: of largely suitable size for a person, decorated with sobriety by avoiding the syndrome of the “too crowded fake old” even if another design would have made him more honor. Nice view because in the upper floors. 8
Restaurant/bar:very correct lounge, high level breakfast, excellent Teppanyaki, classy and pleasant bar. 9
Check-out: smooth and without hitch. A good point for the room available in the middle of the morning.
Hotel: very nice and well maintained interiors, a well located hotel. 9
Application of the loyalty program:a little stingy on upgrades since junior suites were available. :7,5
Facilities: spa not tested, fitness room decent size but space too small for those doing anything other than cardio. 7,5.
Experience for money : At 250 euros in the heart of Tokyo it is very honest when you know the cost of living there.
Service and attention: Asia is generally irreproachable and Japan even more so. 10.
All the pictures are available here.
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