Tokyo's Imperial Hotel to be rebuilt

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It's ugly on the outside. Hopefully the architects this time will make an effort to make them look nice.

The hotel was established in 1890 as a state gate house. Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Helen Keller have been among its famous guests. 

Marilyn Monroe also visited Royal Host.

That is an ugly, almost Stalinist, building.

I hope they do better this time around.

That is an ugly, almost Stalinist, building.

I hope they do better this time around.

Correct, if you've seen the original in Meiji Mura. Don't have much hope the 3rd iteration will be anything but another concrete and glass box.

Might be time to take the straight edge ruler of the designers, stand back and watch as their heads explode. Not a cutting edge design let's try something different mentality. Client...I want a box with holes in it. Da da a box.

Hope we will still have GoTo Travel then.

a Japanese friend told me that this is not about the Imperial, but rather that it's being 're-developed' as part of a huge complex encompassing an area around Hibiya Park.... like Miyashita Park in Shibuya I suppose, but on a a far vaster scale. with the latter, which was an elevated park used by homeless, and young people skateboarding and so forth, it was then usurped by Nike to 'offer' play space, and, of course, now there's no park, just more of the same new same new. Harajuku's going (gone) the same way, all character and signs of individual life erased, and replaced with corporate Brand Palaces. I suppose the Hibiya development will be another Roppongi Hills....

interesting that Mitsui Fudōsan and the like foresee a massive boom in the 'luxury' trade. meanwhile, the welfare, financial and otherwise, of average Japanese, sinks lower and lower.....

The hotel was established in 1890 as a state guest house. 

....established by the elite, to impress visiting foreign dignitaries, I've read..... sort of like getting out your best china for the visitors....

Yeah, ugly on the outside but it’s pretty sweet on the inside.

This must be the first Imperial Hotel article I've ever seen that does not mention Frank Lloyd Wright. It's a Kyodo article, so maybe this illustrates a gap in reverence between Japanese and non-Japanese writers. Note that the FLW version was already completely surrounded by skyscrapers by the time it was knocked down.

Marilyn Monroe also visited Royal Host.

On several days and had their onion soup, according to legend. Charlie Chapln, also in the story, famously liked prawn tempura and ate thirty six of them, earning the nickname "tempura man". You can see him munching away here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEh4T-hpWjU

Their next destination may be Vietnam.

I hope so!

I like this hotel.

It is like Gaijinjland said, pretty nice inside.

Has nothing to do with Imperial. It’s 30 % majority shareholder Mitsui Fudosan wants to tap in the redevelopment honeypot. It will look much more ugly than it does now when they are finished with it.

The Chinese hopefully do not return. That country will economically implode if the US continues this policy which I hope they will.

Chinese behaved and still the few that come now, continue to behave badly and arrogantly as if Japan is already part of China. But not yet!

I hope that rebuild includes bringing the 1960's foundations up to the current earthquake regulations.

I have seen a lot of buildings in Japan get a "Rebuild" but in fact is just stripping it down to a skeleton and wrapping it up again in modern materials but in fact the building is still on the very old earthquake standards.

They'd attract a lot more customers by partnering with a Western chain and doing a refurb than rebuilding. Visitors book Marriott, Hilton (Conrad), IHG, Hyatt, etc. because of perceived quality of rooms, service and international loyalty (point) programs... Plus business travelers expensive accounts and corporate contracts don't hurt.

Don't know why some of the Japanese luxury hotels still don't get it and remain fiercely independent. Mori's Andaz does so well because it's part of Hyatt, not because of location or building particularly.

What the Imperial has going for it most of all is its name value. Something like close to half its revenues come from parties, banquets and package-deal weddings. Thanks to its long history, Teikoku Hoteru is a name that everyone in Japan knows, and still carries a lot of prestige.

Its funny how in Japan even the buildings described as luxurious and historic almost always turn out to be just giant grey boxes that are depressing to look at like every other building in the country.

So hotel made again for only reasons to spend big yen from Japanese central bank because large companies forecast a boom in luxury industries ?

They are not even able to forecast any future for their Japanese citizens, no environmental nor social responsibilities.

And any new celebrities going since the last 40 years ?

I feel money is stolen from the people. But I am not Japanese.

I fear one day a collapse in the monetary system, starting in Japan.

@J Prin: Always did and still serve a Great Burger in the Bar at The Imperial. Might have spent some of my Abe money there. Not sure.

It's an absolute shame that Frank Lloyd Wright's building was demolished in 1968. It was one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole country, without a doubt. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust has put together a nice video recreating what it looked like. Nobody designs buildings like this anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ9phSrQcgo

With all that crazy money during the bubbles, Japan can't even get its best luxurious hotels right.

Rebuild? Are they going to implode the hotel then rebuild it?