53 Reviews
Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi
Tokyo Station/Nihonbashi/Akihabara/Kinshicho Tokyo|0.58km from Tonkatsu Takehashi
I am lucky enough to stay at a high-end hotel once or twice per year. Let me start by saying I am indifferent between most high-end chains and standard Westins/Marriotts/Hiltons, etc. Four Seasons hotels are different--you can always see and feel what you are paying for. The new Four Seasons at Otemachi exemplifies this. Needless to say, the public spaces and rooms are beautiful. Both the design and execution of the design are magnificent. If you are a connaisseur of construction quality, you will see what I mean. In terms of fit and finish, it is to a building what a Lexus is to a car. More important than the physical space, though, is the staff. Within a day of being here, it seemed to be that everyone knew who I was (so behave yourself, because you don't want to develop a bad reputation here). I ate breakfast (it comes with the room) here, as well as one lunch in the Italian restaurant and one dinner at the bar. The food, while generally not Japanese per se, had Japanese flair. The smoked salmon in my first-day breakfast salad was special, as was the veal salad and turbot with edamame pure' I had for lunch. The Japanese breakfast featured cod marinated in miso, which is something I enjoy, and it did not disappoint. The Waygu burger I had for dinner was better than fine but didn't quite match my favorite in Los Angeles, which is the burger at the bar of Cut. The waitstaff was attentive without hovering, and the bartender, Keith Motsi, was named the best bartender in Asia last year. I am not surprised. He won me with his familiarity of Hemingway's drinking habits, and his perfectly executed, bone dry, stirred martini (he rinses both the carafe and glass with vermouth before pouring in the gin). The pool is stunning, although I am mildly disappointed that it has no deep end. Alas, shallow pools seem to be the way it is with all hotels these days. New hotels usually have to go through a shakedown period before they find their footing, and it was pretty clear to me the Otemachi Four Seasons is already well grounded. Currently, it is expensive, but not crazy expensive. I wish them much success.
Very Good
1932 Reviews