The View: Panoramic views over Tokyo’s diplomatic and government enclave, including National Diet Building (Parliament) and Imperial Palace.
First Impressions: As the Tokyo Hilton this 55-year-old downtown property has seen the likes of the Beatles and the Three Tenors among its guests. A brand change saw it operate as Capitol Tokyu Hotel before it closed its doors in 2006 and reopened four years later as Capitol Hotel Tokyu, a Preferred Hotels and Resorts member. With its modern Japanese interiors, public areas are both refined and relaxed.
The Location: The hotel has direct access to Tokyo’s subway system, making it a good option for moving around town with little fuss. Its close neighbour is the Hie Shrine, the guardian deity for the shogunate family in the Edo period, and for the present Imperial Palace. The property is linked directly to the Japanese subway system, making it easy to get around
The Room: Rooms are styled with shoji paper screens separating the bathroom from the work and sleeping area. Four exclusive suites on the fifth floor overlook landscaped gardens and the Hie shrine.
The Service: Typically Japanese. Polite. Attentive without being overbearing.
Memorable Moment: The hotel’s barbershop at the Carju Rajah Tiado spa comes with a long history and tradition of offering its services to Japan’s political and corporate elite, and offers the best in professional gentlemen’s hair-cuts, head-spa treatments, shaving and barber-facials in fully-private treatment rooms.
The Carju Rajah Tiado spa is furnished in a style that reflects the images of the paintings of French Impressionists Claude Monet and Edgar Degas.
Final word: The Capitol Hotel Tokyu has further improved on the high standards set previously by the Hilton. Another major upgrade of guest facilities is planned prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.