Acquisitions & Hotel Openings

Palace Hotel Tokyo to Debut May 2012

New 290-room Property Succeeds Hotel Teito and Palace Hotel

TOKYO, Jan. 31, 2012 -- With an incomparable perspective on the city and a singular, moat-side location beside the Imperial Palace, Palace Hotel Tokyo has announced plans to open May 17 following a JPY 90 billion (US $1.2 billion) investment in the mixed-used development.

The hotel will begin accepting reservations on February 1, 2012.

The new 290-room property succeeds two previous hotels, the Hotel Teito and Palace Hotel that occupied the same site from 1947 and 1961 respectively. Like its predecessors, Palace Hotel Tokyo will preserve its independence and a distinct commitment to homegrown hospitality.

"This hotel is Japanese through and through, from its ownership and management, to its service protocols and its picture-perfect location by the Imperial Palace gardens and moats," said Palace Hotel Tokyo President, Takashi Kobayashi. "For domestic and international travelers alike, whether they're with us for business or leisure, we hope they will walk away saying, 'To have stayed at Palace Hotel Tokyo is to have experienced the very essence of Japanese hospitality.'"

The hotel's most anticipated attributes include:

• evian® SPA TOKYO. Only the second evian® SPA outside of France, the spa embraces one of the most naturally compelling views of the city from its fifth floor perch. French savoir-faire and Asian therapies will set the stage for one of Tokyo's most refined spa experiences.

• Michelin Stars. The hotel is aiming for a constellation of Michelin-star restaurants. The French restaurant, Crown opens as a collaboration with Patrick Henriroux, who runs two-star La Pyramide in Vienne, France. Within the hotel's Japanese restaurant, Wadakura, the sushi operation will be managed by Shinji Kanesaka, who also owns the landmark, two-star Sushi Kanesaka in Ginza. And the Chinese restaurant, Amber Palace, will be operated by the Chugoku Hanten Group, which also operates Tokyo's two-star Fureika.　

• Expansive Views. In a city better known for its density of construction, the 23-story Palace Hotel Tokyo takes in long sight lines from every room and nearly all of the hotel's public space.

• The hotel's 290 rooms will include 12 suites and six categories of guest rooms, the smallest of which will be an ample 45 square meters. Beyond the four destination restaurants, an additional six restaurants and bars round out the hotel's food and beverage opportunities.

• As a complement to the hotel's 23 above-ground floors, the uppermost of four basement levels will feature 17 retail outlets. This same level will also provide underground passage to the Otemachi subway station, which will be completed in the spring of 2013. The city's landmark Tokyo Station is within easy walking distance of the hotel.

Once known primarily as a financial centre - indeed, businesses based in Marunouchi and two neighboring districts, account for about 25% of Japan's GDP - the locale in recent years has gained a new dimension of appeal as a luxury shopping destination. World-renown retail operations now line its principal thoroughfares.

Still, the region's defining characteristic is borne of its proximity to the Imperial Palace, a 3.5-square-kilometre green space in the heart of the city. The area figures prominently in the city's heritage, dating back to 1603 when the Tokugawa Shoguns founded their capital here and established their residence at Edo Castle.

The hotel's main entrance is located across the street from Otemon Gate, once the main gate of Edo Castle. One of the hotel's distinguishing architectural features is at its main entrance, where Aji stone walls echo the very same stonework that lines the imperial moats.

"Though we're located on the edge of Tokyo's most dynamic business district, at Marunouchi, we're set to deliver a more naturally vibrant perspective," said Kobayashi. "From the summer soundtrack of cicadas in the park's trees, to the winter's ice on the imperial moat, a sense of seasons will be felt to a much greater degree than, perhaps, anywhere else in the city."

In preparation for its May 17 grand opening, Palace Hotel Tokyo has secured a spot in the Leading Hotels of the World portfolio.

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