Plenty of room and it comes with a view
By Ou Shuyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-08 09:45
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In a dimly lit private suite, a soft-spoken woman is pounding and thumbing her hands against the bottom of my bare feet.
Lying on my back with my face covered with a towel, I almost fall asleep while the young masseuse works her magic on my worn-out body. After a long busy day of sightseeing around Tokyo, nothing is more desirable than this treatment, a signature massage in Chi spa, at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo.
Next to the bed is a window framing the perfect Tokyo view - an endless expanse of flashing metropolis to the east and Tokyo Bay to the west.
Occupying the top 11 floors of the 37-story Marunouchi Trust Tower, the hotel sits in an urban forest of designer shopping malls, office towers and restaurants, only a stone's throw from Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, the heart of the city.
As the latest addition to Tokyo's high-end hotel scene, Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts opened its first hotel in Japan last year.
"We wanted to make sure that we are not just another modern international hotel," says Wolfgang Krueger, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo.
"When you come into this hotel, you know that you are in a Shangri-La hotel," Krueger says, emphasizing its unique identity as "a real Asian family company".
The hallmarks of the Shangri-La brand are evident in every nook and cranny, from the 50 lavish chandeliers handmade in the Czech Republic to the 2,000 artworks with subtle Asian aesthetics.
Tokyo may be a city infamous for its lack of space, but the 200 tastefully appointed guest rooms at the Shangri-La defy stereotypes, ranging from 50 to 269 square meters - larger than most apartments in the city.
Another key aspect of the Shangri-La experience is the authentic and upscale cuisine offered by its two restaurants.
In Piacere the Tuscan chef celebrates modern Italian cuisine in all its glory, from its foie gras and apple, to poached monkfish with Sicilian bread stuffing. For those who want to have a taste of Japan, Nadaman serves a range of traditional Japanese cuisine in a suitably Zen setting.
Shangri-La Tokyo is your chance to try Japanese hospitality at its best as the ever-present staff are friendly, smiling, thoughtful and helpful.