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Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Japan [In-depth Review]

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Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith

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Countries Visited: 190U.S. States Visited: 50

Ryan has been on a quest to visit every country in the world and plans to hit his final country in 2023. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Poi...
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Jessica Merritt

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A long-time points and miles student, Jessica is the former Personal Finance Managing Editor at U.S. News and World Report and is passionate about helping consumers fund their travels for as little ca...
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Stella Shon

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Sometimes, you aren’t looking for an impressive hotel but rather a hotel that’s good enough in a city full of expensive hotels that will eat up your bank account balance or points balance quickly. That’s what my wife and I did when we recently spent 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo.

The Hyatt Regency Tokyo was the first Hyatt property in Japan and is one of only 2 Hyatt properties in the capital that you can book with Category 1 to 4 free night awards (until the Hyatt House opens in Shibuya in 2024).

Rather than paying heavily for properties like the Grand Hyatt Tokyo or Park Hyatt Tokyo, we opted for the Hyatt Regency Tokyo because we could book it with our available free night awards. We were aware of the property’s ongoing renovations, but it checked 2 important boxes: affordability and not needing to change hotels during our time in Tokyo.

The hotel has some positives and negatives, and you should be aware that staying here during current renovations means some facilities are closed, and some rooms haven’t been renovated yet. The Hyatt Regency Tokyo neither impressed nor underwhelmed us, but it’s a decent option depending on your plans for visiting Tokyo.

Location

The Hyatt Regency Tokyo sits in the Shinjuku neighborhood, across from Tokyo City Hall in the southwest portion of the city. The Shinjuku train station is a 15-minute walk, and subway stations surround the hotel.

Location of Hyatt Regency Tokyo. Image Credit: Google Maps

From the Shinjuku station, you can reach other parts of Tokyo quite easily, though you’ll need a train, subway, or taxi to get to most touristy sites. They’re beyond what most people consider walking distance.

It’s also possible to reach the hotel from both of Tokyo’s international airports. Haneda (HND) is approximately 50 minutes away by train. It’s about 90 minutes to Narita (NRT) by way of the Narita Express.

Looking up at the hotel’s V-shaped towers.

Booking

My wife and I had a pair of Category 1 to 4 free night awards that we wanted to use while in Japan, which greatly limited our options (since so many properties in our destination cities are in higher categories). These are the free night awards we receive annually from The World of Hyatt Credit Card — you’ll receive 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (Category 1 to 4) and a second Free Night Award when you spend $15,000 on the card.

With these restrictions in mind, we settled on the Hyatt Regency Tokyo and added 15,000 points for our third night (since the hotel used standard pricing then).

Booking options for using points. Image Credit: Hyatt

During our June 2023 stay, the hotel was charging $310+ for standard rooms. Paying 15,000 points per night gave us a redemption value of 2.1 cents per point — above the average value of World of Hyatt points.

After booking, as a World of Hyatt Globalist, I asked my Hyatt Concierge to apply a suite upgrade award to this booking. The property has 746 rooms, including 18 suites. However, the hotel was completely sold out during our stay, and no suites were available.

Hot Tip:

Should you pay the cash rate for your stay, consider using one of our recommended best credit cards for World of Hyatt loyalists to earn up to 9x points on your stay.

Checking In

We took the Narita Express train from Narita International Airport (NRT) to the Shinjuku station, which took nearly 90 minutes and cost ¥3,250 per person (about $22.50).

After walking roughly 15 minutes to the location my phone indicated, finding the entrance to the Hyatt Regency Tokyo was confusing. We saw signs, but they pointed up 2 flights of stairs. We weren’t interested in lugging our large suitcase up there.

Exterior sign near the 2 flights of stairs from the main avenue.

After several minutes of walking and searching, we found a wheelchair-accessible ramp that went up 1 flight, then signs into an underground area with a 7-Eleven. From there, a very small sign indicated a path up an escalator to the hotel.

Signage toward the hotel from the underground levels.

If arriving by taxi or airport shuttle, you’ll arrive at the entrance to the main lobby (which is on the hotel’s third floor) — much simpler.

Looking at the hotel from across the street.

The lobby immediately grabs your attention with its size (open up to the 10th floor) and giant overhead chandeliers.

The lobby’s chandeliers.

Given that we arrived at the same time as several other people, a line started to form. Out of nowhere, several additional desk agents appeared and cleared the line very efficiently.

Looking into the lobby from the second floor.

We received a friendly welcome and completed the process smoothly, the location of our room, hotel facilities, and what was temporarily closed during our stay. The only element lacking in the check-in process was telling us how to find our room, which we had to ask about. The location of the elevators wasn’t obvious.

