Facing the Imperial Palace gardens with views that never get old, this home away from home offers a blend of six decades of hospitality excellence with contemporary luxury.

I’m on my balcony at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, watching people picnicking in the Wadakura Fountain Park, when I realise why Tokyo has topped the list for travellers around the world. It’s a city that respects its history while embracing everything new.

This DNA is well reflected at the Palace Hotel Tokyo – a true heritage hotel with a serious pedigree dating back to 1961, yet after its complete renovation, it feels as fresh and contemporary as any new opening.

The hotel, reopened in 2012 (also rebranded from Palace Hotel to Palace Hotel Tokyo) after a three-year renovation, occupies what may be Tokyo’s most coveted piece of real estate – directly across from the ancient Otemon Gate of Edo Castle. The USD 1 billion renovation, a collaborative effort between Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, GA Design International, A.N.D, Design Post, and MEC Design, saw the original 1961 hotel completely gutted with the room count slashed from 450 to 284. This tells you everything: it chose space over capacity, quality over quantity, respecting the property’s heritage while completely reimagining the guest experience. 

The brief was simple – to create a “grand residence” that works with its surroundings, not against them. Now, every single one of its 284 rooms is oriented towards the 3.5-square-kilometer Imperial Palace gardens, with large floor-to-ceiling openings that let the rooms breathe. I’ve stayed at hotels with open park views that are turned out to overlook building complexes, but here it’s as if you’re overlooking Central Park in NYC.

Arrival 

I arrived on a balmy afternoon directly from the airport. We passed through an Aji stone wall that echoes the stonework of the Imperial moats before being greeted by a line of well-dressed staff who swept our luggage away.

The lobby is grand, but not imposing, sophisticated without being showy – Tokyo has plenty of those –governed by muted tones that let the incredible views take centre stage. Soft, grey marble, adds a sense of opulence. An eight-metre gallery runs the length of the ground floor, lined with Macassar ebony that references the palace gates visible just outside.

From the lobby area, you can peek through to the lounge’s living room and tea lounge through to the kitchen. The spaces are all connected, not only indoors, but also to the greenery outside. There is even a maple tree visible from the window, selected by GA Design International to grow with the hotel. This tree, according to the firm, is “synonymous with the hotel’s strength and growth, constantly reflecting the changing of the seasons”. 

Rooms and Suites

My suite, a 485-square-foot Club Deluxe, comes with a spacious balcony blessed with views of the Wadakura Fountain Park and Imperial Palace Plaza. It felt thoughtfully proportioned with sliding bathroom doors that can switch between an open layout or closed one depending on your mood. 

Japanese touches can be found everywhere, think Imabari bath linens made in a century-old towel town in Ehime; Jugetsudo teas by Tokyo’s historic Maruyama Nori; Nambu-tekki cast iron teapots and handmade cups from Saga in Arita-yaki style; lacquered tea cup saucers come from Sabae in Fukui. Bath amenities are by British brand Bamford.

But it’s the newspaper rack mounted outside each room that I admired the most. In an age when most of us get news from our phones, this little add-on perfectly captured the hotel’s understanding of its clientele. Japanese locals, I was told, still read newspapers. It’s this kind of institutional knowledge that comes from serving discerning guests for over half a century that newer properties simply can’t replicate.

Rooms here (including 266 guestrooms and 18 suites) range from 485 square feet (deluxe room) to 2,690 square feet (Palace Suite). The Palace Suite on the 18th floor is known to receive celebrities and public figures, featuring a separate vanity area, dressing room and a marble-clad bathroom with a window-side soaking tub.

As lovely as my room was, the weather was too nice to stay inside. After a brief rest on the balcony, I headed down to the Grand Kitchen patio area – which was by far the best al fresco dining spot in Tokyo I had found.

Food and Beverage

Located on the lobby-level, the Grand Kitchen became my headquarters during my stay, partly for the excellent food, but mostly for the outdoor terrace. This breezy al fresco area is adjacent to a “swan lake” where there are actual swans chilling in it (you can see them if you are lucky).

The breakfast buffet is sumptuous here. Opt for a fluffy cheese, onion, mushroom omelette (which I had almost every day) or a Japanese breakfast bento. The Japanese take their breakfast bento seriously. This box contains everything perfectly balanced – flavour, colour and nutrition – from the grilled fish to the pickled vegetables to the fluffy rice.

For a more formal Japanese way of dining, Wadakura, named for the moat outside its windows, offers authentic Japanese cuisine across four areas, namely tempura at Tatsumi, teppanyaki at GO, sushi at Sushi Kanesaka, and kaiseki in the main dining room. The restaurant features both communal spaces and private tatami rooms with city views, decorated with master plasterer Naoki Kusumi’s textured walls and intricate naguri-style woodwork.

But the real deal – at least for me – goes to Esterre by Alain Ducasse. Operated in partnership with Ducasse Paris, and led by legendary French-born Monégasque chef Alain Ducasse, this fine dining restaurant showcases French haute cuisine with local sourcing.

Fresh ingredients arrive daily to ensure optimal umami, exemplified by the blue lobster served with herb-printed pasta leaves. Poke through the pasta and you’ll taste the lobster’s pure essence.

On the lobby level, the Royal Bar is completely different from everything else in the hotel. This tucked-away corner is a faithful restoration of the original 1961 space, complete with the actual bar counter where the legendary “Mr. Martini” once held court.

Don’t miss the Peach Penicillin, made of Dewar’s 12 year old blended Scotch whisky, lemon peach cordial and ginger, which is equal parts refreshing and sophisticated. This bar also serves nice tapas ranging from chicken liver mousse to Japanese beef hamburgers.

On the sixth floor, the Lounge Bar Privé offers a chic and intimate perch from which to take in views of the Imperial Palace gardens by day and the surrounding city skyline by night, complete with an outdoor terrace perfect for cocktails underneath the Tokyo sky. I went for a classic dry Martini made of Gordon’s gin, dry vermouth, and orange bitters.

Activities 

No stay at the Palace is complete without trying its evian SPA. The one and only in the country, this 12,900 square foot space is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows with views stretching across the Imperial Palace gardens all the way to Mount Fuji.  

To the left is a well-equipped gym and indoor pool with a rounded Jacuzzi; on the right are five treatment rooms, each named after a peak in the Alps, and saunas and lounges for him and her.

While treatments here highlight mineral enrichment and regeneration using evian water, I opted for a 60-minute head and shoulder massage (because I’m ticklish), sorting my jet lag completely. One of my favourites was the marble sauna. It features LED light therapy that mimics Alpine natural light. I walked out of the room fully revitalised. If you’re feeling thirsty after the heat, grab a bottle of evian that’s available throughout.

Amenities

The Palace is equipped with above-the-line event spaces for business events – from the main ballroom AOI, crowned by 18 individual chandeliers perfect for gala dinners or awards shows, to small rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows for intimate get-togethers. Yet, what I was most impressed by was its wedding chapel.

Designed by Japanese architect Yuji Hirata, the chapel features a striking white metal archway that creates a cocooned and protected room inside a room. This structure imbues the chapel with a solemnly beautiful ambiance from every angle. In addition to this contemporary chapel, the hotel also offers facilities catering to more traditional Japanese wedding ceremonies.

In a city that never stops reinventing itself, Palace Hotel Tokyo stands as the perfect example of what makes Tokyo irresistible – a blend of old and new. While new infrastructure pops up so fast even the locals find it hard to keep up, it continues to dazzle both first-time visitors and seasoned Tokyo veterans who return year after year. It’s worth experiencing for yourself.