Hotel Review: Conrad Tokyo (King Executive Suite Bay View) - Luxury Hotel with view of Hamarikyu Gardens and Tokyo Bay
When I visited the Conrad Tokyo back in 2016, I was completely won over by not only the design of the hotel but the quality of food as well. My lunch at the property's award-winning Japanese restaurant, Kazahana, remains to be one of the most memorable dining experiences that I have had in Tokyo. As such, when I revisited Tokyo back in February 2018, I decided to spend a couple of nights here and since I have stayed in an Executive Room with Bay View previously, I opted for the Executive Suite Bay View this time instead.
Entrance to Living Room
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
Having just spent the previous night at KAI Nikko (which was amazing and you should check out my experience here), I was happy to be back in the city. I arrived at the Conrad Tokyo fairly late (I believe it was close to 7:00PM) and was given a warm welcome back to the property - it is always a nice gesture for the property to welcome you back rather than treat you like a first time guest. The Conrad Centennial Singapore has this problem - the people in the front office always treat me like a first-time guest even though I have probably stayed there over ten times. Since I got in my suite pretty late, I decided to take all the photos the next morning instead (in case you were wondering why the photos look fairly bright even though it was the evening).
Walk-in Wardrobe
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The King Executive Suite Bay View (the order of words sound pretty awkward but that is how the property names it) at the Conrad Tokyo offers 72sqm of space which includes a separate living room as well as Executive Lounge access. Since I was still a Hilton Honors Diamond member during my stay, having Executive Lounge access did not matter but I really wanted to secure a suite instead of leaving it to a matter of chance (which I actually have very little of). In comparison to the lead-in rooms, the lead-in Suites here at the Conrad Tokyo are approximately 50% bigger and the Tokyo Bay-facing suites offer panoramic views that overlook the famous Royal Hamarikyu Gardens.
Living Room and Bedroom
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The living room of the King Executive Suite Bay View is beautiful and there is ample space for you to lounge around or get work done. Similar to the regular rooms here on property, the work desk is located right next to the window so you get to enjoy plenty of natural daylight. Complimentary WiFi is also provided for Hilton Honors members who book direct - Diamond members will get to enjoy a premium (faster) connection for free as well.
Living Room
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The living room of the King Executive Suite Bay View comes with a plush sofa that seats two adults very comfortably as well as a single chair that seats another - you may share this room with up to 2 other adults but a third-person fee applies. The sofa does not fold out into a sofa bed in case you were wondering so if you do want a roll-away bed, you would have to arrange for it with the hotel.
Welcome Amenity
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
As part of my welcome amenities, I received a packet of traditional Japanese hard candy which were beautiful as well as some mochis which I did not end up trying. I also got a card (printed not written) that welcomed me back to the property which I thought was a nice gesture.
Nespresso Coffee Machine
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
Coffee-lovers will be able to find a Nespresso coffee machine in the living room of the King Executive Suite Bay View. If you have read my review of the Executive Room here in Conrad Tokyo, you would remember that there is no coffee machine in the room (only a selection of premium coffee powder and teabags).
Complimentary Nespresso Coffee Capsules
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
Complimentary Nespresso coffee capsules are provided in the suite and they are replenished during evening turndown as well as in the morning if you call for housekeeping to make-up your room. There is also a selection of premium teabags here (none of that TWG ones though) as well as proper liquid creamer. The minibar here at Conrad Tokyo is fully-stocked and you will be able to find most of what you would want here (at a premium) - there is also a good selection of Japanese whisky here in miniature bottles but if you have access to the Executive Lounge, you will be able to taste some in there during the evening as well.
Living Room
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The King Executive Suite Bay View comes with one bathroom and no guest powder room. However, with that being said, it is possible for your guest to access the bathroom via the walk-in wardrobe instead of having to walk through your bedroom (which I personally like to keep private). There are two sliding doors that can be closed to partition the living room off from the bedroom so it really feels more like a one-bedroom suite.
Bedroom
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The bedroom of the King Executive Suite Bay View looks a lot like the Executive Room Bay View that I stayed in approximately a year ago. However, instead of that beautiful daybed, you are left with only a lounger which makes it really difficult if you are sharing this room with a friend or partner. There is also a small reading lamp located behind the lounger so you can do some reading while enjoying the magnificent view from the comfort on your own room.
Bedroom
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
As you would expect with most international chain hotels, guests staying here at the Conrad Tokyo have the option of having either a King-size bed or twin beds. I really love how the natural daylight streams in during the morning and how comfortable the beds actually are.
Bedside Controls
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
All of the lights in the room can be switched off from the comfort of your bed via the beside control panel. In fact, you will be able to draw and open the day sheers and night curtains via the same panel as well. With that being said, I do not recall any USB Charging ports that you can utilise but the alarm clock located on one side of the bed has an external USB port that you can use to charge your device. As far as I know, the Conrad Tokyo first opened in mid-2005 and the lack of USB charging ports and universal power outlets is apparent in hotels that opened in 2000-2009.
Conrad Tokyo Bear
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The Conrad bears here at Conrad Tokyo are the most precious when it comes to collection and they are probably the best-looking in my opinion. On my last trip, the hotel was nice enough to leave two on the bed (since they have forgotten when I checked-in) but I only found one this time evening though the room was booked for two adults.
