Park Hotel Tokyo Review: Is This Art Hotel Worth Staying At?

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Park Hotel Tokyo describes itself as an art museum you can stay in, which sounded right up my street.

Rather than putting a few paintings in the lobby and calling itself an art hotel, Park Hotel Tokyo has gone considerably further. There is art everywhere, the corridors on each floor double as galleries and more than 50 of the rooms have been individually transformed by artists.

We spent five nights in one of them during our first trip to Japan.

And yes, I would stay here again.

The location turned out to be incredibly convenient for exploring Tokyo, I loved having something slightly different to come back to every evening and our Artist Room was one of those hotel rooms I’ll actually remember long after checking out.

There were a few things I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about, particularly the vegetarian food options, but overall, Park Hotel Tokyo ended up being a brilliant choice for our first time in the city.

So, if you’re considering booking it, here’s my full Park Hotel Tokyo review, including our Artist Room, breakfast, dinner, the hotel’s art experiences and whether I think it’s actually worth the money.

Park Hotel Tokyo location

Park Hotel Tokyo is in Shiodome, just south of Ginza.

Shiodome probably isn’t the first neighbourhood that springs to mind when you’re trying to decide where to stay in Tokyo. Before planning this trip, it certainly wasn’t mine.

But having stayed there, I’d choose it again.

You’re close enough to Ginza to walk there, Tsukiji isn’t far away and the location is particularly convenient for Tokyo Bay. More importantly, you’ve got excellent transport connections for getting pretty much everywhere else.

It worked particularly well with our 5 days in Tokyo itinerary, where I grouped attractions geographically rather than spending half the day travelling backwards and forwards across an enormous city.

Getting to Park Hotel Tokyo

Park Hotel Tokyo occupies the upper floors of the Shiodome Media Tower, with the lobby on the 25th floor.

The hotel is connected to Shiodome Station and Shimbashi Station is also nearby, giving you access to several train and metro lines. 

We later discovered you can walk through the basement of Shiodome Media Tower very easily to access Shiodome Station, which was incredibly convenient.

Shimbashi Station is around a 10-minute walk away from the hotel, which is fine depending on which metro line you need to take. The route we took through Shimbashi Station wasn’t step-free either, which was slightly less convenient when we’d just landed at Haneda and were dragging our luggage up endless flights of stairs.

We survived though.

Having two large stations so close was one of the things I appreciated most about staying here.

Tokyo’s transport system is fantastic once you get used to it, but the city is enormous. Saving yourself an unnecessary train change every morning becomes considerably more exciting after you’ve spent several days walking 20,000-plus steps.

Is Shiodome a good area to stay in Tokyo?

For me, yes.

In fact, if you’re a first-time visitor, I think Shiodome is one of the best areas you could choose.

It’s central and well connected without feeling as relentlessly busy as somewhere like Shibuya.

I know Shibuya is constantly recommended to first-time visitors and we actually stayed there later in our trip at Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu.

I much preferred Shiodome.

Shibuya was great fun to explore, but returning to somewhere slightly calmer at the end of a long day of sightseeing was far more appealing to me.

I’ve gone into the differences between the neighbourhoods, including the areas I’d personally consider booking in my guide on where to stay in Tokyo.

Checking in at Park Hotel Tokyo

Park Hotel Tokyo makes a pretty impressive first impression.

Take the lift up to the 25th floor and you emerge into a huge, 10-storey atrium, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

Tokyo Tower can be seen through the windows and there are armchairs positioned in front of them, so you can sit with a coffee and stare out over Tokyo without having to pay for another observation deck.

Not a bad place to check in.

There are complimentary hot drinks and water available from machines in the lobby, alongside wine, beer and sake you can pay for separately.

I became particularly attached to the coffee machine during our stay. More on that when we get to breakfast.

This is also where you first realise that Park Hotel isn’t using the word art particularly loosely.

Artwork fills the lobby and the exhibitions change throughout the year. The galleries then continue upstairs, with the corridors on each floor displaying different collections and some pieces even available to buy.

The lift tells you which exhibition is currently being displayed on each floor.

So yes, you can go back to your room.

Or you can get distracted looking at art on the way there.

Staying in an Artist Room at Park Hotel Tokyo

The main reason Park Hotel Tokyo stood out to me was its Artist Rooms.

I’m clearly not the only one who thinks the art is what makes this hotel special. Forbes named Park Hotel Tokyo the best hotel in Tokyo for art lovers, and having stayed here, I can see why.

There are more than 50 of them, each individually created by an artist who has essentially been given an entire hotel room as their canvas.

We spent five nights in the king En Artist Room.

And it certainly wasn’t a hotel room I was going to confuse with every other beige room I’ve ever slept in.

What is an Artist Room?

