Starwood's new luxury Tokyo hotel has royal connection
Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho a successor to the venerable Akasaka Prince Hotel, once a palace for the last crown prince of Korea, writes Adam Nebbs
Built in Tokyo in 1930 as the residence of the last crown prince of Korea and his Japanese princess bride, the Kitashirakawa Palace (above) was turned into the Akasaka Prince Hotel in 1955, after the couple fell on hard times and sold up in the aftermath of the second world war. The 30-room hotel expanded in 1982 with the addition of a 40-storey tower, and was renamed the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka in 2007. Demolition began in March 2011, the same month as the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck eastern Japan, and refugees from the disaster zone were temporarily housed in the hotel as it was dismantled from the top down. The adjacent old palace was fortunately preserved and restored and, as the Akasaka Prince Classic House, will sit beside the new Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, which will occupy floors 30 to 36 of the new Tokyo Garden Terrace development from July. The old hotel was closed and torn down at least in part because of competition from international luxury hotel brands, and its 250-room replacement will be managed not by Prince Hotels but by Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Luxury Collection brand.
Deal of the week Charlotte Travel's two-night package to Sanya, on Hainan Island, starts from only HK$1,450 per person (twin share) for travellers on a tight budget, but you'll no doubt get what you pay for at the Phoenix Waterside Gloria Resort. Better-value propositions include the Pullman Oceanview Sanya Bay Resort & Spa (from HK$1,790) and Shangri-La's Sanya Resort & Spa (from HK$2,090). Top of the leaderboard in terms of price are the Mandarin Oriental, where Ocean View Rooms (above) are priced from HK$3,550, the Conrad Sanya Haitang Bay (from HK$3,850) and the Banyan Tree, with Pool Villas there starting from HK$4,490. These prices, which will be available until the end of March, with some high season surcharges around Easter, include daily breakfast. Flights are with the newly branded Cathay Dragon, which was surely the name of at least one pirate ship during the opium wars, one would imagine. For full details and reservations, go to www.charlottetravel.com.hk.