Hotel: ANA InterContinental Tokyo
When: June 2025
Status: Platinum Ambassador
Rate: JPY¥53,200/night (Visa partner rate)
Booked: 2 Single Premium
Received: 2 Single Kaze Suite Club Lounge Access (used Confirmable Suite Upgrade reward, prior to CSU use the hotel had allocated a standard one-category upgrade to 2 Single Premium High Floor)
First time back at this hotel in many years and being a four-night stay I was very keen to apply a CSU, so much so that I woke up in the middle of the night to call IHG the moment the upgrade window opened! Pre-arrival experience was good with emails from the Club InterContinental team to confirm arrival details and provide some detail on the club offerings. Check-in experience upon arrival at around 2230 from Sydney was great, however as I found across Japan they were quite strict with their welcome drink amenity of one drink even if there are two guests - pretty much everywhere else I've stayed they have provided at least two! An additional Ambassador welcome amenity of some curry-flavoured rice crackers was provided, it was surprisingly good!
The Kaze Suite is one of the larger suites on offer at the hotel and is indeed impressive with more than enough space to spread out and all the features you would expect from a freshly renovated room. Although the regular rooms have Byredo toiletries, in the suites they have Thann products which were very good. Probably the only gripe with the room would be the frosted glass panel between the bathroom and bedroom, which lets in unecessary light. Housekeeping was good and they provided plentiful bottled water; turndown service was also included with a couple of chocolates left by the beds each night. Prior to arrival I had noted a preference for a Tokyo Tower view and that was what they provided, it didn't disappoint!
From what I understand the Club is split across two floors however on our visit only the 35th floor was open, or that was all we had access to (by way of annual lounge pass). The lounge is expansive with various seating options and beautiful views of Tokyo. The lounge is open all day with light snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available outside of usual service hours. Breakfast consisted of a small continental buffet and a menu of à la carte items, the afternoon tea was a tiered tray and the evening service consisted of a small buffet with hot tapas brought to the table. We were impressed with the F&B offering in the lounge although it certainly catered to an international audience with minimal Japanese offerings on the menu. They were happy to provide refills of the hot items but in a city full of good (and often very affordable) food we were happy to stick with just one plate and go explore the city for dinner after!
Although the club breakfast was enjoyable we were also able to have breakfast at the hotel's main all-day restaurant the Cascade Cafe, a huge space with an expansive international buffet. We preferred breakfast here so ended up having breakfast in the restaurant on 3 of the 4 days. There are lots of bars, cafes and restaurants within the hotel, the other places we tried was the MIXX Bar to use the free drink voucher (great views on the 36th floor but otherwise very mediocre) and the Brewer's 2 Go coffee shop in the lobby, where we put our JPY¥2,000 Ambassador F&B credit to very good use by stocking up on snacks and drinks on our day of departure for the Shinkansen ride to Kyoto.
The hotel has a well-equipped gym and a nice outdoor pool area for those looking to relax. The location in Akasaka is convenient with lots to see and eat nearby as well as good connectivity to other parts of Tokyo. Tameike-sannō is the closest subway station with an exit just metres from the hotel. For the Aussies missing home we even spotted a Guzman y Gomez nearby!
Overall a really enjoyable stay made even better by the suite upgrade. Would definitely return.
