The Capitol Hotel Tokyu — Hotel in Tokyo

I have very mixed feelings about this hotel. I have stayed at this property for at least 5 times pre and post COVID-19 pandemic. I was also one of the first returning customers to stay at this property when the pandemic restrictions were just getting lifted. ||Very unfortunately, standards have dropped here, although the hotel's physical features and amenities are still very good. ||First, the pricing. Hotel prices in Tokyo in general, have gone sky high, way beyond the usual inflationary factor. But this hotel's prices are now ridiculously high to the extent that I cannot imagine that many people who are able to afford to stay here. Maybe that is the real intent? To sieve out the "rift raft". If so, that's fine I suppose. ||So this review is really in the context of soaring prices. When I compared to the first time I stayed here pre-pandemic, the prices have more than doubled. Yet, the offerings and standards have clearly dropped. ||As always, check in was uneventful, if not rather formal and "cold". The staff at the reception area have never been known to be warm and smiley. They simply do not smile, period! But they will bow in the typical Japanese way. I must say that the door personnel are much nicer and more hospitable. ||The room I booked was alright in terms of size. About 60 square metres. Regular shaped. All the pre-arrival requests were fulfilled properly. So that was good. The bed was firm, which I liked. As were the pillows (also specially pre-ordered). ||The bathroom was good as well, very well maintained. Housekeeping was probably the best thing about the service in the hotel - always reliable, and on most days (except one day), the staff did a very good job at cleaning and keeping the room tidy and neat. ||Breakfast was a rather dull and sad affair. After 2 days, you'll get tired of the offerings. A very limited selection at the buffet area. Very restrictive menu offerings when breakfast is included in your room rate. The food quality is good though, just don't expect a huge variety. Even the fruits and juices were rather limited. ||As I had booked the Club Floor Room, I could use the lounge on the 27th floor. It had the usual offerings of drinks, snacks and desserts in the evenings and there's a cooking station where the chef makes beef fillets or some seafood dish but each person is ONLY entitled to ONE dish per evening! I found this rather odd, but I suppose it's a cost management tactic. ||The worst experience came on my last evening in the hotel. I went to the lounge as usual, Tried to sit myself down at my favorite seat, which was at a corner, but was told by one of the staff that I could not sit there! I did not know that seating at the Club Lounge could be reserved?!?! How absolutely ridiculous! ||So I sat elsewhere and waited to see exactly who was to sit there at my usual table. Well, NOBODY! Instead, some young looking guys with I suppose their father sat at the tables nearby. I left about 15 minutes before the evening canapes / snacks and drinks were stopped and did not see anyone sitting at the table. So if you like experiencing feeling like a second class customer, I'd invite you to try this...

I have very mixed feelings about this hotel. I have stayed at this property for at least 5 times pre and post COVID-19 pandemic. I was also one of the first returning customers to stay at this property when the pandemic restrictions were just getting lifted. ||Very unfortunately, standards have dropped here, although the hotel's physical features and amenities are still very good. ||First, the pricing. Hotel prices in Tokyo in general, have gone sky high, way beyond the usual inflationary factor. But this hotel's prices are now ridiculously high to the extent that I cannot imagine that many people who are able to afford to stay here. Maybe that is the real intent? To sieve out the "rift raft". If so, that's fine I suppose. ||So this review is really in the context of soaring prices. When I compared to the first time I stayed here pre-pandemic, the prices have more than doubled. Yet, the offerings and standards have clearly dropped. ||As always, check in was uneventful, if not rather formal and "cold". The staff at the reception area have never been known to be warm and smiley. They simply do not smile, period! But they will bow in the typical Japanese way. I must say that the door personnel are much nicer and more hospitable. ||The room I booked was alright in terms of size. About 60 square metres. Regular shaped. All the pre-arrival requests were fulfilled properly. So that was good. The bed was firm, which I liked. As were the pillows (also specially pre-ordered). ||The bathroom was good as well, very well maintained. Housekeeping was probably the best thing about the service in the hotel - always reliable, and on most days (except one day), the staff did a very good job at cleaning and keeping the room tidy and neat. ||Breakfast was a rather dull and sad affair. After 2 days, you'll get tired of the offerings. A very limited selection at the buffet area. Very restrictive menu offerings when breakfast is included in your room rate. The food quality is good though, just don't expect a huge variety. Even the fruits and juices were rather limited. ||As I had booked the Club Floor Room, I could use the lounge on the 27th floor. It had the usual offerings of drinks, snacks and desserts in the evenings and there's a cooking station where the chef makes beef fillets or some seafood dish but each person is ONLY entitled to ONE dish per evening! I found this rather odd, but I suppose it's a cost management tactic. ||The worst experience came on my last evening in the hotel. I went to the lounge as usual, Tried to sit myself down at my favorite seat, which was at a corner, but was told by one of the staff that I could not sit there! I did not know that seating at the Club Lounge could be reserved?!?! How absolutely ridiculous! ||So I sat elsewhere and waited to see exactly who was to sit there at my usual table. Well, NOBODY! Instead, some young looking guys with I suppose their father sat at the tables nearby. I left about 15 minutes before the evening canapes / snacks and drinks were stopped and did not see anyone sitting at the table. So if you like experiencing feeling like a second class customer, I'd invite you to try this...

This was our 5th time in Tokyo with my husband and teens (15 and 17 yrs) and we found this hotel almost perfect. We had 2 rooms of the highest tier of their club lounge offerings, the premier club king. We received outstanding service at check-in in the lounge, complete with champagne and delicious snacks offered to us while we waited. Though simple, the hotel and grounds are beautiful, but the service is the standout with the exceptional hospitality which the Japanese culture is known for. The room was spacious by Japanese standards, beds were firm as typical in Asia but comfortable (we ended up asking for a softer mattress pad which made a big difference). The bathroom was nice with double sinks and plenty of counter space, the wonderful products you'd expect and a generous sized spa-type shower with multiple shower heads and a sunken tub. ||We were happy we opted for the club level component as it was exceptional. The breakfast offerings were expansive and the canapes and drink options in the evening were top notch. On the mornings in which the lounge was closed for breakfast, guests were allowed to dine in the restaurant downstairs as part of an extension of the club package. This was not advertised on the website, as it simply states the club lounge is closed weekdays for breakfast. ||The biggest disappointment with this hotel was that the pool and gym facilities were restricted to those over 18 years old. This was not stated anywhere on our booking of the club rooms, which advertise on their website that the pool and gym are complimentary to guests in that tier of room type. This was significant for us, as our teens enjoy continuing their exercise programs when we travel and enjoying the pool facilities after. They have been fortunate to travel to Japan and experience ryokans and onsens around the country since they were very young, which is a huge part of the Japanese culture, so having health facilities in a 5* hotel restricted to adults only seemed very strange. Again, not having this information available in full disclosure on their website was problematic (it can only be found in the pool description, not in the details of inclusions within the club room during the booking). With the abundance of 5* properties in the city, we probably would have chosen a different hotel or one we've stated at before had we had this information (Grand Hyatt Tokyo and Park Hyatt were outstanding). This may not be an issue for other families but it was a big one for ours. Overall, it was still a very nice stay at...