Hyatt Centric Ginza
There are hotels that offer absolute silence. A retreat, if you like, perched atop a hill.
Then there are hotels that are so central that it becomes somewhat unaffected by climate.
This was one of them. I say this because I could wear two layers and feel comfortable. And I did. The only reason this was humanely sane and possible was because the hotel is situated on Namiki-dori Avenue in Tokyo’s 6-chôme. The location of the hotel is so central that it can brag to be neighbours with the Chanel building and Roger Dubuis. The hotel occupies a 12-story building on the former site of the first Tokyo office of Asahi Shimbun Company, a national newspaper publisher established in 1888. Interior designer Yohei Akao has uniquely decorated the first Hyatt Centric hotel in Asia with warm wood walls and modern artwork. The lobby is equipped with classic arcade game machines, such as PAC-MAN and Space Invaders, and seamlessly connects with the hotel restaurant via a staircase.
Guests can literally take the lift to Louis Vuitton. You literally live above it. I may have also walked into the adjacent Suzuran-dori Street (the street that occupies Dover Street Market Ginza), thinking that it was the street for the hotel.
Damn Apple maps. But again, it is literally around the corner.
Enough about shopping. Let’s talk food. Hyatt Centric Ginza has one restaurant - NAMIKI667. It is an all purpose restaurant and bar that is stretched on the 3rd floor. But don’t be fooled by the simplistic décor. The tasting menu uses Tokyo local ingredients and is specifically designed to celebrate the hotel’s recent 2nd anniversary. Guests can choose between the four-course NAMIKI, five-course TOKYO and 6-course GINZA menus according to their appetite. The Ginza menu includes the restaurant’s best dishes, such as the Marinated Botan shrimp, Steamed Hokkaido surf clam, Roasted Hokkaido Stingray and Roasted Beef. For ¥2,000 (equivalent to $141HKD or £14), you can upgrade the Ginza menu to Roasted Akigawa Wagyu beef. This was the highlight of the menu - the beef is presented in a black pot where it rests on top of the Japanese hay after it has been lightly smoked. It is then plated and served with a mix of colourful Tokyo vegetables.
The Hyatt Centric brand is accustomed to welcome millennials who are naturally attracted to its upscale and central location. Its properties often have less than 200 rooms (with exceptions in US properties) and the Tokyo branch has 164 guestrooms. The King room I stayed in had dynamic yellow walls, with floor to ceiling windows, and stretches over 35 sqm - huge for one person in Japan standards. Each room also has Yukata (cotton Japanese garment) provided and guests are also greeted with strawberries.
Breakfast is also served buffet style at NAMIKI667. From Western classics to a selection of salad, there was also a quality range of Japanese dishes. Millennials would also delight in the smashed avocado, egg white omelette and Warabi Mochi, especially after gruelling session at the hotel’s 24-hour fitness centre.
Find more information about the hotel here. With multiple Hyatt Centric openings in the coming year in China and Japan, I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the upcoming opening of Hyatt Centric Kanazawa in June 2020.
283 Likes, 3 Comments - Jocelyn Yih 葉永晞 (@jocelynyih) on Instagram: "2020: 24/1 おはようございます, Tokyo!🇯🇵 the lighting outside @hyattcentricginza is perfect (but don't be..."
