A hotel built on three strong pillars: Art and design, music, technology, Aloft Tokyo Ginza is one of the most exciting and youthful hotel brands to pop up in one of the city’s most sophisticated and high-end neighborhoods. While its buzzy rock and roll style might seem a contrast to the glamor of Ginza, it’s a match made in heaven, where art and culture collide.

The concept

Opening at the tail end of 2020, Aloft Tokyo Ginza is a colourful, buzzy hotel that combines the art-heavy elegance of Ginza with the playfulness of the Marriott International's Aloft brand. It's a place where the young and young at heart come to relax, enjoy a drink on the rooftop and spend an evening flicking through vinyl records in the brightly patterned suites. Aloft is a global brand for music enthusiasts and tech-savvy travellers, the ambitious, the fun-loving, and forward-thinking crowd and the Ginza outpost is no different. By combining the work of local artists and featuring Japanese records in the rooms, this hotel both showcases the international charms of the brand while paying tribute to the cultural excellence of Japan.

The history

Aloft Hotels as a brand concept was born in 2005 by Amal Abdullah as a new addition to the Marriott International family, a company that already boasted some of the world's best brands, including Sheraton, Westin, and W Hotel.

The Marriott was looking to target a more contemporary style of traveller, thus Aloft was born in collaboration with Starwood Hotels, who worked with Rockwell Group and its founder David Rockwell to come up with the design blueprint for the brand which continues to ring true to this day. The Ginza outpost is the first of its kind in Japan.

The rooms

The hotel has 205 guest rooms, which include four suites, the piece a la resistance being Aloft, Suite, 1 King. The 54-square meter room boasts large open windows serving up sweeping views of Ginza's sparkling skyline and beyond, which within the walls of the room, the views are no less spectacular. Essentially floor to ceiling, the space is decked out in bright, bold colours, art displays and paintings that showcase the brand's passion for open expression and vibrant energy. For those looking for something a little smaller or more low-key, there are compact guest rooms – twin and doubles – that scream personality and larger guest rooms for those who want something in between. All the rooms come with excellent views and all the extras you'd expect from an Aloft hotel, like coffee, tea, and plenty of fun.

Drinking and dining

Perfect for a pop-in as well as an overnight stay, Aloft is a social hub with plenty to offer. For staying guests, there's the lobby lounge Re:MIX (with a Grab & Go shop Re:Fuel) while right by the lobby is the sleek and modern bar lounge W XYZ Bar. In the W XYZ Bar, there are regular live events, 'Live at Aloft' where anyone and everyone is welcome to pop by and catch some live music or kick back with an artfully made cocktail – try galaxy moku - galaxy-themed bartender's special cocktails – and enjoy the masterfully crafted tracks selected by some of the city best tastemakers.

On the second floor is "The WAREHOUSE", a stylishly industrial all-day dining establishment with buffet-style breakfast but also offers western and Japanese menu picks too. Lunch and dinner are elegant Japanese-western-style course menus. For something a little lighter, you can always head up to the rooftop bar "Roof Dogs" - the perfect spot to enjoy fresh open air, great city views, and hot dogs from the quirky food truck “Eddie”; all best enjoyed with sparkling wine in hand.

The location

Aloft is a three minute walk from Ginza Station, offering easy access to the area’s most exciting boutique and big brand stores as well as a direct line to many of the city’s other notable stops like Asakusa, Shibuya and Omotesando.