An iconic western-style hotel with 125 years of heritage
Established in 1890 at the direction of the imperial palace after two and a half centuries of Japan’s self-imposed isolation, the Imperial Hotel Tokyo has always been highly acclaimed for its luxurious accommodations and attentive services. Below are top ten trivia of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, which gives a hint as to the hotel’s highly acclaimed status.
1.A Place among the Stars
The Imperial has accommodated many famous people in history, from heads of state to royalty to film stars to business tycoons. Some names include Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth II, Charlie Chaplin, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew.
In fact, Marilyn Monroe gave a well-known press conference at the hotel in 1954, in which when asked what she wore in bed, answered, “Chanel No. 5."
2.Japan’s First Buffet
Japan’s first grand buffet restaurant, the Imperial Viking Restaurant, opened in the Imperial in 1958.
3.A Legendary Stay
In 1923, Frank Lloyd Wright, a renowned American architect, designed a low rise building for the Imperial. Today, he is recognized for his visionary talent, thus inspiring a grand suite the Frank Lloyd Wright Suite, named after him. The interiors of this suite were reproduced based on the designs and drawings for Wright’s Imperial.
4.Senior Guest Attendant for VVIPs
VVIP guests to the Imperial are sure to have a comfortable stay under Yukiko Koike’s supervision. With 56 years of experience of attending to VVIP guests, the special attendant infuses the Imperial experience with a spirit of Japanese hospitality.
5.Premium Laundering Service
The Imperial’s laundering service also fixes guests’ buttons that comes loose. The catch is, the hotel has approximately 3,000 buttons in its inventory! Buttons that most closely resemble the original on clothes are used.
6.Shoe Cleaning Services
Guests departing from the Imperial can request to have special shoe cleaning services.
7.Experiential Shopping
At the Imperial, guests will never be bored as there are forty nine shops in the Basement floor and fourteen shops in the Shopping Zone! In the Shopping Zone, guests can get fitted into a kimono or yukata, learn origami, guess the weight of gemstones, or even get a makeover!
8.Breakfast by Chef from Michelin-starred Restaurant
Chef Theirry Voisin is the mastermind behind the Imperial’s elegant breakfast service—the “Le Style Thierry"—in the Les Saisons French dining room. Breakfast is available from 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. at ¥9,900 per person for both guests and visitors.
9.Snoopy Lovers Heaven
The Grand Chef Snoopy accommodation package was created especially for Snoopy lovers. Everything from the room décor to the food to the gifts is Snoopy-themed.
10.Toko-An Teahouse
Escape from the pressures of daily life at Toko-An teahouse, which hosts a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in tranquil sukiya-style architecture.
