Travellers' Checks | Why you should book ahead for Tokyo 2020 accommodation: Cary Grant film remembers room shortage of 1964 Games
Some of the hotels that were opened in the Japanese capital when the country last hosted the Olympics are still taking reservations today and might be worth checking into during next year’s event – if there is any availability
The shortage of hotel rooms during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was so infamous that it was used as the main plot device for Cary Grant’s final film – a mediocre comedy called Walk, Don’t Run (1966). In the opening scene, Sir William Rutland (Grant) arrives at the Hotel Okura two days earlier than expected, and although he is a frequent visitor and VIP guest, not a single spare room can be found.
A comically overplayed flurry of apologetic bows between front-of-house staff, managers and Sir William himself ensues. Rather than waste time trying the new Tokyo Hilton (the city’s first international hotel), the Tokyo Prince or the New Otani (the Japanese capital’s first skyscraper) – all built in anticipation of the Olympics – he heads to the British embassy for advice. He ends up sharing a flat with the girlfriend of an embassy employee and a similarly displaced American Olympic athlete.
The InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu will open in French city in June
