Park Hotel, Tokyo

Location

Having reopened to the public in 2002, Shiodome district is a maze of elevated walkways and underground passages, twisting between ultra-modern skyscrapers and multi-level roads. However, it hasn’t always been this way. Translating as ‘halt the tides’, it was once a marshland that separated the Imperial Palace from the city’s bay. As such, you’ll find century old shrines and the famed Tsukiji Fish Market nearby along with the more modern appeals of fashionable Ginza, neon Shinjuku and the staggering Tokyo Skytree. And, the eponymous park – Hamarikyu Gardens – with its teahouses, saltwater ponds and waterbus launch is just next door.

Accommodation

In keeping with its labyrinthine location, the hotel can be accessed from three separate levels, via pedestrian bridges or underground passage networks that lead to subway stations and underground malls. Back in the hotel, you’ll be greeted by a giant atrium, hollowed out from its high-rise shell. As a self-styled designer hotel, boutique rooms come with artist-painted wall decorations, perhaps depicting bamboo forests, a manga-inspired skyscape or a Tokyo city map. Located on the ten uppermost floors, all feature stunning city views, while you may want to opt for specific Tokyo Tower sightlines. Expect the best in mod cons with high-speed complimentary WiFi to help you work out how to get the best out of those fantastic electronic bidets. Smaller standard rooms are also available.

Dining

Park Hotel’s 25th floor restaurant hub has something for all tastes. Its signature Tateru Yoshino Bis serves contemporary French cuisine, presented with a typically Japanese obsession with detail, as Hanasanshou dishes up traditional multi-course kaiseki meals with seasonal ingredients supplied by a Kyoto farm. For more casual Western fare, the chic ART Lounge exhibits projected works on a 30 metre high wall. Back on the ground, the News Art Café and its next-door boulangerie offer the best in light bites.

Facilities

If you’ve been inspired by the hotel’s creativity, call into the Art Shop to pick up something by your room’s artist or study the hotel’s exhibitions. More practically, you’ll find a personal fitness room that can be booked for 45-minute slots along with a laundry service. There’s also more of that Japanese ingenuity in the basement with an automatic car park. And, if you need some rest and relaxation look no further than THANN Sanctuary. Voted by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the Hot 55 Spas of the World, specialists combine Thai body care with Swedish and Ayurvedic sensibilities to deliver exceptional treatments.