Elevator waiting area by the lobby.

Elite Benefits

As a World of Hyatt Globalist, I receive several quality benefits on every stay. These include:

  • 4 p.m. late checkout, subject to availability
  • Free breakfast and Regency Club lounge access
  • Room upgrades to standard suites, subject to availability
  • Waived resort fees and parking fees

The Hyatt Regency Tokyo doesn’t charge resort fees, and we didn’t have a rental car. However, the agent asked if we needed late checkout (we didn’t) and provided keys that indicated Club access. We were told to present these to gain access to Vicky’s, which was acting as the Club until the end of the renovation.

Club Lounge information for guests with access (click to enlarge).

On the train to the hotel, I searched for availability and saw the property was completely sold out during our stay. Thus, I didn’t expect or inquire about an upgrade at check-in. The main question was whether we’d receive a renovated room or not.

Amenities

Spread across the Hyatt Regency Tokyo’s 28 floors, you’ll find multiple escalators, elevators, and amenities, though the best features may be the public spaces.

Looking down into the lobby and its mirrored wall was interesting.

Looking into the lobby from the seventh floor.

Views over the city from the elevators and the upper floors also were highlights.

Views from the elevator.

Meeting and Banquet Facilities

Numerous rooms can accommodate large meetings, small groups, or even a private space to work. These are located on the top 3 and bottom 3 floors of the hotel. Given the hotel’s proximity to banks and government facilities, plus being completely booked, I had expected to find these meeting rooms in use.

Entrance to the Sky Room.

Instead, trying to visit them felt more like, “Am I allowed to be here right now?” The lights were off in several, and it was difficult to tell the last time they received visitors.

The Sky Room seems closed, even though it isn’t.

Internet

When connected, the internet worked reliably. However, our phones disconnected from it every time the screens turned off. We needed to rejoin the internet several times daily. When waiting for a reply from a friend, this was frustrating.

Wireless speeds at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo. Image Credit: Speedtest

We needed to keep our phones from going to sleep until the person replied. Otherwise, we wouldn’t receive the reply because our phones would disconnect from the network when the screen turned off.

Elevators

Elevator waiting area on the seventh floor.

The 8 elevators were spacious, with 4 on each side of the waiting area. Interestingly, a light turned on to indicate which elevator was coming, but that didn’t mean it was arriving. It started flashing once the elevator arrived. Also, only the elevators on 1 side went all the way to the 28th floor; the other 4 stopped on the 27th floor.

Elevator interior.

Inside, the elevators were lined with brass and wood paneling, and those on the exterior had glass windows that provided great views from the upper floors.

Numbers count up in columns rather than having numbers next to each other.

The buttons on the elevator were laid out in a different configuration than I’m used to. They went up on one side and start again from the bottom in another column. They didn’t go in a left-to-right, bottom-to-top pattern.

Floor numbers light up as the elevator goes up or down.

The carpet in the elevator was worn and showed signs of “stand here for social distancing” markers in the past. The lighting in the elevators was quite dim, providing a stark contrast from the brightly-lit lobby and guest floors outside.

Joule Spa & Wellness

Entrance to the Joule spa.

Joule Spa & Wellness is the name for the spa (on the 27th floor) and the gym (on the 28th floor). While the spa functioned normally and offered a full range of services, the fitness center was another story.

Entrance to the fitness center.

The pool was closed until further notice, and the changing rooms were locked. Several areas within the fitness center were roped off.

Roped-off areas in the gym.

Moreover, there was no employee presence at all.

Reception area at the gym.

Instead, a sign on a fridge offered 2 bottles of water at most.

Help yourself to no more than 2 bottles of water.

Beyond that, you can help yourself to the half-dozen cardio machines and a handful of weight machines in a small space in the far corner of the gym’s overall footprint.

The gym had a modest space but some great views.

I could even check my blood pressure.

The fitness center has a blood pressure machine.

Interestingly, the gym prohibited use while intoxicated or with open wounds, and those with tattoos were also excluded. While common in traditional onsens, I found this interesting in a hotel that caters to foreign tourists.

Prohibition to use the gym if you have tattoos.

Umbrella Storage

Information on how to use the umbrella lockers.

This is an interesting feature at many hotels in Japan. You can lock your umbrella for safekeeping without bringing it inside and dripping all over the floor.

Umbrella lockers near the main entrance.

These lockers were near the taxi stand by the hotel’s main entrance.

The Room

Looking down the hallway on the seventh floor.

