Barely a year after debuting the riverside Suiran in Kyoto, Starwood’s Luxury Collection opened its second Japanese property in late July. Perched on the 30th to 36th floors of the newly minted Tokyo Garden Terrace tower, the 250-room Prince Gallery literally rises to the occasion with glorious 360-degree views across central Chiyoda that take in the Imperial Palace, Mount Fuji, Shinjuku City, and Tokyo Tower. The interiors by the Rockwell Group are quietly plush with gray worsted fabrics, dark stained timber floors, and tufted-leather walls, though as sky high experiences go, it’s difficult to beat the austere luxury of taking an evening dip in the spa’s stone-lined hot and cold baths, with the twinkling lights of Tokyo sprawled out below. Equally indulgent is the hotel’s Washouken Souten restaurant, where a cocktail at the 200-year-old oak sake counter is the prelude to a blow-out dinner of raw sea urchin on apple foam, abalone gratin, and exquisitely fresh blowfish sashimi. And if all that still fails to impress, perhaps a nightcap in the lobby lounge, dominated by Mari Noguchi’s nine-meter high undulating glass waterfall, will do the trick. (81 3/3234 1111; luxurycollection.com; doubles from US$630).
This article originally appeared in the December 2016/January 2017 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“The Luxe List 2016: The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho”).