My boyfriend and I recently flew from Austin to Japan for ~$200 round trip in Business Class. And for 3 weeks of lodging (including some fancy hotels), I spent ~$450!
Japan is a beautiful country with LOTS to see and do, from high-rise skyscrapers to old temples to hot springs. I loved Tokyo for its energetic neighborhoods, shopping, and delicious restaurants.
Wherever you go, you’re sure to have an amazing time! In this series, I’ll go into detail about where I stayed in Tokyo, what to do, and some of my favorite restaurants, and show you how you can do it, too!
How to Stay in Tokyo for Free Trip Report Index:
- Part 1 – Introduction and Planning
- Part 2 – Our $200 Business Class Flights to Japan
- Part 3 – Grand Hyatt Tokyo Hotel Review
- Part 4 – What to Do in Tokyo
- Part 5 – Where to Shop in Tokyo
- Part 6 – Why Tokyo is the Culinary Capital of the World
- Part 7 – Day Trip From Tokyo – Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa Review
- Part 8 – Day Trip From Tokyo – What to Do in Hakone
- Part 9 – Day Trip From Tokyo – Where to Eat in Hakone
My Award Stay at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo
There are lots of spots in Tokyo where you can use points to stay for free. Use Hotel Hustle or Award Mapper to find hotels you can book with points.
Because Daraius has Hyatt Globalist Elite status through March 2018 (and he shares it with me!), we both like staying at Hyatt hotels. With elite status perks like free breakfast, I’m going to try to enjoy as many Hyatt hotels as I can before our status expires!
My family and I recently stayed at the Hyatt in Nice, France, which was fantastic! Stay tuned for a trip report on how to use your miles & points to explore the French Riviera.
If you have Hyatt Explorist or Globalist status, you can get free breakfast on certain stays.
To stay for free at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, I used the 2 free night certificates I earned by signing-up for the Chase Hyatt card. And I transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt that I earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It was super easy to do.
One of the best aspects of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo is its great location, only 15 to 30 minutes from the main sites via bus or metro. Well-known Shibuya Crossing is about 10 minutes by bus from the hotel.
That said, there are plenty of hotels where you can stay with points, so it doesn’t have to be Hyatt!
Grand Hyatt Tokyo Review
The regular rate for the Grand Hyatt Tokyo is ~$700 per night. We used 2 free nights from the Chase Hyatt card sign-up bonus for part of our stay and 25,000 Hyatt points per night for the remaining 3 nights.
We stayed 5 nights total, so we “saved” $3,500 (5 nights X ~$700 per night)!
Because of my elite status, we had access to the lounge floor, which included an evening happy hour of light snacks and drinks.
Every part of the hotel was gorgeous!
The rooms were modern and clean. And I loved the curtain and light controls right by the bed.
The room itself was a bit small, but probably large for Tokyo standards.
But the bathroom felt spacious and luxurious! It was beautiful, and had a hidden door for privacy.
The shower area had a built-in bathtub and one of those fancy shower heads.
Say Hello to Mr. Toilet
Toilets are serious business in Japan, and we got to experience one of the best at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.
The lid on this high-end toilet automatically opens and closes when you enter and leave the separate toilet room. And you can make the seat go up with the press of a button.
At night, there was an automatic nightlight that came on when you walked in. And the toilet had several other comforts to clean and pamper yourself with, like “privacy sounds” – you can choose from birds chirping, waterfalls, etc!
Some high-end Japanese toilets retail for over $10,000 in the US. So we were definitely sad to say goodbye to Mr. Toilet in Japan!
You Can Do It, Too!
1. Flights
Our round-trip Business Class flights to Japan cost 95,000 American Airlines miles and ~$110 in taxes and fees.
For an even better flight experience, try to find a seat on Cathay Pacific or Japan Air Lines!
If you need more American Airlines miles, consider cards like:- Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard – 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard – 60,000 American Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account
- Barclaycard American Airlines Aviator Red – 50,000 American Airlines bonus miles after your first purchase and payment of annual fee within the first 90 days of account opening
2. Hotels
If you want to use Hyatt points for a stay in Tokyo, you could also consider the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Nights there go for ~$1,000+, or 30,000 Hyatt points. So you’d save a LOT of cash using your points there!
Both locations are very good, so it just depends on your preference. I really liked the Grand Hyatt. But next time I am in Tokyo, I would love to stay at the Park Hyatt to compare!
Nights at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo usually costs ~$700+ per night! I used my 2 free nights from the Chase Hyatt card sign-up bonus for part of my stay. And I transferred points to Hyatt from my Chase Sapphire Preferred, which is super easy to do.
Note: On June 29, 2017, the sign-up bonus on the Chase Hyatt card is changing to 40,000 Hyatt points after meeting minimum spending requirements.There are plenty of hotels where you can stay with points, so it doesn’t have to be Hyatt! Use Hotel Hustle or Award Mapper to find hotels you can book with points.
Hilton has hotels in Japan including the Hilton Tokyo and Hilton Osaka. Or you could use IHG points to stay at the InterContinental Tokyo Bay or InterContinental Osaka. There are lots of options!
Bottom Line
Tokyo is one of my favorite destinations because of its unique, fun, and energetic culture.I used American Airlines miles for our Business Class flight. And a combination of my 2 free Hyatt nights from the Chase Hyatt card and Chase Ultimate Reward points transferred to Hyatt for our hotel stay.
We had a great time at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. I loved the convenient location and the fresh, modern room. And getting free breakfast because of Daraius’ Hyatt Globalist elite status was a huge perk!