We stayed in room 715 on the seventh floor. Unfortunately, this room hasn’t been upgraded. It was a standard 1-king room that wasn’t expansive but wasn’t cramped.

Standard 1 King guest room.

The room had a digital “do not disturb” sign for privacy.

“Do not disturb” sign illuminated in the hallway.

After entering, we passed the bathroom and closets before arriving at the bedroom space. The king-sized bed was comfortable and had 4 pillows. Unfortunately, all 4 of them were useless. Using them and not using them had the same effect.

The bed was comfortable, but the pillows collapsed as soon as we put our heads on them.

Each side of the bed had a reading light and a nightstand.

Each side of the bed had a light and nightstand.

One held a multi-port charging station.

This charging port had 2 universal plugs and 2 USB ports.

The other had an alarm clock and phone.

Clock and phone on the nightstand.

Both sides of the bed had controls for the lights in the room. Unfortunately, no button served as a “master” switch to turn everything on or off.

Control panel on the side of the bed away from the window.

The panel closer to the window also controlled the curtains on the window.

Control panel on the side of the bed closer to the window.

The outer wall had a single window overlooking the park across the street.

View from our room.

Next to the window, there was a chair, an ottoman, and a small table.

The room had a chair, a small table, and an ottoman by the window.

The blackout curtain on the window was excellent. When closed, it blocked all light from coming in.

These blackout curtains worked very well.

There was an easy-to-use thermostat in the corner, near the window. However, it had only 1 option: off or “full blast.” We had to turn it off at night so we could sleep.

The thermostat in room 715.

Interestingly, the old thermostat still existed. The case was upside-down and not working, but it was still present.

An old thermostat, which no longer worked.

The wall opposite the bed had a long, wooden shelf that led to a desk in the corner. The TV was directly opposite the bed.

The TV in our room.

A folder contained a channel guide.

List of TV channels available.

We also got instructions on how to use the remote.

Instructions on how to use the remote control.

The desk had multiple charging ports, a lamp, and a notepad. However, it lacked an important feature to use it: a chair.

The desk was a good size but didn’t have a chair.

The desk also had a welcome note from housekeeping that we could use for requests during our stay, plus a note about window cleaning.

Notice of window cleaning provided in the guest rooms.

Another note asked us to help conserve resources and explained how to get fresh towels or sheets from housekeeping.

Note about conservation efforts at the hotel.

A folding luggage rack was at the other end of the wooden shelf heading toward the closet.

The luggage rack beat bending over to get items out of the suitcase resting on the floor.

For reference, the renovated rooms look like this, with a lighter color palette:

Stock image of the renovated rooms at Hyatt Regency Tokyo. Image Credit: Hyatt

Closets

Closest to the bedroom, a door opened to access the minibar.

Tea supplies in the minibar area.

We found a hot water kettle and 2 disposable cups, an ice bucket, and supplies for making tea.

If you want to make tea or instant noodles, this kettle is handy.

The door held 2 drinking glasses.

Drinking glasses in the minibar.

Underneath, there was a small fridge.

The fridge was empty but worked well.

Along the hallway between the bathroom and bedroom were several wooden closets.

Robes are provided in the closet.

Inside were robes, slippers, a steamer, and an ironing board.

Ironing supplies in the closet.

The drawers contained laundry information and a safe for valuables.

Drawers and safe in the closet.

One drawer also held Japanese-style robes.

Japanese-style robes were in a drawer in the closet.

Given the size of the doors and how narrow this hallway was, we couldn’t pass from the bedroom to the bathroom with the closet doors open.

Opposite the closet and near the door, there was also a large, floor-length mirror.

A large mirror near the entryway was nice.

Bathroom

The bathroom was interesting; whether you think it’s interesting in a good or bad way will depend on how well you know the people/person you’re staying with. It also depends on how attentive you are to avoid stubbing your toes.

Sink area in the bathroom in room 715.

The bathroom counter wasn’t large but had space to hold a few items next to the large sink.

We had bottled water and drinking glasses near the sink.

There was also a make-up mirror (with a light), drinking glasses, and bottled water here.

The faucet was the kind that’s so far back you hit your hands on the sink while washing them.

There was also a lamp on the counter, which was helpful.

The lamp was nice but also wasn’t very strong.

The single overhead light wasn’t bright and was positioned far enough back from the mirror that our faces always had shadows. That wasn’t great for cleaning our faces or applying make-up without the aid of both the lamp and the make-up mirror.

This single overhead light in the bathroom wasn’t very strong.

Near the lamp, there was an outlet for a shaver and a mystery knob that we couldn’t identify.

As far as we could tell, this volume knob didn’t control anything.

