Our History
The contemporary reinvention of Palace Hotel Tokyo resides on the very same site on which its two predecessors - Hotel Teito and Palace Hotel - were situated.
Hotel Teito, the first hotel to occupy the site, opened in 1947 as a nationally owned and operated hotel under the orders of the General Headquarters of the Allied Forces. The western-inspired structure had originally been built as the Forestry Office of the Imperial Household before being converted into a hotel due to the high demand for accommodations in post-war Tokyo for the many buying agents and diplomats traveling from overseas to re-establish ties with Japan and help the country rebuild.
Hotel Teito was subsequently razed and Palace Hotel was constructed in its place - a modern hotel for the modern era. Officially opened on 1 October 1961 and celebrated with a gala reception attended by prominent figures in Japan and from overseas, the privately owned and managed hotel was the first in Tokyo to share premises with an office building.
The most contemporary of its time, the 450-room Palace Hotel featured extensive facilities, the latest in modern travel comforts and very distinctive architecture. Its outer walls were clad with approximately 1.6 million Shigaraki tiles, an unprecedented use of traditional materials that earned the hotel an Architectural Industry Association Prize in 1963.
In 2009, after having serviced travelers for nearly half a century, Palace Hotel closed its doors in preparation for its reincarnation as Palace Hotel Tokyo - the newest addition to the city's luxury scene and set to redefine hospitality with its continued commitment to preserving its independence and delivering the finest home-grown hospitality.
