From an urban planning perspective Tokyo’s Marunouchi district is something of a wonder: a massive development push resulted, seemingly overnight, in a brand-new commercial/retail district that’s, if vibrant isn’t precisely the right word, certainly thriving. And while some of the world’s top luxury-hotel chains have moved in — the mix of high-powered business and high-flying luxury shopping is right up their alley — the neighborhood is also home to an independent lodging, the home-grown, one-off Marunouchi Luxury Hotel.

The original Marunouchi opened the better part of a century ago, before today’s Tokyo was much more than a vague futuristic dream. In 2004, however, it was re-imagined, from the ground up, and the result is a hotel whose ambitions may not be quite as lofty as those of the big-name brands, but whose product is scarcely less impressive. Here you won’t find the all-bets-off opulence that’s on offer at a place like the Peninsula, but you will find a look and an atmosphere that’s soothingly luxe.

Rooms overlook the city’s rooftops and Tokyo Station, with the exception of a few interior rooms facing a stylish courtyard garden — the corner suites are best positioned, and the most spacious, for obvious reasons. And in this part of Tokyo even a 200-room hotel like the Marunouchi comes with three restaurants and a cigar-and-cocktail bar.

How to get there: From Narita International airport take the Narita Express or Limousine Bus to Tokyo Station.

Style: Modern Design

Atmosphere: Lively

205 Rooms - Rates starting at ¥ 19,000 (approx. US$ 232)