Behind the sink, this knob served as the sink stopper if we pulled it up.

This knob was the sink stopper.

Under the sink, there was a trash can and bath mat on the floor and several shelves near the shower. These held towels, tissues, and a rack full of toiletries.

The bathroom had a ton of supplies.

These items were individually wrapped and not labeled, so we had to feel them to identify some packages. They included cotton swabs, a nail file, wet wipes, and a toothbrush, plus a small bottle of hand lotion and some alcohol wipes.

The contents weren’t labeled, so we had to hold them up to the light or feel them.

Along the outer wall, a frosted glass door led to the toilet. While small, the cabin wasn’t cramped.

The toilet was behind a door with privacy glass.

It included a Japanese toilet with a heated seat and water spray controls.

There were spray options for cleaning yourself after using the toilet.

There was also a phone.

There was even a phone.

The box on the back of the toilet included an extra roll of toilet paper.

We found spare toilet paper in this box above the toilet.

Closer to the bedroom were the shower and tub located in the same cabin. It was accessed with a clear glass door (unlike the one leading to the toilet, which provided privacy).

Clear glass door leading to the shower.

If you want privacy from family members while showering, you can close the sliding door to the bathroom.

You can close a sliding door to the bathroom.

However, you’ll also need to close the curtain since the wall between the shower/tub and the bedroom is glass. That could be an issue for family members or friends traveling together who don’t want to be seen while showering.

This glass panel between the shower and the bed was interesting.

There was another oddity: the step up into the shower. Pay attention to avoid hitting your toes.

Watch out for this step up into the shower.

The shower worked well, with good pressure, and heated up quickly.

The shower worked well, but the knob holding the showerhead tended to slide down over time.

The controls were easy to use, though the knob to hold the showerhead in place tended to slide during our showers. Depending on how long your shower lasts, you may have to move it back up.

The shower and tub were in the same box in the bathroom.

The bathroom contained Pharmacopia products with an Argan oil scent. We love these and get excited whenever hotels have them because they work well and smell great.

These products were great, but we needed more of them.

We were surprised to receive such small bottles for a 3-night stay for 2 people, however. We had to replace the shampoo, body wash, and lotion twice during our stay.

There was also a mirror in the shower, which was excellent for shaving, and the bathtub was large enough that my wife took a comfortable bath one evening.

The tub was a good size.

Food and Beverage

The Hyatt Regency Tokyo has 6 restaurants, 2 bars, and a handful of convenience stores (not affiliated with the hotel) at the underground entrance. Some of these are closed for renovations (with multiple extensions to the supposed end dates).

Regency Club

The ninth floor had a Regency Club accessible for those staying on Club floors (7 to 9). However, it was temporarily closed. Vicky’s temporarily served as the Club.

The elevator button to access the ninth floor was disabled during renovations.

We couldn’t push 9 on the elevator.

Vicky’s

Entrance to Vicky’s.

This first-floor restaurant hosted breakfast, tea time, and evening cocktails while acting as the temporary Club for Globalists or those staying on Club floors.

Current Club hours at Vicky’s.

Rather than a list with names of permitted guests, those with access receive different room keys that say Regency Club, and showing this provides access.

Regency Club-themed keys provide access to the Club.

Breakfast was a self-serve buffet containing hot and cold dishes with Western and Japanese offerings.

Breakfast at Vicky’s, which served as the Club

Signs advised what the dishes were, plus indications of common allergens.

Some of the breads had surprising ingredients.

Some items remained the same daily, such as the breads, cold cuts, and salad bar.

Salad bar at Vicky’s.

Other dishes rotated, such as a different type of curry and a different type of potato each morning.

Hot food trays at Vicky’s.

Coffee, tea, orange juice, and sodas were available self-serve, though getting a latte or cappuccino is possible if you ask.

Tea-making options at Vicky’s.

Despite this being possible, it was a surprise to the staff every morning when we asked for lattes. We only knew it was possible because we saw someone else receiving a cappuccino on our first morning. There were no signs, menus, or inquiries from staff advising that you can order any special items from the kitchen.

Getting a latte is possible, but no one will tell you about it.

We also saw someone receive an omelet on our last day, meaning additional requests were possible.

A positive to highlight was that food was labeled in English, including allergen signs.

We noticed some surprising ingredients from these, such as dairy in the miso soup (not common) and alcohol in the rye bread. Pay attention to these if you have dietary restrictions.

Caffe

Entrance to Caffe.

For those without club lounge access, a breakfast buffet was available in Caffe, located off the lobby near the check-in area.

