Palace Hotel, Tokyo Explained

Hotel Name:Palace Hotel Tokyo
Opening Date:2012
Architect:Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei
Operator:Palace Hotel Co. Ltd.
Owner:Palace Hotel Co. Ltd.
Number Of Restaurants:10
Number Of Rooms:290
Number Of Suites:12
Floors:23
Website:http://en.palacehoteltokyo.com

Palace Hotel Tokyo (Japanese: パレスホテル東京) is a luxury hotel located in the Marunouchi business district of Tokyo, Japan. The hotel has 290 guestrooms and facilities, including 10 restaurants and bars, a spa, a fitness center, swimming pool and a business center.[1]

Location

Palace Hotel Tokyo is located at 1-1-1 Marunouchi, across from the Ōte-mon Gate of the Imperial Palace in the Chiyoda ward in central Tokyo.

History

Palace Hotel Tokyo is owned by Palace Hotel Co. Ltd., a private consortium of shareholders first formed in 1961. The company’s founder and first president was Masatomo Yoshihara.[2]

The new hotel succeeds two previous hotels, the Hotel Teito (Japanese: ホテル テイト) and Palace Hotel (Japanese: パレスホテル), which occupied the same site from 1947 and 1961 respectively. Each was razed to make way for its successor.[3]

Construction of the original building that occupied the same location on which Palace Hotel Tokyo now stands was completed in December 1937 for use as the Forestry Office of the Imperial Household Agency.[4] After World War II, on the order of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, it was rebuilt for use as a hotel under government ownership and administration for the exclusive use of buying agents from abroad.[5] Hotel Teito’s land and building were sold to the private sector in 1959 and the hotel was demolished and rebuilt as the Palace Hotel, which opened for business on October 1, 1961. Palace Hotel was awarded the Architectural Industry Association Prize in 1963 for its success in blending modern architectural style with Japanese aesthetics.[6]

In 2009, Palace Hotel closed for three years for demolition and rebuilding.[7] The new building retains the shigaraki tiles that lined the original hotel’s exterior and the Chiyoda Suite's traditional ink wash painting, and also restored the original bar counter from Royal Bar.[8]

Hotel

Spa & Fitness

Palace Hotel was the first hotel in Japan to have an Evian spa.[9] The spa is located on the 5th floor, next to a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on to the Imperial Palace Plaza.[10]

Restaurants & Bars

The hotel has 10 restaurants and bars offering both Japanese and international fare.

Additional facilities & amenities

The hotel also has facilities to host conventions and weddings. The 19th floor offers a club lounge.

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tokyo's shiny new billion-dollar Palace Hotel. 12 March 2012 . cnn.com. CNN. January 1, 2013.
  2. News: Masatomo Yoshihara, president of Tokyo's new Palace Hotel. Press-Telegram. 11 November 1962. 107.
  3. Web site: History of Palace Hotel Tokyo. Official website. 10 June 2015.
  4. Web site: Lau. Virginia. Japan's hotel for royalty. Perspective Global. 10 June 2015. 23 July 2012.
  5. Web site: Palace Hotel Tokyo Debut Turns a New Page in Japanese Hospitality. Daily News and Analysis. 17 April 2012.
  6. Web site: History of the Palace Hotel. www.palacehotelstokyo.com. 10 June 2015.
  7. News: Palace Hotel Tokyo Historic Tokyo Hotels History. Palace Hotel Tokyo. 2018-10-10. en-US.
  8. News: Templado. Louis. TOKYO NOW AND THEN: Historic hotel retains vintage wine from 1964 Tokyo Olympics ready to toast the next. 10 June 2015. Asahi Shimbun. 6 April 2015.
  9. Web site: Evian spa at the Palace Hotel, Tokyo. Pursuitist. 11 June 2015. 2013-01-09.
  10. Web site: Fitness Center and Swimming Pool. Official website. 11 June 2015.
  11. Web site: Travel Top 50. Monocle magazine. 11 June 2015.
  12. Web site: 2013 World's Greatest Hotels book. en.palacehoteltokyo.com. 11 June 2015.
  13. Web site: Best Hotel with 100 Rooms or More. Travel + Leisure. 11 June 2015.
  14. Web site: A Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Rated hotel. Forbes Travel Guide. 10 May 2016.
  15. Web site: Condé Nast Traveler USA Readers' Choice 2015.. Condé Nast Traveler. 10 May 2016.
  16. Web site: Hot List 2013: Best New Hotels with Great Food.. Condé Nast Traveler. 10 May 2016.