With both this year’s Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics fast approaching, Tokyo’s hotel portfolio is rapidly expanding to prepare for the increased influx of visitors. So, we explore four new openings worth checking out in the Japanese capital…

MUJI Hotel Ginza

MUJI’s first hotel in Japan, following the launch of properties in Beijing and Shenzen, bills itself as “anti-gorgeous, anti-cheap” – in other words it aims to provide guests with a cosy and homely space at a reasonable price. What’s more, which should appeal to event planners on a budget, the property offers the same rate throughout the year, regardless of season and day.

The hotel opened its doors in April alongside flagship store MUJI Ginza in Tokyo’s cosmopolitan Ginza district, with the store taking up the lower floors and the hotel on floors six to ten. The interior design concentrates on natural materials such as wood, stone and soil, throughout the 79 rooms, reception and restaurant WA, which serves up specialities from across Japan. ATELIER MUJI GINZA, located on the sixth floor, consists of five spaces: two galleries for exhibitions featuring craftwork and design; a salon, where people can talk over coffee or drinks; a library, featuring books related to design and arts as well as rare old books from the past; and a lounge for events and workshops.

Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo

Also located in Ginza, on the fashionable Namiki-dori street, the Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo (right and above), opened its doors early this year, marking the Hyatt Centric brand’s debut in the Asia-Pacific region. The 164-room lifestyle 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.

The featured art in the lobby, elevator, hallways and other public spaces as well as the guest rooms aims to echo the spirit of the streets outside. Namiki667, the hotel’s signature restaurant, serves up cocotte recipes and other oven-based slow-cook specialties by Hokkaido native Shingo Hayasaka, showcasing his delicate presentation of complex flavours. A private dining room is available for intimate gatherings and seats up to 24. The bar is connected to the fourth-floor reception area with a dramatic wrap-around staircase. In a playful nod to the Ginza 6-chome address, six original cocktails will feature Japan’s own Roku craft gin, distilled with six Japanese botanicals including cherry blossoms, green tea, and fragrant yuzu citron.

Pullman Tokyo Tamachi

AccorHotels opened its first upscale Pullman brand property in Tokyo last October at Tamachi Station in one of the city’s up-and-coming business districts. The 143-room hotel is surrounded by beautiful canals and provides easy access to Tokyo Tower, Haneda Airport, and Ginza. The hotel features three banquet and meeting rooms for up to 100, all located on the ninth floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer picturesque views of Tokyo.

The lobby Junction, which features a colourful Japanese kabuki-inspired aesthetic that is reflected throughout the hotel, is designed to be lively and interactive, offering barista coffees, cakes, pastries in the morning, and cool cocktails in the evening. Guests can enjoy freshly prepared Mediterranean styled dishes with an Asian twist at Kasa, while Japanese style tapas can be shared alongside cocktails at Platform 9 rooftop bar, which boasts sweeping views of the Tokyo skyline.

The Okura Tokyo

The Okura Tokyo is set to open its doors this September, replacing the highly reputed but aging Hotel Okura Tokyo, which debuted in 1962. A total of 508 luxury rooms will be available in two buildings on the spacious central-Tokyo Okura property, about half of which will be covered with lush gardens and greenery. The smaller of the two buildings, the 17-storey Okura Heritage Wing, which will have its own reception, will be a top-end luxury hotel with a tasteful, classically Japanese atmosphere featuring the renowned Yamazato Japanese restaurant and Chosho-an tea ceremony room, both making their return.

The larger Okura Prestige Tower will be a 41-story structure, offering fine dining options and banquet facilities, including one of the largest hotel ballrooms in Tokyo making it an ideal choice for events and conferences. The Okura Museum of Art will also make its second coming on the property, featuring some 2,500 works of art, among which are three National Treasures, 13 Important Cultural Properties and 44 Important Art Objects designated by the Japanese government.