Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Rooms and decor

The Grand Deluxe on the Tokyo Tower side runs $463 a night and measures 42 sqm, done in warm browns with walnut wood, marble and contemporary Japanese woven fabrics. The King bed is 200×200cm with Hyatt's soft Grand Bed bedding, and there is a marble work desk paired with a Herman Miller chair. The 8 sqm granite bathroom has a deep Japanese soaking tub, a separate rain shower and a Toto Washlet, with June Jacobs toiletries. The window frames Tokyo Tower, which glows orange at night — families in their reviews say the kids were thrilled to fall asleep watching it.

Food and amenities

Dinner at The Oak Door, one of Tokyo's legendary steakhouses, is the headline: the standout is the Wagyu A5 sirloin (200g) at $122, cooked in a wood-fired oven so the beef comes out tender and smoky with oak, alongside the much-talked-about Wagyu burger at $42. There are 6 restaurants in all — Shunbou for Japanese kaiseki, Roppongi Cafe for all-day dining and Fiorentina for Italian. The next morning, head down to Nagomi Spa & Fitness, where the indoor pool is clad in black granite, the water is warm and the room is calm; a 60-minute spa treatment is $170. The breakfast buffet at Roppongi Cafe is $39 and includes a fresh-egg station, sashimi and pastries.

Location and getting there

Grand Hyatt sits in the middle of Roppongi Hills — walk out of the lobby and you are in the mall, among 200+ restaurants and a cinema, with a direct passage into Mori Tower. From there the lift goes up to the Mori Art Museum and the 52nd-floor Tokyo City View, one of the highest open-air viewpoints in the city. It is a 7-minute walk to the National Art Center Tokyo and 8 minutes to Tokyo Midtown, completing the Roppongi Art Triangle. From Roppongi station the Hibiya line reaches Ginza in 8 minutes and the Oedo line reaches Shinjuku in 10 minutes; Tokyo Tower is a 15-minute walk or one stop away.

Things to know before booking

Rates open around $460 but climb to roughly $1,000+ a night during cherry-blossom season and the year-end holidays, so lock in early. The 42 sqm standard rooms are about 10 sqm smaller than the comparable rooms at the Ritz-Carlton. And because you are right in the thick of Roppongi Hills, expect some nightlife noise on weekend nights. Families should look at the Grand Twin, which sleeps 4 across 50 sqm from about $374.

Our take

Grand Hyatt Tokyo is the best choice if you genuinely want to stay in the middle of the Roppongi art district — out the door are the Mori Art Museum, the mall, 200+ restaurants, plus the 6 in-house spots led by the legendary Oak Door, the Nagomi spa and the indoor pool. It scores 9.2/10, the warm wood-and-stone design feels residential, and at a $460 opening rate it is roughly half the price of the Ritz-Carlton for another 5-star stay. We recommend it for couples and families who want the easiest possible walk around Roppongi.