Sign advising expected wait times at Caffe.

Caffe also serves lunch and dinner daily; menus were available at the entrance to see if you’re interested before entering.

Caffe menu (click to enlarge).

Teppanyaki Grill by NADAMAN

There were several restaurants on the third floor. Teppanyaki Grill by NADAMAN offered traditional Japanese teppanyaki, where the chef cooks on a grill before you. The restaurant was open daily for lunch and dinner.

Menu outside SHINJUKU NADAMAN.

SHINJUKU NADAMAN

Behind the Teppanyaki area, you’ll find a separate restaurant called SHINJUKU NADAMAN. It offers traditional Kaiseki, a multi-course set meal in a fine dining atmosphere. It’s open for lunch and dinner daily.

Sushi Bar SHIMIZU by NADAMAN

Entrance to the Shimizu by Nadaman sushi restaurant.

At the end of the hall, you’ll find Sushi Bar SHIMIZU by NADAMAN, offering sushi in a traditional-meets-fine-dining setting. It’s open daily for both lunch and dinner.

Jade Garden

On the first floor, near Vicky’s, you’ll find Jade Garden, which offers Chinese food in an upscale setting. However, this restaurant is closed until further notice due to refurbishment.

Jade Garden was closed, though it looks like the renovation is complete.

Lounge

Between Vicky’s and Jade Garden, you’ll find Lounge, a working area-meets-bar on the first floor, adjacent to the escalators. It’s closed until further notice, though no work was happening inside. Everything looked complete, but there was no signage for a reopening date.

The Lounge was inexplicably closed.

The carpet between the Lounge and Vicky’s also had bad signs of wear and tear.

Worn carpet near the Regency Club.

Eau de Vie

Near the Andaman restaurant on the third floor was Eau de Vie. This bar offers a variety of food and drinks from around the world, ranging from low-cost domestic beers to $100-a-glass whiskey.

Part of the drinks menu at Eau de Vie (click to enlarge).

Service

Service at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo was good when we knew what we wanted and asked for it. I wouldn’t consider this the type of service where employees anticipate your needs.

When checking in, the desk agent didn’t mention a lack of upgrades or anything related to this, which I would expect as part of being a Globalist. “Since we’re full, we weren’t able to upgrade you” would be sufficient to at least acknowledge the situation.

The check-in agent also didn’t tell us how to find our room.

Additionally, we never saw anyone at the bellhop station near the main entrance. That’s despite the hotel being fully booked and a line of taxis waiting outside at any given moment.

Bellhop stand. We never saw anyone here.

At breakfast every day, the staff went about their business unless we approached them to ask for lattes. Otherwise, they didn’t say anything other than the “hello” and “goodbye” at the welcome desk. No one came to our table at any point during our 3 breakfasts.

When passing employees in the hallways and lobby, they were friendly and would say hello, but we had to clearly communicate our needs.

One day, we forgot our key in the room and had to stop at the front desk for a new one. The employee asked for my ID before giving me a new key, which was great.

Service was efficient and cordial, but I wouldn’t classify it as friendly or anything better than average.

Final Thoughts

The main entrance.

“Average” can sound like an insult sometimes, but we were perfectly content to find an average stay for our 3 nights in Tokyo. We were able to use our free night awards at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo to reduce costs, we got a decent bed, and complimentary breakfast, and had access to public transportation to get to the parts of the city we wanted to explore each day.

Service wasn’t anything special, and the pillows were bad. The ongoing refurbishment and closed facilities could be a problem if you want to dine at the hotel or use the gym. However, if you know what you’re getting and are OK with that, this is a decent option for using your World of Hyatt points and free nights when you don’t want to shell out for more expensive properties.

Once the property’s upgrades are complete, it will become an even better option for future stays. However, the proposed completion date has been pushed back several times, so it’s worth taking these dates with a grain of salt if you plan to stay here and think the work will be done by the time you check-in.

The information regarding The World of Hyatt Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently Asked Questions

The property has 746 rooms, including 18 suites. These are spread out across 28 floors.

You won’t find the Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Fine Hotels + Resorts. It’s not in The Hotel Collection, either.

The Hyatt Regency Tokyo is a Category 4 property. You can use your Category 1 to 4 free night awards or pay 15,000 points during standard pricing.

It’s possible to reach the hotel from both of Tokyo’s international airports. Haneda (HND) is approximately 50 minutes away by train. It’s about 90 minutes to the Narita (NRT) by way of the Narita Express.

About Ryan Smith

Ryan has been on a quest to visit every country in the world and plans to hit his final country in 2023. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, and Forbes Advisor.

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