Rather than simply hanging an artist’s work on the walls, Park Hotel Tokyo invited artists to create directly inside individual rooms.

That means every Artist Room is different.

Some are bold and colourful, others much more subtle and the artwork can extend across the walls, ceiling and furnishings.

You can choose the specific Artist Room you want when booking, so I’d definitely spend some time looking through them rather than just picking whichever one appears first.

Inside our En Artist Room

Our room was created in 2017 by textile artist Mariko Kobayashi around the Japanese concept of en.

En can refer to fate, connection or the invisible bonds that bring people, places and experiences together.

She represented those connections using red strings running across the walls, linking drawings of animals and nature throughout the room.

The idea is that we encounter these invisible connections throughout our lives, sometimes without deliberately seeking them out, and they can lead us towards people, places and experiences we might never otherwise have found.

Which is considerably more thought-provoking than the mass-produced abstract print usually hanging above a hotel bed.

I also liked that the artwork wasn’t something we looked at once when we checked in and then forgot about. Because it surrounds you, you keep noticing different details during your stay.

After five nights, it felt like our room rather than simply room number whatever on whichever floor.

And that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give it.

If I stayed at Park Hotel Tokyo again, I would absolutely book another Artist Room.

Not the same one, though.

Half the fun would be choosing a completely different room next time.

The art at Park Hotel Tokyo

You don’t have to book an Artist Room to experience the art.

There are hundreds of pieces throughout the hotel, with exhibitions across the different floors and artwork incorporated into the public spaces.

I liked this far more than I expected.

Plenty of hotels have art.

Park Hotel Tokyo actually gives you a reason to look at it.

The complimentary art tour

One of the complimentary experiences offered to hotel guests is an art tour, which I’d recommend making time for during your stay.

Rather than simply wandering the corridors and deciding whether you like something, you get more context about the art displayed around the hotel and some of the stories behind it.

If you’re staying in an Artist Room, it also makes the whole concept feel more intentional.

The art isn’t there because someone decided the corridor needed decorating.

It’s essentially part hotel, part constantly changing gallery.

Exploring the hotel without the tour

You don’t need to join a tour to see the exhibitions.

Different floors have different collections, so you can explore them in your own time during your stay. The current exhibitions are displayed in the lifts, making it easy to see what’s where.

I’d still do the tour if your schedule lines up with one. But even if it doesn’t, make a point of wandering around rather than travelling directly between your room and the lobby every day.

Otherwise you’re missing quite a large part of what makes staying here different.

Table-Style Tea Ceremony experience

Park Hotel Tokyo also offers a complimentary table-style tea ceremony for hotel guests on selected Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The experience takes place surrounded by the hotel’s contemporary art and introduces you to the process of preparing and drinking matcha, alongside traditional Japanese sweets.

It’s a modern, table-based version of a Japanese tea ceremony rather than the more formal experience you might be picturing, which makes it very accessible if you’ve never done one before.

You’ll learn about some of the history and etiquette behind the tea ceremony, the utensils being used and the very deliberate movements involved in preparing a single cup of matcha.

The hotel also offers private tea ceremonies at an additional cost, although these need to be booked well in advance. We hadn’t planned far enough ahead for that to be an option for us.

As an avid tea lover, Jass really enjoyed the experience. I, on the other hand, don’t like tea or matcha, so I used the opportunity to catch up on some work instead. 

I wouldn’t specifically choose Park Hotel Tokyo for the tea ceremony, but as a complimentary experience for guests, it’s a nice addition if you’re interested in learning more about Japanese tea culture.

Breakfast at Park Hotel Tokyo

Breakfast is served in ART Colours Dining, just off the main lobby.

The dining room has large windows overlooking Hamarikyu Gardens and Tokyo Bay, so you’ve got a pretty impressive view while eating.

The room itself is pretty small though.

When we arrived, we were given a buzzer and asked to wait for a table because breakfast can fill up during peak times.

Fortunately, we were called almost immediately.

On most mornings, this didn’t matter.

On the morning we were heading to Hakone, when we had a specific Romancecar to catch from Shinjuku, the sight of that buzzer was considerably less welcome.

We only waited a couple of minutes again, but it’s worth knowing if you’ve got an early train, tour or activity booked.

What is breakfast like at Park Hotel Tokyo?

Breakfast consists of a buffet alongside a main dish ordered from a menu.

The buffet has a mixture of hot and cold American and Japanese dishes, with juices, hot drinks, breads, pastries and other breakfast options.

Once you’re seated, you’re also given a menu to choose your main.

Most of the options are egg-based, including scrambled, fried and boiled eggs, omelettes and eggs Benedict, all served with vegetables.

There is also a vegan option which I ordered on our first morning.

Big mistake.

The vegan breakfast consisted of a green salad, fruit salad, gluten-free roll and soy milk.

