January 2025 | TRAVEL
TOKYO’s LUXURY LANDMARK: BULGARI’s EIGHTH GEM
words Laura Cottrell & Onur Baştürk
photos Courtesy of Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo
The Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, the first Bvlgari hotel in Japan, is also the eighth gem in the Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts Collection. Occupying the 40th to 45th floors of the magnificent Tokyo Midtown Yaesu skyscraper, the hotel offers stunning views of the city, including the Imperial Palace Gardens and the iconic Mount Fuji in the distance.
As with all Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, the interior design of Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo was entrusted to the Italian architecture and interior design firm ACPV ARCHITECTS. Founded in 2000 by Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, ACPV masterfully translates Bvlgari’s grandeur, craftsmanship, and dedication to artistic details into the hotel, creating spaces that embody the sophisticated essence of Italian style. Even the transition from the world of Bvlgari to the streets of Tokyo embraces the spirit of Rome! A striking example of this is the typical Roman sanpietrino cobblestones, first used in 1725 in St. Peter’s Square to ensure the Pope’s carriage could travel safely, and now seen on historic streets throughout Rome.
Guests enter the reception area through sliding doors covered with peacock-patterned fabric—a tribute to traditional Japanese architecture. Inside, a circular lobby with a black granite floor features the eight-pointed star, a symbol of the brand, crafted from travertine stone, which has been widely used in Rome since ancient times.
Another elegant detail is the large elevator adorned with illustrations of colorful brooches from the Bvlgari Archives, including the legendary 1970 Bvlgari Mount Fuji brooch, now a symbol of the hotel.
DESIGNED LIKE AN ANCIENT PAVILION
Located between two rooftop terraces, the rooftop Bvlgari Bar is one of the hotel’s highlights. Designed like an old pavilion in a historic Italian garden, the bar features fully glass doors. In summer, the glass panels open entirely, seamlessly merging the indoors with the outdoors. The bar's floor is made of Venetian terrazzo, while the garden outside is adorned with glass mosaics representing a “Garden of Wonders,” specially created by Italian artist Bisazza and magnificently showcased behind the bar counter.
FROM MILAN TO TOKYO
The hotel’s star restaurant is Il Ristorante - Niko Romito, the Tokyo counterpart of the restaurant located in Bvlgari Hotel Milan, led by three-Michelin-starred chef Niko Romito. The restaurant is set in a lofty space surrounded by a curved wooden ceiling reminiscent of the windows and doors of traditional Japanese temples. The menu, featuring Italy’s most iconic dishes, has been reimagined by Chef Romito with a focus on purity and lightness.
A FUSION OF JAPANESE AND ITALIAN STYLE
Sushi Hôseki, meaning “jewel” in Japanese, is another standout dining option at the hotel, offering an intimate omakase experience. With just 8 seats, the sushi restaurant showcases luxurious materials like brushed wood and dark oak in its design. The lowered walls, ceilings adorned with vertical strips, and backlit milky-white glass panels made from traditional Japanese shoji paper evoke the aesthetics of traditional Japanese architecture. Meanwhile, Flos lighting and black marble flooring bring a touch of Italian contemporary design to the space.
