Seven minutes on foot along the Imperial Palace moat from Palaceside Building, "Palace Hotel Tokyo" grand-opens on May 17. Three years and three months after closing in February 2009, the venerable hotel is reborn as a new downtown landmark.
The new hotel is 23 floors above ground, 4 below, total floor area 62,000 sq. m (about 18,700 tsubo). All 290 guest rooms exceed 45 sq. m—a luxurious standard. The hotel promotes the brand concept "A beautiful day in a beautiful country."
The previous hotel opened in 1961. Besides foreign tourists, adjacency to Marunouchi and Otemachi business districts made it a venue for top corporate meetings. Economic novels featuring banks and manufacturers often seem modeled on Palace Hotel restaurants and rooms.
What stage will "Palace Hotel Tokyo" become against the green backdrop of the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace?