Shangri-La Tokyo

Since 2009, the Shangri-La Tokyo has earned its spot among Tokyo’s top properties and embraced the brand’s namesake, which comes from the tranquil setting of James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon.

• The more intimate, cocoon-like vibe of this deceptively large hotel
• Horizon Club access, which more than pays for itself thanks to delectable edibles during the day and drinks in the evenings
• The strategic location directly atop Tokyo Station, ideal for those traveling outside Tokyo and those taking the subway around the Japanese capital

Though Shangri-La is not nearly as familiar a name in the West as in the East the Shangri-La Tokyo has come out on top. Residing in the uppermost 11 floors of a 37-story tower in the Marunouchi business district (adjacent to Ginza), the Shang, as Asia insiders refer to the brand, is a full-scale hotel with 200 rooms, 2 restaurants, a lobby lounge and bar, a club floor, spa and pool. But step out of the elevator into the 28th-floor lobby, and you might think you’ve arrived at a far smaller establishment; this is a lodging that isn’t trying to impress with scale or magnificence as much as to convey serenity and refinement. Tokyo Station, the city’s spectacularly huge and advanced mass-transit complex (3,000 train departures daily), is directly beneath. Guests can be personally escorted to and from the platform upon request. The Shang is housed in one of several commercial towers rising from it. And views from one side of the hotel include a never-ending procession of trains. Up here none is ever heard and all is calm in the extreme. Even when almost fully booked, the hotel feels more cocoon-like and cosseting than some its grander, flashier competitors. It's a subtle and custom-tailored oasis above the core of this vast city.

Rooms here are spacious. The lowest-category lodgings are among the largest in the city at 538 square-feet. The color scheme, mostly shades of brown, beige and gold, with ruby accents, conveys warmth, as do the densely textured fabrics. The mattresses are made with 300-count Frette sheets in standard rooms, while the number rise to 1,000 in the suites. Marble from Turkey and Mongolia fills the bathrooms where even in standard accommodations there is a rain shower/bathtub combo larger than most dressing rooms. Regular guests know to book a room with Horizon Club access: the up-front cost is higher but more than pays for itself for those who take advantage of the generous array of delectable edibles set out during the day and drinks served in the evenings.

The hotel is home to over 2,000 museum-worthy artworks which are displayed at every turn in the halls and foyers. Paintings, sculptures, and works in glass, ceramics, embroidery, gesso and wood, among other media draw inspiration from “The Song of Pipa” poem, reflecting the horizontal and vertical lines of the delicate strings of this traditional Japanese instrument. Some of the hallmark chandeliers (there are more than 50) showcase carved Lasvit-crystal in the shape of ginkgo leaves, a symbol of Tokyo.

The two restaurants—one Japanese, one Italian—are both designed by Hong Kong wunderkind Andre Fu, who created the super-chic looks of Hong Kong’s Upper House and Singapore’s Fullerton Bay hotels. Reserve in advance for a teppanyaki lunch or dinner at Nadaman, the Japanese restaurant. Course after course created and cooked at the table: seafood pancakes with dashes of yam, beet, garlic and ginger; Hokkaido scallops with anchovy, basil, white wine and garlic sauce; and brandy-seared cuts of Wagyu beef so tender each forkful dissolves in your mouth.

This is a wise choice for anyone coming in from Tokyo’s Narita Airport by express train or planning to hop a bullet train to Kyoto, as well as anyone whose Tokyo itinerary involves regular use of the city’s far-reaching and efficient underground system. Travelers who prefer to avoid heights should stay away from Tokyo’s tower top hotels entirely in favor of the Peninsula or Grand Hyatt.