Art hotels embrace local or international artists in the design of their rooms and communal areas. There was a time in the ’90s and even the naughties when a uniformly consistent hotel room was what luxury travelers wanted. Nowadays, many travelers want the guarantee of a certain level of luxury but without losing the personality and character of the place they are visiting.
As a result, design hotels and art hotels have sprung up. Certain hotels even offer art-inspired rooms that pay homage to a theme, brand, or the local area.
In this article, I pick out 5 of my favorite art-inspired hotels in Japan that offer something completely different and rather special. Try one of these if you’re looking for a luxury stay with a twist.
1. Park Hotel Tokyo
Park Hotel Tokyo is a unique hotel in the city of Tokyo. It offers one floor entirely devoted to art rooms and in fact, features in our best art hotels around the world article. This unique hotel is surprisingly good value and will undoubtedly make your next trip to Tokyo very memorable.
The hotel is located in the Shiodome Media Tower in the business district of Tokyo. It is surrounded by skyscrapers and is just a short distance from all the attractions. The hotel is also a very short walk to the Tsukiji Market and has excellent access to Subway lines being just 35 minutes to the Tokyo Dome and even less to Ginza and Akihabara.
Arrival is in the lobby on the 25th floor, a huge, ten-story glass-topped atrium rising towards the top of the tower. The hotel feels modern and design-conscious, with loads of artwork scattered around.
This large hotel has 270 guest rooms. The majority are simple in design with white walls and nice bathrooms with THANN products. Because of the height of the building, the rooms offer amazing views over surrounding gardens and even the ‘Eiffel Tower’, also known as the iconic Tokyo Tower, along with a great unobstructed view of Mt. Fuji from the rooms.
Japanese artists have designed their interiors. As a result, each room has been transformed into a unique wonderland (see photos above). If you choose to stay here, we advise booking one of the art-inspired rooms.
One of their most memorable rooms is Artist Room Otafuku Face, which has a trippy vibe. It celebrates beautiful plum blossoms with a local woman with very brightly colored cheeks. Love it or hate it, you will never find another room like this one.
The art-inspired rooms at Park Hotel Tokyo are unique and perhaps slightly bonkers. But the unique and wild designs perfectly capture this frenetic city’s craziness. They bring the outside in. A night at the Park Hotel Tokyo is surely on the “must-do” Tokyo bucket list.
2. Trunk Hotel
Looming over a quiet street in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood, Trunk Hotel is housed inside two adjacent four-story buildings.
The hotel structures take on dark geometric forms, as designed by Mount Fuji Architects. While a clean-lined glass and wood chapel perches on the rooftop, the hotel’s gray stone façade—complete with tiered balconies and tumbling greenery—hides an interior with four banquet halls and a lounge with a wall made from upcycled woods from old Japanese houses.
The building adheres to the old-meets-new concept and creates a texturally rich aesthetic.
Upon passing a Zelkova tree at the entrance, guests emerge into a world of Japanese-made furniture by brands such as Truck and Tokyo Cork Project—the latter using old wine corks to make the statement stools in the lounge.
The hotel features changing exhibitions as well as permanent artworks. Pieces by such standouts as Ido Yoshimoto, Maru Michinori, Chopped Liver Press, David Horvitz, and Nigel Peake dot the spaces throughout the hotel.
3. Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
The Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills is an arty lifestyle boutique in Japan, with seemingly never-ending views over the urban landscape of Toyko.
This stylish hotel brings a “smart-casual vibe with exquisite finishings, enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, and lots of character. The rooms at this Andaz are unique, sumptuous, and very Japanese; local influence is everywhere. Cool off in the AO spa occupying nearly 15,000 square feet on the 37th floor and overlooking the Imperial Palace. Don’t miss the swimming pool as it feels like you are swimming in the sky!
Mealtimes are a joy here, too. The Andaz Tavern is the main venue for breakfast, with soaring ceilings, immense views, and wonderful sculptures. There’s a relaxed Tavern Lounge bar and also the rather stunning rooftop bar with an outdoor terrace, which is ideal for sitting and knocking back sake (or cocktails if you prefer!) looking down upon the glittering city below. The clever thing about this hotel is although it is luxury through and through, it’s crucially relaxed. Wear what you like, smart or casual, as long as you’re comfortable. That’s all that matters here.
4. Aman Tokyo
A lovely mix of the serene and the urban is served at Aman Tokyo. Located in Otemachi in the top 6 floors of a sleek high-rise, the hotel is within easy reach of Tokyo Station and the thriving Nihonbashi district.
Sakan, or Japanese plaster, is an ancient craft art that modern building methods are rapidly leaving behind. Few master plasterers remain in Japan, but Syuhei Hasado has combined this age-old practice with contemporary techniques to reinvent the tradition for the modern day. Graceful, precise, and inspired by nature, his hand-made stucco art can be found throughout the corridors of Aman Tokyo.
The elegant Aman rooms are decorated in stone, wood, and paper screens with floor-to-ceiling windows presenting sweeping city views. Book a suite to gain a living room and wine cellars. There’s a fine-dining restaurant and a swanky bar.
The café here is a particular delight offering a peaceful oasis with green views through a 3,600-square-metre, manmade forest is tucked at the base of Aman Tokyo. Flooded with natural light through its floor-to-ceiling windows, the café provides both indoor and outdoor seating and is open for lunch and dinner. There’s also a spa which includes an indoor pool, a fitness center, a sauna, a hot tub, and massage services.
5. Claska
This hip boutique hotel is located in the heart of the city’s design district in an affluent residential neighborhood. It’s an 11-minute walk from Gakugei-daigaku train station, 6 km from The National Art Center, Tokyo, and 7 km from Tokyo Tower.
At Hotel Claska in Tokyo, art and Japanese culture are omnipresent on every floor, with an art gallery and a photo studio. The décor is minimalist, sleek, and very modern Japanese. Think clean lines and a cool palette. Request a room with a private terrace and a tatami floor. The elegant restaurant serves Italian, French, and Japanese cuisine. A rooftop terrace with city views and a hip lounge in the lobby serves an excellent traditional Japanese breakfast.
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