Tokyo was the last city we visited on our 2.5 week family trip to South Korea and Japan. There are so many hotels in Tokyo that it was difficult to narrow down where our family of 5 would stay for our three nights. Pam and Jess had previously stayed at the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills . However, we were traveling during peak rates, and the 35k point per night price tag was too much for me. Not to mention, as with most hotels overseas, we would need two rooms to fit all 5 of us.

My next choice was to stay at the new Hyatt House Shibuya, but it was unfortunately booked up for our dates. However, the Hyatt Regency Tokyo had plenty of availability when I was looking, so that’s where we would end up. Hyatt Regency Tokyo is a Category 4 hotel. Standard rates are 15k points per night, and off-peak rates are 12k points per night. We traveled during peak times and paid 18k points per night for peak rate. I was also able to use a category 1-4 free night certificate earned from the Hyatt Brand Explorer (aka Hyatt Bingo). In addition to our two rooms for three nights, all on points, Jess and Alex had also generously gifted me a Club Access Award, and I applied one to each of our rooms.

 

 

Hyatt Regency Tokyo Location

The Hyatt Regency Tokyo is located in the Shinjuku neighborhood of Tokyo. We arrived at Tokyo Station around 3 p.m. from the Shinkansen (aka Bullet train) from Kyoto to Tokyo. It’s an easy ride from Tokyo Station on the metro to the station near our hotel. Shinjuku Station and Tochomae Station are the two that we found best to use during our time at this hotel.

Shinjuku is the area of Tokyo where the government buildings are housed. As we were there over the weekend, it was very quiet but nice. There is a large park, Chuo Park, right behind the hotel. It has a rather big and fun playground. Our first evening in Tokyo was Friday night. Many local kiddos and families showed up after the school day ended. One of our favorite things to do in a new city is find a playground and give the girls time to interact with local kids. We sat on a bench while they ran around for a few hours. They made friends with a few girls from Japan and a little girl from England, who was also there on a trip with her family.

 

Hyatt Regency Tokyo Check-In

Upon arrival, my husband checked us in while the girls and I wandered the lobby. The lobby featured giant chandeliers and had a good amount of seating available. This hotel has six restaurants and a 7-11 in the basement near the entrance to the metro station.

My reservation was for a 1-King room and a 2-Twin room.  This setup has always given us the best chances of getting connecting rooms. I sent an email ahead of time and was told they couldn’t guarantee connecting rooms, but to ask again at check-in. Unfortunately for us this time, this hotel has a very limited number of connecting rooms, and the best they could do was get us on the same floor. It was not ideal for us to be split up with multiple rooms, so the front desk receptionist said that if we were willing to switch to two 1-King rooms, he could at least put us next to each other. This is the next best option.

I also noted that room 1 was booked with 18k points per night, making it 56k total. Room 2 was booked for two nights on points (36k points), then the third night with a free night certificate. You cannot use two awards for the same night, so I knew our 3rd night for the second room would not get club access. We were fine with this, as we had planned to leave early on the last morning. Luckily for us, the receptionist noticed it and said he would allow us a one-time exception to have club access for all three nights for both rooms. This was not expected at all, but super appreciated!

 

 

King Room at Hyatt Regency Tokyo

The room is a good size, with plenty of space for our luggage and for the girls to stretch out. Many rooms overlook the city, which is very nice. While everything in our room was clean and well taken care of, the style definitely showed some age. I actually checked on Google to see the last time the hotel had been updated, which was in 2009. To me, it seemed more dated than that.

This was also the hardest bed we experienced during our time in Japan. We all slept fine, however the stiffness of the bed is noticeable.

Pajamas are provided. They are in the bottom drawer of the small dresser. Since we typically travel carry-on only, we don’t pack pajamas, so having them provided is such a nice touch.

 

 

Hyatt Regency Tokyo Club Lounge

As I mentioned above, Alex and Jess each gifted me a Club Access Award to apply to our rooms. The Hyatt Regency Tokyo Club Lounge was spacious, with views of Mt. Fuji from the big windows.

 

Club Lounge Hours

Breakfast is available from 7 am – 10 am. Teatime is from 10 am – 5:30 pm and again from 7:30 pm – 8 pm. Cocktail hour runs from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.

Both breakfast and evening cocktail hour provided enough food for full meals. The food was a mix of Western and Asian styles. I think the girls ate their weight in pastries, French fries, and small treats.

During the busy times, it took quite a while for some of the foods to be replenished. Our first morning, we arrived at the 7 am opening, the lounge was jammed-pack! We quickly learned our lesson and then came at 8 am for the next two mornings, and it was much quieter.
 

Club Lounge Seating Areas

There is a main room when you walk in, smaller tables around the food area, a small conference room with about 12 seats in the hallway, and another large room in the back. After our first night of eating in the main room, we made our way to the small conference room each time. It was much quieter, and it had a long desk-like table at the windows with four seats. The girls would sit there and watch everything go by in the big city.

 

 

Club Lounge Stations

The coffee and tea station is open all day. On the other side of this room, there is a countertop refrigerator stocked with sodas and bottled water. It was also accessible all day. During the evening cocktail hour, the table to the left is filled with beer, wine, and sparkling wine. Everything is self-serve.

 

 

The afternoon tea was a very nice treat on our arrival day. Everyone has their choice of tea, water, soda, or juice. Then, we were each given this small plate of fruit and sweets. We only made it to this the first day. For the rest of our time in Tokyo, we were out of the hotel from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm sightseeing.

 

 

After a cloudy ride on the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo, during which we missed out on views of Mt. Fuji, we were delighted to see it in the distance during cocktail hour on our first evening!

 

 

Hotel Amenities at Hyatt Regency Tokyo

While we didn’t take advantage of the other amenities provided at this hotel, I did walk around to check them all out. There are many restaurants, room service, a small fitness center, a spa, and a very helpful concierge.

 

Bottom Line

Our time in Tokyo flew by, and the Hyatt Regency Tokyo location made it incredibly easy to get around this huge city. While it was a little outdated for my taste, the hotel functioned perfectly for our family of 5’s three days in Tokyo. With the metro right under the hotel and the beautiful Chuo Park behind it, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. It would be an even better deal if you get it for the category four standard (15k points) or off-peak (12k points) rates.

 

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