STAY > ANDAZ Hotel, Toranomon Hills Tokyo (17/20)

ANDAZ Tokyo Toranomon Hills is one of the city’s most polished luxury lifestyle hotels, a high-rise refuge where design, views and quietly confident service frame Tokyo at its most cinematic. Wrapped across the upper floors of Toranomon Hills, it balances business-district efficiency with just enough warmth and play to feel like a personal city hideaway rather than a corporate perch.

AMBIENCE >

Cocooned high above the government quarter, Andaz Tokyo feels like a private aerie: timber, stone and soft light channelling a pared-back, residential Japan-meets-global design language that sidesteps ostentation. Floor-to-ceiling windows pull Tokyo Tower, the bay and the business core directly into the room, so days move to a rhythm of shifting city light rather than lobby theatrics. Corridors and public spaces are mercifully calm, with staff leaning into relaxed, first-name interaction; it is luxury that prefers casual efficient understatement and ease, over ceremony and bowing pageantry.

SLEEP >

Rooms are very generous by Tokyo standards (50-60m2) and get progressively more indulgent as you climb categories, but the common thread is space to exhale: wide sightlines, clean joinery, deep-soak tubs and cleverly tucked storage that keeps surfaces clear. Natural materials soften the tech—automatic blinds, intuitive lighting, proper work surfaces—so it feels more like a design apartment than a standard-issue business room.

Beds are textbook cloud: crisp linens, the right amount of loft in the pillows, and just enough separation from the seating zone that one person can work by the window while another disappears into the duvet. Night-time is all about that view: Tokyo Tower glows in the middle distance, views over the palace to Otemachi and Marunouchi as the city hums quietly fifty stories below, best enjoyed with a drink from the (complimentary non-alcoholic) mini-bar and a long, slow bath.

Turn down service matches the world class hotels with everything you might expect and a little more, smart nibbles, a top up of what ever you might have consumed from the mini-bar and of course fresh towels.

EAT >

The culinary centre of gravity here is The Tavern – Grill & Lounge, a broad, contemporary space that does double duty: power breakfasts and business lunches by day, date-night lighting and well-executed grills by evening. Menus lean into produce-forward, modern Western plates with Japanese inflections—think serious attention to beef, seafood handled with the precision you expect in this city, and breakfast that earns its price tag with both variety and quality. But this is a classic big hotel restaurant, done well for sure but not a place for destination eating.

For something more focused, the SUSHI offers an in-house counter experience, while BeBu at street level keeps things casual with burgers, beers and comfort dishes that work well for a quick pre- or post-meeting refuel. Room service tracks the same brief: disciplined, not experimental, but delivered hot, polished and on time, which is often exactly what a jet-lagged stay demands.

DRINK >

Crowning the hotel on the 52nd floor, Rooftop Bar is the showstopper: a semi open-air terrace with sweeping views to Tokyo Bay and Odaiba, especially electric once the city lights up. Signature cocktails draw on seasonal fruits and teas, there is proper champagne and a concise but thoughtful spirits list, and the mood runs from date-night intimate indoors to breezy, big-sky Tokyo outside when the weather plays along.

Downstairs (on the fifty first floor), the lounge area of The Tavern doubles as a day-to-night drinking spot, a softer alternative when the rooftop is weathered out or packed with sunset-seekers, there is often a DJ or performer and for guests it is the place for a complimentary drink and snack during the aperitivo hour.

WORKOUT >

AO Spa & Club delivers the full inner-city resort brief: an indoor pool set high enough that laps come with a backdrop of glass and skyline, a well-stocked gym, and proper thermal zones with sauna and steam. The spa side is no afterthought—massages, body scrubs, wraps and facials are all on the menu, with a level of polish and product that suits the address and rate.

For runners, Toranomon’s business grid is surprisingly forgiving early morning, and the hotel’s position between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower makes it easy to stitch together a scenic loop around the palace if you are prepared to navigate a few traffic lights.

PLAY >

The immediate neighbourhood has shifted from bureaucratic to quietly buzzy, with Toranomon Hills now a mini-precinct of offices, dining, retail and new-generation towers that keep evenings lively without tipping into chaos. You are a quick train or taxi from the Imperial Palace, Ginza, Marunouchi and Roppongi, so galleries, shopping and late-night bars are all within a short hop rather than a cross-city expedition.

CONCLUSION >

We last stayed at the Tokyo Andaz in 2020 and while it is not the newest hotel name in town, it remains one of the most compelling ways to perch above the capital: with generous rooms that are design-led yet warm, with the free afternoon aperitivo hour, good food and drink options, easy access to the Hibya underground rail line and all anchored by the views that quietly steal the show.

For the business travellers who like their hotels with personality, or leisure guests who want a polished Tokyo base that still feels human-sized, this is an address that remains a spot on our repeat list.

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Image Credit | ALMANAK & ANDAZ Toranomon Hills

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