It’s been a bucket list of mine to stay at this famous hotel. Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation is a 2003 classic film where Bill Murray and young Scarlett Johansson shared a fated connection here that sparked a romantic curiosity in the beauty (and loneliness) of discovering your own identity while traveling. After its 19-month renovation, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to live in the 23 y.o. movie to see if it stood the test of time.
I feel seen… does this mean I’m having a mid-life crisis too
Booking
Just like Japan Airlines First Class, the stars aligned for the timing of this booking. Right before Hyatt nuked its loyalty program, we booked our stays here at 40,000 points/night. Now the same room can cost up to 75,000 points/night.
Thankfully, the dynamic roll-out has been more gentle than expected and you can still book this hotel at a reasonable price for points. Cash rates tends to over at 150,000 yen/night. With the strong USD conversion, that currently sits right under $1000/night.
1 King Bed, Deluxe
Upon check-in, we got proactively upgraded to the Deluxe room that Guest of Honor Globalist members typically get. It’s a bigger room that features a separate sofa-bed, which is much appreciated since this means Chloe can have her own bed to roll around at night. They also matched our check-out time to our flight, a nice touch.
While getting escorted, I noticed how intentionally conservative the hotel was in its renovation. From the subtle increase in mood lighting as we get to the 41st floor to the near identical carpeting to the leather room key to the cabinetries, everything updated was in the little details.
It’s hard to capture in pictures but everything felt like it stood still in time and just got elevated & transported to 2026.
Rooftop
The rooftop features a gorgeous gym that puts Equinox to shame. While you workout, it feels like you have a private studio to yourself in the sky that overlooks the entire city.
There’s also the famous pool that Scarlett Johansson jumped in that looks pretty much the same as I remembered in the movie. Fun fact, only adults are allowed from the early/late hours of 6am-8am & 6pm-10pm
Breakfast
Breakfasts are served at the sky lobby on the 41st floor everyday from 7am-10:30am. The quality reminds me of the Park Hyatt Kyoto where it feels more like a restaurant than a buffet. Even the buffet items are individually plated.
Transportation
The location of the hotel sits in a more secluded part of Shinjuku. To make it more convenient, the hotel provides shuttle transportation daily to Shinjuku station every 30 minutes. What we like to do personally is to make a reservation in the morning to get priority and we simply taxi back to the hotel at the end of the day.
Shinjuku has a lot of Taito claw machine games that Chloe loves. This year it’s her first time winning a stuffed animal prize all by herself!
New York Bar
Of course visiting the famous New York bar where a lot of scenes were filmed in Lost in Translation was a must. The vibe definitely lived up to its name. You felt like you were in jazzy old world New York. At 2700 yen/cocktail, the drinks felt American priced too 😅
Overall, we enjoyed our time at Park Hyatt Tokyo. It’s an iconic hotel that conservatively focuses in making sure it feels like we’re still in the early 2000s. Like a vintage Porsche, you have to understand the history of the brand to appreciate the little details and nuance of its restoration. The old-fashioned ride may not be for everyone but for those “if you know you know”, it’s an understated classic that lives up to its time.
Chai Bear World 