It was basically a plate of nothingness.

So I switched to eggs after that.

I did find it slightly strange that eggs were only available to order rather than being part of the buffet. I’m fussy when it comes to eggs and would much rather be able to see what I’m getting before committing, or try more than one type.

This became particularly apparent when I discovered just how undercooked eggs can be served in Japan.

I cannot get on board with a runny, sloppy omelette.

Hard-boiled it was from then on.

On the plus side, I was very pleased to find oat milk at the buffet.

I also discovered that the coffee from the machine in the lobby was considerably better than the breakfast coffee. After noticing other guests arriving at breakfast already clutching lobby coffees, I realised they clearly knew something I didn’t.

So I followed suit.

Is Park Hotel Tokyo breakfast good for vegetarians?

It’s fine.

As someone who doesn’t eat meat or fish, I always found enough to eat, but I would have liked more variety.

I’m someone who prefers a continental-style breakfast, so I was happy enough putting together breakfast from the buffet and ordering eggs.

But if you don’t eat meat or fish and want a substantial hot breakfast every morning, I think the options become more limited.

I also would have liked to see a wider selection of Japanese breakfast dishes.

Overall, I wouldn’t say breakfast was a highlight of the hotel for me.

It was convenient, the views were lovely and there was enough for me to eat.

But I’d be lying if I told you I spent the night excited about going back for breakfast.

Dinner at Hanasanshou, Park Hotel Tokyo

Park Hotel Tokyo has two restaurants alongside its cocktail bar, The Society.

For our first night in Japan, we had dinner at Hanasanshou, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant.

Hanasanshou specialises in kaiseki, a traditional multi-course style of Japanese dining where presentation is taken almost as seriously as the food itself.

The restaurant itself certainly feels special.

It’s quiet and intimate, with dim lighting, city views and incredibly attentive service.

This was our first proper dinner in Japan, so it felt like quite the introduction.

For Jass, anyway.

What we ate at Hanasanshou

Jass had the chef’s recommended kaiseki menu, which consisted of multiple beautifully presented courses.

There was sashimi including sea bream, barracuda and bluefin tuna, wagyu beef sukiyaki and a procession of other dishes arriving throughout the evening.

For me?

Marginally less exciting.

The menu changes seasonally, but when we visited, I was told the vegetarian options were edamame, vegetable tempura, miso soup and rice from the à la carte menu.

Fine.

I mean, it was decent enough.

It just wasn’t quite the luxury Japanese dining experience I’d imagined for our first evening in Tokyo.

Don’t get me wrong, the edamame in Japan is nothing like the pre-shelled stuff I normally buy from the freezer aisle in Tesco.

It came in the pod and was incredibly juicy, crisp and flavoursome.

I could have eaten numerous bowls of it.

But I also felt like I could probably eat numerous bowls of excellent edamame elsewhere in Japan without paying luxury hotel restaurant prices.

I also ordered a plate of Japanese pickles after spotting them on the menu.

Everything except the sour plums was delicious. But then again, I am slightly pickle obsessed.

Jass, meanwhile, loved practically everything put in front of him.

This surprised me.

As someone who isn’t overly keen on sushi, he usually opts for the non-adventurous options like prawn tempura or chicken teriyaki. Not particularly traditional, I’m sure.

Yet there he was.

Eating the real deal.

Raw fish.

And enjoying it.

Every dish was beautifully presented and the service was excellent. Our waitress explained each course as it arrived, including how it was supposed to be eaten.

At one point, she explained that the raw egg yolk accompanying Jass’s sukiyaki wasn’t supposed to be poured into the hot stone bowl in the hope that it might cook.

Instead, you beat it with your chopsticks and use it as a dipping sauce.

He did.

He’s braver than I am.

How much does dinner at Hanasanshou cost?

When we visited, the chef’s recommended kaiseki menu was ¥16,000 per person, with other set menus ranging from approximately ¥11,000 to ¥18,000 for five or six courses.

If you’re planning to eat here, I’d check the current menu and prices before your stay as these can change.

For something less formal, ART Colours Dining is open throughout the day and serves a broader menu, including Western dishes such as pizza.

Is dinner at Park Hotel Tokyo worth it?

If you’re a vegetarian?

For me, honestly no.

I enjoyed the experience, the service was excellent and the food I had was well prepared and beautifully presented.

But edamame, vegetable tempura and plain rice weren’t enough to justify the price or make it feel like the special kaiseki dinner I’d hoped for.

If you eat meat and fish, it’s a completely different story.

Watching Jass work his way through the chef’s menu made that painfully obvious.

If we stayed again, I’d skip dinner at the hotel.

Jass probably wouldn’t.

What I liked about Park Hotel Tokyo

There is a lot I liked about this hotel, but these were the things that made the biggest difference to our stay.

