Tokyo Calling

Extreme luxury (and cool phones) at the Peninsula

August 27, 2007—Sure, the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku is nice and all, but, post-Lost in Translation, staying there just feels so clichéd. Unfortunately, Tokyo has long lacked luxury alternatives for the discerning actor-pitchman, which is why the new Peninsula is such a welcome addition. The 24-story, 361-room property from the legendary Hong Kong chain offers five-star touches like airport shuttling via customized Rolls-Royce Phantoms—an extra touch of comfort to ease the jet lag. The soothing beige and wood rooms are among the city's biggest and feature in-room espresso machines, coffin tubs (less frightening than they sound), blackout blinds, and even a nail polish dryer in each dressing room (useful for when Scar Jo sleeps over). And while the city traditionally wedges hotels onto the upper floors of a skyscraper packed with salarymen, the Peninsula is its own freestanding building. (It overlooks the Imperial Garden—a Hyatt-besting location just a few minutes' walk from Ginza's orgy of designer retail.) This being Tokyo, the hotel also includes a futuristic touch: a first-of-its-kind telephone system that allows you to make calls throughout the building with a cordless handset, which then switches to mobile mode the minute you step outside. Perfect for those long arguments over carpet swatches with the wife back in the States.

The Peninsula Tokyo, 1-8-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 81-3-6270-2888, tokyo.peninsula.com. Rooms from ¥60,000 (approx $525)