The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

It’s not often you’ll find yourself checking in in a lobby lofted 45-floors over the cityscape. But the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, is no ordinary bolthole. It has a truly jaw-dropping 360-degree view (yes, that’s Mt. Fuji resplendent in the distance), plus rooms as cosseting as any you’ll ever find (book the Modern Japanese Suite for an only-in-Tokyo look, complete with a futon, tatami mats and a shoji door). As with all Ritz-Carlton’s, service is exemplary—guests are pampered with 24-hour room service, twice-daily housekeeping and, that rapidly disappearing act, evening turndown service. Bliss.

A 245-room-hideaway in Tokyo’s tallest building.

Overwhelming. Doting staff and comfortable interiors bring the experience down to earth.

You’re traveling with kids, and the Ritz-Kids program is one of the best on earth. (Where else will they be able to bed down in an in-room safari tent complete with an LED-lit Home Planetarium for constellation-gazing?)

Stepping into the spa on the 46th floor was like entering another world—a place where the frenetic pace of city life simply doesn’t exist. In its place: total paradise. After your organic green tea salt exfoliation, you feel as renewed as a butterfly leaving the chrysalis.

- Azure 45 - contemporary French fare - Towers - modern bistro - Hinokizaka - contemporary Japanese cuisine - The Lobby Lounge - afternoon tea - The Bar - innovative cocktails and incomparable views