Italian sophistication meets Japanese refinement at Bulgari’s newly opened hotel in Tokyo, overlooking some of the city’s famed attractions.
Bulgari Hotels & Resorts has opened the doors to its much-anticipated hotel in Tokyo, occupying the 40th–45th floors of the ultraluxury skyscraper Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, overlooking the Imperial Palace Gardens. The hotel is within walking distance of the Nihombashi and Marunouchi financial districts, and the popular shopping district of Ginza.
In addition to 98 rooms and suites, including the 416m2 Bulgari Suite, said to be among the largest in the city, the hotel features an eight-seat omakase restaurant by renowned chef Kenji Gyoten overlooking a private Japanese rock garden; a contemporary Italian restaurant by acclaimed chef Niko Romito; and a lounge designed for gathering and relaxing. A bar on the 45th floor features two outdoor terraces with sweeping views of the city and, weather permitting, Mount Fuji.
The Bulgari Spa is a 1000m2 oasis, with nine treatment rooms offering therapies by Augustinus Bader, a 25-metre indoor pool with city views visible through adjacent floor-to-ceiling windows, and a fitness centre offering Workshop Gymnasium signature training methods.
Design notes
Bulgari’s Italian heritage has been infused in the design, with Milan-based architectural studio Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV) — also behind the interiors of the brand’s seven other international properties — leading the concept for the Tokyo hotel. ACPV’s approach reflects Bulgari’s sophisticated, modern aesthetic, heritage of jewellery, and Roman roots. Japanese influences are also woven throughout.
Ninety-eight rooms and suites feature furnishings by Maxalto, Flexform, and B&B Italia, while framed images of vintage Bulgari advertising from the brand’s archive adorn the walls, which are covered in silk and elm timber boiserie.
Japanese touches include bedspreads by Hosoo, an ancient kimono textiles producer in Kyoto; and dark-stained oak furniture, custom-made by artisanal furniture factory, Ritzwell, based in Fukuoka. Bathrooms have been made using black granite and separated by a sliding door with vertical fins — a nod to a typical feature of Japanese houses.
Other design highlights include the eight-point star, a symbol of the brand, which has been inlayed in the brick granite flooring. At the Bulgari bar, a custom-made glass mosaic by Italian brand, Bisazza, represents a ‘Garden of Wonders’, creating the illusion of being surrounded by trees and birds.
Bulgari’s ‘Mount Fuji’ brooch in gold and mother of pearl, created in 1972, has been used as a recurring symbol of the hotel. In line with its other properties, the brand has linked its Tokyo hotel to a rare gemstone: a pink diamond, representing the beauty and harmony of Japanese culture, and the famed Sakura cherry blossom season.