Drawcards include collaborations with a top chef and a Tokyo-based mixologist, plus the first Spa by L’Occitane in western Honshu.
A one-bedroom suite at Hilton Hiroshima. (All photos courtesy of Hilton)
This week, Hilton debuted the latest outpost of its flagship brand — and the group’s 600th property worldwide — in the Japanese city that will host next year’s G7 summit. Guests at the brand-new Hilton Hiroshima will find themselves a 15-minute stroll from Peace Memorial Park and the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Atomic Bomb Dome. Other sightseeing spots such as Hiroshima Castle are also within easy reach, as is the UNESCO-inscribed Itsukushima Shrine with its iconic “floating torii” gate, thanks to the Aqua Net ferry departing from a river pier opposite Peace Memorial Park.
Located on the seventh through 22nd floors, the 420 guest rooms and suites have a subdued, pared-back aesthetic. Their decor pays homage to the culture and landscape of the surrounding Chugoku region, with blue accents reflecting the Seto Inland Sea, art featuring graphic designs of the Japanese maple tree, and details such as Bizen porcelain teacups to highlight traditional craftsmanship. The upper-floor rooms afford sweeping city views that stretch toward the mountains to the north or the Seto Inland Sea in the south.
Downstairs, four dining outlets tempt hungry travelers. Flow Lounge offers freshly brewed coffee and pastries in the morning, healthy and hearty dishes during lunch, artisanal sweets in the afternoon, and tapas made with local ingredients after dark. All-day dining restaurant Mozaik is the place to go for international breakfast, lunch, and dinner spreads (as well as weekend dessert buffets).
Hilton Hiroshima occupies a newly built 22-story tower in the city center.
The pastry counter at lobby-level Flow Lounge.
Meanwhile, Sensui spotlights the Chugoku region’s produce in its sushi, teppanyaki, and seasonal kaiseki through menus created by Takagi Kazuo, chef-owner of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Kyoto Cuisine Takagi in a small city west of Osaka. The hotel has also teamed up with Roggerio Igarasi, owner and head mixologist of Shibuya’s Bar Trench — which ranked 25th in the latest rankings of Asia’s 50 Best Bars — to open Zatta Bar and Lounge. With room for more than 100 patrons, Zatta serves afternoon tea by day, before switching its focus in the evening to cocktails and local sake enjoyed to a backdrop of live entertainment.
Other on-site facilities include an executive lounge, a wedding chapel, and a gym. Guests can also swim laps in the indoor pool; go for a steam session in the sauna; and unwind at the in-house Spa by L’Occitane, a first for western Honshu. Business travelers should know that Hilton Hiroshima features one of the largest convention facilities in Chugoku: no less than 19 banquet and meeting rooms feature the latest LED technology and audiovisual equipment, and can accommodate MICE events of more than 1,000 people.
hilton.com; doubles from US$165
A couple’s treatment room at Spa by L’Occitane.
Inside the executive lounge at Hilton Hiroshima.