Bathroom
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The bathroom here in the King Executive Suite Bay View is fairly unimpressive - sure it is a nice bathroom but I very much prefer the one that I had in the Executive Room where the bath tub isn't tucked away in some dark corner. Placing the bathtub in the 'wet area' of the bathroom (since it is right next to the standing shower) might make a lot of sense but not being able to enjoy the view or natural daylight makes a significant difference.
Bathroom and Bedroom
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The bathroom here in the suite comes with double vanity sinks (which can be found in the lead-in rooms as well) and a beautiful mirror.
Rubber Duck with Crown
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
Since I have actually forgotten to take a photo of the famous rubber duck here at the Conrad Tokyo on my last visit, I have made a point to take a photo this time. This is one of the more unique rubber ducks that you can collect in Conrad hotels around the world - most of them are simply the typical yellow ones that you would expect to find. The freestanding tub is also quite deep so it allows you to enjoy a nice soak without feeling like you are too big for the tub.
Bath Amenities
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
Even though all Conrad hotels should have removed the bath amenities from Aromatherapy Associates in 2018, I still found them in my suite even though I am fairly certain that by now they would have replaced everything with the Shanghai Tang ones by default. I actually quite enjoyed the ones from Aromatherapy Associates so I will definitely be missing those. One of the things that I appreciate when staying in proper hotels in Tokyo is the facial products (including Hair Treatment) that you can request for in miniature bottles - you may request for them using the Concierge feature in your Hilton Honors app.
Bathroom Floor Heating
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
Another feature that I really liked in the bathroom of the King Executive Suite Bay View is the ability to turn on floor heating (which I do not believe was available in the Executive Room that I have stayed in previously). While the rooms are well-insulated and temperature is regulated without a hitch here, stepping on a warm bathroom floor beats a cold one regardless of where you are in the world.
Evening Cocktails and Canapés
Executive Lounge - Conrad Tokyo
After settling in to my suite, I decided to head up to Level 37 for evening cocktails and canapes at the Executive Lounge. This Executive Lounge at the Conrad Tokyo was previously extended and remodeled in early 2017 so I was interested to see how it would look like now. Since there are more tables available, the lounge did not feel as packed as before and as I have observed previously, the variety of food here is definitely lesser if you are used to elaborate evening canapes at other Conrad hotels in Southeast Asia. However, what is interesting here is that some of the food provided here are from actual restaurants in the hotel (which explains the quality of the offerings).
View from the Suite
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
I went to bed shortly after getting a number of drinks and some light dinner at the Executive Lounge (since I have travelled back from Nikko to Tokyo earlier that afternoon) and woke up to the most amazing view of the Tokyo Bay the next morning.
Seating Area
Cerise - Conrad Tokyo
Guests staying at the Conrad Tokyo with Executive Lounge access will have the choice of having the full buffet breakfast experience in Cerise or enjoy a smaller selection at the more exclusive lounge upstairs. Since I got down to Cerise fairly early, I was given a table that had a city view and I found out later that this area used to be reserved for Diamond Hilton Honors members only (not sure if that is still the case?).
Eggs Benedict - Breakfast
Cerise - Conrad Tokyo
When I visited the property back in 2016, only Hilton Honors Diamond members were able to order from the a la carte menu but it seems like this have changed. In fact, the Eggs Benedict that I have remembered to be excellent was just ordinary this time - they no longer caramelise the top anymore!
Huevos Rancheros - Breakfast
Cerise - Conrad Tokyo
On the other hand, the Huevos Rancheros looked like it did not age a bit - if you remember how it looked like previously, you would notice that it looks pretty much the same! Thankfully, the food at Cerise was still decent and ranks highly amongst all the Conrad hotels that I have been to. I actually did not finish my Eggs Benedict and wanted to order something else but I was told that I would be charged for the next item since hotel guests are only entitled to one dish each (once again, I am not sure if non-Diamond members are allowed to order from the a la carte menu but I do believe so).
Hotel Lobby
Conrad Tokyo
I look a slow walk back to my suite after breakfast at Cerise to take in the beauty of this property. There is also a gift shop located on the lobby level (where the check-ins take place) in case you wish to pick up a special gift (Conrad bears are also sold here if you are after a different design or you simply wish to have one more).
Plant
King Executive Suite Bay View - Conrad Tokyo
The Conrad Tokyo remains to be one of the best luxury hotels that I have stayed in in Tokyo. The challenge that is apparent in a lot of luxury properties from international hotel chains in Tokyo is the is provision of service - it needs to inculcate the value (e.g. authentic Japanese hospitality) without losing the brand's identity and on this stay, I felt that the Conrad Tokyo has its scale tipped towards the Western side of things. Perhaps it could be due to the fact that I have spent the last two nights in a top-end ryokan - HOSHINOYA Tokyo and KAI Nikko - or perhaps I just haven't noticed it before but this is definitely apparent during my stay here. The employment of non-Japanese staff in the property could dilute a true Japanese hospitality experience but I guess the global shortage of manpower forces the business to go where it needs to go.
Conrad Tokyo
105-7337, Tokyo, 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Japan
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The prime location of the Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo is a major highlight, offering easy access to three Tokyo Metro lines. While the hotel has a solid F&B experience, the high room rates make this an expensive choice on longer stays.