As long as I have been going to Japan, I have been enamored by its business hotel brands. Hotel chains such as Super Hotel and Dormy Inn are where I always prefer to stay in Tokyo. Although the rooms are generally small, those hotels are clean, utilitarian and comfortable and I have grown to love things like the free ramen at Dormy Inn or the smell of the shower gel at the Super Hotel. Sometimes, though, because the secret seems to be out, your favorite Super Hotel is sold out and you have to pick another spot in the neighborhood. Even with the weak yen, cash rates at some hotels in Tokyo are absolutely ridiculous. As a result, points redemptions are often a great option, especially at Hyatt locations. I took the opportunity this spring to burn 25,000 Hyatt points at the fairly new Hyatt Centric Ginza before my flight out the next morning. After staying in such small rooms over the course of the trip, being able to spread out was a luxury and the Hyatt Centric Ginza was a very enjoyable and comfortable one-night stay.
The rooms at the Hyatt Centric Ginza
Though they are amply sized, the rooms at the Hyatt Centric Ginza have a bit of an odd layout to them. Instead of being in the bathroom, the sink and vanity are smack dab in the middle of the room. The sink folds down (check the pictures, I know that’s a strange thing to picture) and the entire area doubles as a workspace where I took some calls. If you are traveling with kids, it’s very important that they keep their fingers away from the folding area of the sink because they can easily get caught in there which would be a nightmare. There was a Toto Japanese toilet and refrigerator in the room, two amenities that I very much appreciate, although even at the cheapest of hotels in Tokyo, it seems that refrigerators are commonplace.
The Nespresso machine was clean and featured Nespresso-branded capsules. There were also two reusable plastic bottles for water, which I thought was a nice touch. In drawers under the Nespresso machine, there was a kettle, an ice bucket, lots of glasses and cups and tea making paraphernalia. While the room seemed amply stocked to me, there was a list of items that the hotel can provide from baby shampoo to Woolite to a yoga mat to a contact lens case. Very cool!
I am no longer surprised by the Japanese preference for hard beds, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. Due to catering to local clients, even American brands seem to be falling into the concrete matress trend. The Hyatt Centric Ginza was no exception and boy was I glad that I only had to sleep on the bed for one night.
The common areas at the Hyatt Centric Ginza
If you are an arcade nerd, you will enjoy the lobby at the Hyatt Centric Ginza. In a corner by the free green tea there is a duo of old school arcade games, Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Better yet, they are both on free play. While most people visiting Tokyo have better things to do than play video games in the hotel, it was still a fun amenity while waiting for my travel partner in the bathroom, for example. And better yet, lets you think it’s an example of American influence overseas, Space Invaders and Pac-Man were actually invented in Japan in 1978 and 1980, respectively.
Near the games and free coffee and tea station (more on that below) there is also ample seating and downstairs there is a nice long bar and seating area on a patio with a view of the street outside. I was given a free drink coupon at check-in and used it for a beer one night at the bar. Given how great bakeries in Ginza are, we did not have breakfast at the hotel.
In one of the corners of the lobby, there is a bizarre fenced off area where a robot dog named Aibo lives. As with many of the oddities that you come into contact with while traveling, sometimes you just have to snap a picture and smile without necessarily trying to understand it.
The service at the Hyatt Centric Ginza
The Hyatt Centric Ginza is one of those hotels where you have to take an elevator up to the lobby, which is one of my travel pet peeves. Once we got to the front desk, things quickly improved. The staff at the front desk was extremely helpful with check-in, sent out bags to the room and quickly handed us out room keys. They also informed us that there is a snack corner in the lobby, which came in handy. We helped ourselves to green tea and rice crackers more times than I can count. There is also a Jura espresso machine for the coffee hounds out there. While some of the snacks I recognized, many of them I didn’t, and it was nice to be able to try new candies and mints without having to commit to buying an entire package of them.
While we were out for a walk, Housekeeping came in for turndown service and took the liberty of arranging my travel partner’s crap that she had spilled all over the bed from a messy pile to a very orderly and cute Japanese set of lines. You’re not going to find that at every hotel in the world, that’s for sure!
The bottom line
Today, I had a look at the cash rate for the Hyatt Centric and they were over $800/night. This is not something I would entertain, but I was more than happy with the value for 25,000 points I spent. With a great location in Ginza and a room size that was a good deal larger than the tiny business hotels I’d gotten used to, it was a very relaxing and comfortable stay. The hard product is very well done and the hotel still feels fresh, but the soft touches make it seem like it has been around for a very long time.