The location

This was probably the most practical reason I’d return.

Having Shiodome and Shimbashi stations nearby made exploring Tokyo incredibly easy and I liked coming back to somewhere calmer at the end of the day.

Tokyo is a huge city and as we quickly discovered, location is an important factor when choosing where to stay.

The Artist Rooms

This is what makes Park Hotel Tokyo genuinely different.

If I’m travelling somewhere like Tokyo, I’d much rather stay somewhere with a bit of personality than in a room that could be in London, New York or anywhere else in the world.

Five nights surrounded by red strings and drawings representing fate and human connection certainly qualifies.

The art throughout the hotel

I liked that the Artist Rooms weren’t a gimmick bolted onto an otherwise conventional hotel.

The galleries, exhibitions and art tour make the concept run through the entire property.

The views

The lobby alone has fantastic views across Tokyo, including Tokyo Tower.

Being able to sit down with a complimentary coffee and stare out at the skyline became one of those small things I really enjoyed during our stay.

The complimentary experiences

The art tour and table-style tea ceremony gave us a reason to actually spend time in the hotel.

When you’re in Tokyo, it’s very easy to leave first thing in the morning and return when you’re ready to collapse into bed.

I liked having a couple of slow morning experiences that made the hotel itself part of the trip.

The service

We asked the hotel to store one of our suitcases while we travelled to Sapporo and they were more than happy to oblige, which saved us dragging all our luggage halfway across Japan unnecessarily.

That was pretty representative of the service throughout our stay: warm, efficient and effortlessly polished.

What I didn’t like about Park Hotel Tokyo

The main disappointment for me was the food.

Not because it was bad.

It wasn’t.

But as a vegetarian, I don’t think I got quite the same experience from either breakfast or Hanasanshou as someone who eats meat and fish would.

Breakfast had enough options, but not loads of variety.

Dinner was far more limiting.

Breakfast wasn’t included in our stay, so we only paid for it on mornings when we had an early start. At ¥5,000 per person, it isn’t cheap and I think you notice the cost more when you’re physically paying for it each morning.

I’d happily stay at Park Hotel Tokyo again, but next time I’d probably spend more of my food budget eating elsewhere in Tokyo.

The breakfast room can also get busy, which is worth keeping in mind if you have something booked early in the morning.

Neither of these would stop me returning.

But they’re things I’d want to know before booking.

Who should stay at Park Hotel Tokyo?

I think Park Hotel Tokyo works particularly well for first-time visitors to Tokyo.

The location is excellent, transport connections are easy and Shiodome gives you somewhere slightly calmer to return to without pushing you out to the edge of the city.

I’d particularly recommend Park Hotel Tokyo if you’re:

Interested in art. This one’s fairly obvious. The Artist Rooms and changing exhibitions make the hotel genuinely interesting to explore rather than simply somewhere to sleep.

Visiting Tokyo as a couple. The views, Artist Rooms and slightly quieter location made it a good fit for us and I’d happily choose it again for another couples trip.

Looking for something different. If you don’t want to stay in another anonymous international hotel, the Artist Rooms give Park Hotel Tokyo a personality of its own.

Looking for a good city view. Between the rooms, lobby and restaurants, you’re high enough above Tokyo to get some pretty spectacular city views.

I wouldn’t make it my first choice if your main priority is nightlife immediately outside the hotel.

If that’s what you want, Shibuya or Shinjuku will probably suit you better.

But after spending two nights in Shibuya?

I’ll take Shiodome.

Is Park Hotel Tokyo worth it?

For me, yes.

I would absolutely stay at Park Hotel Tokyo again.

The location was one of the best decisions we made when planning our first Tokyo trip, particularly because we were trying to explore so many different parts of the city.

It also fitted perfectly into our wider 10 day Japan itinerary, where Tokyo was our main base before travelling north to Sapporo.

But location alone isn’t enough to make me remember a hotel.

The Artist Room is.

So is wandering around the corridors looking at exhibitions.

So is sitting 25 floors above Tokyo with a coffee.

And apparently so is watching Jass dip his dinner into raw egg while I sit safely on the other side of the table eating rice and pickles.

There are cheaper places to sleep in Tokyo.

There are also hotels in neighbourhoods with considerably more happening immediately outside.

But Park Hotel Tokyo gave me the combination I’d want again: somewhere well connected enough to make exploring Tokyo easy, but interesting enough to feel like part of the trip itself.

And next time?

I’m choosing a different Artist Room.

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Read more about planning a trip to Japan:

• 10 Days in Japan in July for First-Time Visitors
• 5 Days in Tokyo: A First-Timer’s Tokyo Itinerary
• Where to Stay in Tokyo for the Best First Time Experience
• Park Hotel Tokyo Review: Is This Art Hotel Worth Staying At?