CNBC Business | Hotel Reviews

The Peninsula, Tokyo, and The James, Chicago

The Peninsula, Tokyo

Location The Peninsula, next to Hibiya Park, is a five-minute cab-ride to the Marunouchi district and a few hundreds metres from the shops of the Ginza district. Best of all, you don’t even have to go outside to get the subway; a discreet staircase leads into Hibiya Station, which is great for all routes, including Tokyo Station, a stop for airport train, the Narita Express. 

Ambience Designed by Kazukiyo Sato, to resemble a traditional lantern, this hotel evokes another Japanese art: origami — magnificent public rooms are folded out of sight, leaving just the low-key lobby that doubles as a breakfast and tea room.The visibility and through traffic makes a lone diner feel a little like he is at a plush airport, although there is also a subterranean deli. Hushed conversation is supplied by Japanese ladies and the expense-account set. 

Guestrooms The 314 guestrooms, including 47 suites, are among the largest in Tokyo and claim to be world’s most advanced. Apart from the up-to-date, discreetly housed entertainment you’d expect, there are nail-dryers for female guests, weather display, internet radio (preprogrammed according to guests’ nationality) and mood-lighting. Rooms are well thought-out (eg the TV mutes when the phone rings); bathrooms are marble and luxurious. There are also separate dressing areas with a laundry or mail shoot. 

Service In a city where service is a competitive sport, The Peninsula is full of potential medal-winners. Staff throughout ooze warmth and efficiency. Even a 5am dispatch on the airport bus feels like a presidential send-off. 

Can I work here? After this place, your office will be a big distraction. Desks, lighting, and electrical and internet paraphenalia are well designed. Laundry service is perfect. Politeness is the first language here but the staff also speak most others. Rooms are too high to be blighted by outside noise. 

Can I live here? Out of the many restaurants to choose from, the buzziest is the skyscraping Peter, which diners reach via an illuminated tunnel while triggering a virtual cascade of falling leaves or rising bubbles. Afternoon tea, served in the lobby, is a cheaper, if no less theatrical, option for meetings. 

Worth Noting The yen makes it punishingly expensive to visit Japan, but if you’re on business, there are some of the best offers around for years. 

+81 3 6270 2888; www.peninsula.com

The James, Chicago

Location The James is centrally located, steps from the Magnificent Mile and Millennium Park. Also within walking distance are Navy Pier, The John Hancock Center, Museum of Contemporary Art and the Chicago Picasso, an unpainted, cubist sculpture standing 15m tall and weighing 162 tonnes. 

Ambience The James opened two years ago to rave reviews. It is sleek, contemporary and a bit arty without being poncy. It’s an environment that looks good without being overdone and one in which you can do business. Think Ian Schrager but sturdier and less fru fru. 

Guestrooms They are high-tech (flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, iPod docking station), uncluttered and with a few signature hand-crafted pieces of furniture, like a rubberised day-bed. All rooms have a private dining niche, while the lofts and apartments have living areas with fully stocked cocktail bars. Guestrooms start at around €180; suites are priced up to €1,500. 

Service Exceptionally fast check-in and out. Umbrellas were produced without asking and even the engineering department wore a 3am smile when I couldn’t work out how to turn the heat down in the bedroom. Breakfast service was a bit haphazard, but the Mexican waiter hadn’t quite grasped English. Ah, where would American service be without Mexicans? 

Can I work here? There’s free Wi-Fi, and complimentary use of a private office with all the mod cons, which can accommodate up to six people.

Can I live here? Certainly in one of the two penthouses — 130m2 loft-like living spaces with spectacular views of the skyline and lake. Dining is limited to a single restaurant, David Burke’s Primehouse steak restaurant, where the aged beef is excellent. There’s also a small lobby cocktail bar, where The Sunday Times referred to the “hipster crowd” two years ago; though, on the night we downed a few Kettle tonics, it was more travelling salesmen than hot locals. Eye candy aside, the mixologist certainly knew his liquors. 

Worth Noting The gym, by the founder of Equinox Fitness, offers personal training, group training for business meetings and even a boot camp for brides-to-be. The James may not save the planet with its organic fairtrade coffee, bottled tap water and in-room recycling, but every little helps. 

+ 1 312.337.1000; www.jameshotels.com