A LONDON STAYCATION AT THE PRINCE AKATOKI HOTEL

IN ONE LINE

East meets West London in this luxury Japanese-inspired hotel, set in the backstreets of Marylebone with a restaurant and bar that are destinations in their own right.

SETTING THE SCENE

The Prince Akatoki hotel describes itself as “A 5-star luxury hotel in London that celebrates the Art, Ritual and Elegance of Japanese hospitality” and does what it says on the tin. Deceptively hidden behind a Georgian Townhouse facade on an unassuming street, the design and ethos here is successful in it’s Japanese-inspired minimalism. The location is close enough to the bustle and energy of Oxford Street and Hyde Park but far enough away that the hotel still feels like a tranquil oasis.

OUR ROOM

The hotel has 82 rooms and suites all decorated in a similar minimalist aesthetic with natural materials and calming colours. Our room was on the 2nd floor, 218, and featured plenty of room to stretch out in. This room category - Executive Junior Suite - provides a small dining table, couch and smart TV next to the large and comfortable bed with beautiful headboard and lighting. The bathroom, while well sized (and accentuated with a Japanese designed toilet so fancy it needed it’s own set of instructions! ) didn’t quite stick to the design theme though and felt a little anonymous. A couple of throw pillows and some artwork might have made the room more cosy but all-in-all it was calm, clean and comfortable and came with all the expected extras you’d need during a night away.

FOOD AND DRINK

MALT BAR AND LOUNGE
Run by a passionate group of bartenders, Malt Bar is on the ground floor of the hotel and features dark wooden interiors, a good-looking bar display and even a gas fireplace to sit by. The menu is creative and well designed; featuring authentic Japanese ingredients. We’d recommend speaking with the team about their suggestions and ordering something different from your usual, you won’t be disappointed.

TOKii
Set just off the Lobby, Tokii is a Japanese fusion restaurant where the plates are made to be shared and everything is made fresh to order. With similar dark wooden interiors to Malt, the atmosphere here is intimate but approachable, with friendly staff again living up the The Prince Akatoki’s aim of superior Japanese hospitality.

Guest breakfast is also served in TOKii, although we chose to indulge in the room service option (Tray charge applies).

THE AREA

This is a great location in London for exlporing Oxford and Regents Streets as well as Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone.
A couple of favourites in the area include:

Boxcar deli for coffee and pastries and Boxcar Grill for lunch or dinner
The Italian Greyhound for great pasta and cocktails too
Chiltern Street for a wonderful array of shopping (Labour & Wait, Shreeji News, Monocle) and coffee spots (Monocle, Chiltern St Deli, The Firehouse)
Daisy Green for Brunch and coffee
The Zetter Townhouse for cocktails or afternoon tea
The Wallace Collection for your art fix
Marylebone High Street for everything else

THE HIGHS & LOWS

H: Our standout memory from our stay was the cocktails in Malt Bar and our dinner at Tokii, both worth a visit even if you aren’t guests of the hotel. And also special mention goes to the friendly and professional service staff who actually made an effort to provide service (which we’ve found to be a rare thing in London city hotels).

L: A small blip from our stay was that the room service app seemed quite glitchy, we tried to put an order through a few times before we had any success and in the end the order didn’t go through correctly, on top of which we waited an hour for the delivery. Also, we may have just had bad luck with our neighbours upstairs but the sound-proofing between our ceiling and the next room didn’t offer enough insulation, so we went to sleep and woke up with the soundtrack of stomping. On the plus side, we didn’t hear any other internal noise and the street outside was quiet.

GOOD TO KNOW

Check-in is from 3pm and check-out at 12pm.
Airport transfers are available for an additional cost
Air-conditioning in room
Elevators
Small but nicely appointed gym is open 24 hours a day
In room amenities include safe, mini bar, tea & coffee and Malin + Goetz toiletries

GETTING THERE

The nearest tube station is Marble Arch, about a 5minute walk away or Bond Street Station which is just under a 10minute walk.
Heathrow Airport is less than an hours drive.

We were invited guests of the hotel but as always our thoughts and opinons are our own