Claska Hotel

It is virtually impossible to get a room at Claska — of its thirty-six rooms, only nine are fully serviced, traditional hotel rooms (the other twenty-seven are for monthly boarders), and those nine rooms are much in demand amongst novelty-seeking Tokyo travelers. So it’s not out of lust for your money that we bring this fantastic place to your attention; it is simply for the love of a well-made hotel.

And a well-made hotel it is—possibly the finest small hotel we have come across, and certainly the coolest. The Japanese culture has a way of seizing upon and then perfecting trends born elsewhere, so it is not surprising that the first boutique hotel in Tokyo is possibly the definitive entry in the genre. The interior design is beyond cutting-edge, from the entryway by English firm Tomato to the rooms and lobby lounge by a motley crew of hip Japanese designers. Vestiges of the original New Meguro Hotel (sort of a Sixties jet-set business hotel) remain, adding an authenticity that elevates the interiors beyond mere set design. If you are a design groupie, the sort of person who knows and cares who Tomato are, or just the sort of person who appreciates the delightful absurdity of an upscale pet salon called Dogman (servicing Meguro’s fluffiest little pups since 2003), then this is the place for you.

Services are minimal, in classic boutique style, just as the nightlife is appropriately maximal—in fact the feel is more that of a club with rooms attached. Some hotels that attempt this feat fall a bit flat, coming closer to adult disco Disneyland than the intended effect of a cool kids’ sleepover club. Not so here—Claska’s Lobby bar is pitch-perfect, the kind of place the locals go out of their way to visit, a surprisingly vast space with sleek modern furnishings and high ceilings, where DJs spin and drinkers drink until 4am.

We mean “out of the way” quite literally—Meguro is hardly convenient for travelers, or even for Tokyo residents, and is nowhere near the city center. If you’re looking for that Lost in Translation experience, try the Park Hyatt in Shibuya or the Grand Hyatt at Roppongi Hills. Claska is a long taxi ride from these districts, and even the train station is not quite within easy walking distance.

But that’s the trade-off. This is a wonderful hotel, possibly our favorite city hotel in all the world, and the starting rates are low, ¥10,500 (around $90 US) for room 505, the most basic single room—though if you wish, you can pay Park Hyatt prices for the most impressive rooms, 401 and 402. So it’s only natural that the hotel should be booked solid for months in advance. If you manage to get a reservation, and you survive the trek to Meguro with your patience intact, we can assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Kyodo News [In English]