The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Nagoya (Review)

A 10 minutes’ subway 🚇 or taxi ride from the JR station, the new The Royal Park Hotel 🏨 Iconic Nagoya luxury hotel benefits from its ideal central location to visit the capital of Aichi prefecture. Inaugurated in February 2024, it occupies the upper floors of the recently renovated Chunichi Building that encompasses:

• A shopping mall with restaurants at the ground floor and the first levels;
• The hotel’s main restaurant as well as an outdoor observation deck, open to everyone, at the 7th floor;
• The hotel reception and the rooms that occupy the 24th to the 32th floor.

The hotel thus provides stunning panoramic views on Nagoya city from all its levels. Each room, notwithstanding its category, is fitted with large windows.

Chubu area’s craftsmanship in the spotlight

A timeless space designed to unpack and relax, the hotel provides a beautiful setting, both simple and sophisticated, that highlights the area’s workmanship and its historical and cultural heritage. Thus, each detail of the interior decoration, and the selection of objects and furniture was thought through following 2 core ideas:

• Danshari (断捨離) or the Japanese art of minimalist storage: the place is laid out so that the view is never spoiled by superficiality, allowing the spirit relax or escape freely; and,
• The regional preference to the Chubu area and its nine prefectures, with materials sourced in Aichi, Gifu, Toyama and Shizuoka.

Tea ceremony is one of the cultural and regional heritages that is the most highlighted at the The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Nagoya, with, for example:

• Ryurei Teahouse, a tea room in the reception hall, that can be privatized. The bar counter is covered with a tatami cover, so guests can attend a traditional ceremony while sitting on a chair, avoiding the difficulty of maintaining the seiza position, that is strenuous for both knees and legs;
• Standard rooms are all equipped with an original chabako or tea box-like round piece of furniture. Placed in the center of the room, it hides a table, a sink, a mirror, storage and a fridge all in the same unit;
• The tea sets in the rooms are made by a local craft production.

Rooms with a panoramic view on the city

The hotel’s rooms come in 2 main categories: Standard and Premium. The other room types take into account the number of beds (for 1 to 3 guests), the room superficies (from 28,5m²) or the decoration theme and the options for the view. The Premium rooms are all found at the uppermost floor, with a minimum 55m² superficies, and there is also a choice of luxury suites including a “"Maisonnette Suite," which is a duplex apartment on the hotel’s rooftop. The hotel also has a sauna and a gym.

We could have a glimpse on a few rooms:

• Standard floor rooms have a private bathroom with a bath tub and a walk-in shower. Their originality lies in the round central furniture unit that hides the sink, and many other functions in its various compartments. To further enhance the impression of visual sobriety, the TV set, the closets and the tea set are also hidden behind sliding walls or wide curtains.
• Corner rooms are very popular with honey moon couples for their atmosphere of aerial romantic cocoon allowed by the wide picture windows and their unobstructed views, especially those overlooking Nagoya Castle’s grounds.
• The Premium floor rooms really feel like they are towering above the city, as the other neighboring buildings are not as high as the hotel’s 32th floor. The decoration remains simple and timeless, with the TV placed behind a washi paper removable screen, and curtains that can be remotely controlled from the bed headboard. Quality toiletries included phytotherapy-based skincare products.
• The luxury suites stand out thanks to their wide superficies and the selection of noble and natural materials such as solid wood, semi-precious stones sourced in Mie prefecture and brushed metal incorporated to bespoke design furniture, both modern and authentic.

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Nagoya is consistently trying to include local craftsmanship to each room, regardless of their category. Therefore, decoration and furnishing make great use of shibori traditional dyeing from Arimatsu city in Aichi, and of washi paper from Mino in Gifu. Guests can browse a beautiful explanation brochure to learn about the origins and the use of each handcrafted item available at the hotel.

3 restaurants of world cuisine

The hotel’s customers have a choice between 3 restaurants:

• THE 7th TERRACE is the main restaurant opened all day long. In the morning, breakfast is served in a buffet with a large range of dishes for savory amateurs and sweet tooth people alike, including the local specialty of eel-seasoned rice (unagi-meshi). Lunch and dinner are characterized by a cuisine of Italian inspiration.
• Chugoku Hanten SHUNJU is the hotel’s signature restaurant, serving Shanghai style Chinese food, and especially a very popular roasted duck.
• Sushi Ginza Onodera specializes in edomae-zushi, the sushi typical of the old capital Edo, prepared with ingredients from the Chubu area.

At the 24th floor, BAR SOU completes the offer operating as a tea room on the daytime and a wine bar in the evening.

The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Nagoya is a pleasant and refined interlude, and while it is far from the touristic crowd it remains close to the Golden Route between Tokyo and Kyoto. The hotel’s English-speaking staff is welcoming and friendly, and provide good tips to enjoy the city and explore the central district of Sakae.