Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho vs. Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo
The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho and Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo are two luxury hotels in Tokyo within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. I’ve had the privilege in staying at both of these hotels in 2024 and 2023 respectively.
I think both hotels would make a very interesting comparison as they’re similar in many ways, and they’re both rated as Category 8 hotels, meaning they’re priced at similar levels when it comes to Marriott points redemption.
I will only do a roundup of the main aspects of both hotels. If you’re interested in much more details, please check the separate reviews of The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho and Ritz-Carlton Tokyo.
Location
The Prince Gallery is located in Chiyoda City near the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Despite being close to it, it may take 30 minutes to get there on foot. Most of the hotel’s surroundings are office buildings, so there may not be too much going on nearby. Regardless, it’s very close to Akasaka-Mitsuke Station that connects to the Red and Orange Line, which should get you around Tokyo very easily still.
On the other hand, The Ritz-Carlton is located within Roppongi, one of Tokyo’s famous nightlife district with upscale bars and restaurants. The hotel’s also connected to Midtown Tower, one of the tallest skyscrapers in Tokyo, even higher than the office building Prince Gallery is attached in. Midtown Tower has a mall attached, and there are many more eatery options on foot outside of the skyscraper. It’s also well-connected to Roppongi Station that serves the Oedo Line.
It’s easy to get around Tokyo from either hotels, but Ritz-Carlton wins a bit in location due to more things going on nearby on foot. But, some may appreciate the quieter nature that’s in vicinity of The Prince Gallery.
Award Availability & Pricing
Award availability in The Prince Gallery is much tigher than the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. This is due to the Prince Gallery only allowing Superior Room to be bookable on points or certificates, and they only have 12 total rooms. In actuality, they’re indistinguishable from the Deluxe Room, which is the true base room.
My theory is that the Superior Rooms are made specifically for Marriott Bonvoy as a way to control inventory due to the hotel participating in both Seibu Prince Club and Marriott Bonvoy. As the name suggests, the Prince Gallery is a Prince Hotels property, so I bet they prioritize Seibu Prince Club members over Marriott. The upside is that the award pricing here tends to be quite cheap for Category 8 hotel.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo’s award availability is far larger, thus easier to book than the Prince Gallery. But, the hotel tend to cost higher in Marriott points.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t redeem either hotels with straight points, but rather plan them through 85K Free Night Certificate redemption. When planned correctly, you could potentially use them to redeem free nights in either hotel, and planning is especially required for Prince Gallery due to tight award availability. Both hotels also participate in Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program for enhanced benefits towards your stay. Though the cash price for Prince Gallery tend to be a lot cheaper than Ritz-Carlton Tokyo.
Rooms
The most striking thing both these hotels share with the rooms is the amazing view of Tokyo skyline that can be observed in your own private haven. However, weather can greatly affect the view from either hotels.
Outside of that, the rooms in the Prince Gallery feels more vibrant due to the bright colors and more modern amenities like touch pad with master controls embedded.
Prince Gallery also has a big sofa by the window to comfortably look outside and marvel at the city.
The Prince Gallery’s bathroom feels more modern with smart glass on the wet room and a self-opening toilet equipped with motion sensor.
The shower pressure was nice as well, but wasn’t as nice as Conrad Osaka or Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo’s rooms are more muted with dark brown furnitures and decor, and is showing its age more than The Prince Gallery.
There is a small space in the window bay where you could climb onto to enjoy the city view.
It is possible to see Mt. Fuji from either hotels, but the right weather and room’s positioning matter. Make sure to try to request one through the Marriott Bonvoy chat in your mobile app before check-in if possible!
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo’s bathroom gives a classic luxury feel, but the shower pressure just wasn’t at the level of The Prince Gallery’s.
Overall, I enjoyed the rooms in Prince Gallery Tokyo more than the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo due to the more updated amenities and the cushioned sofa by the window for a more comfortable city viewing experience.
Breakfast
Both hotels offer free breakfast for Marriott elite members. For The Prince Gallery, you need to at least be a Platinum Elite to get it as a Welcome Gift option. Ritz-Carlton Tokyo will also give free breakfast for Titanium and Ambassadors only, through Welcome Gift option as well. Keep in mind that Ritz-Carlton typically do not give free breakfast to elite members, but Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo is one of the exceptions, but they are reserved for higher-tiered members.
The Prince Gallery’s breakfast mainly consists of a buffet with additional small selections of a la carte menu that you can choose from. The breakfast at Ritz-Carlton Tokyo is flipped, which mainly consist of a set menu with small selections of pastry buffets.
Akin to the rooms, the interior design of the restaurants in respective hotels follow the same trend. The Oasis Garden in Prince Gallery has brighter color and floral designs, while the Towers Restaurant in Ritz-Carlton Tokyo gives a classic luxury feel with wood panels.
Breakfast at both hotels are good, but they’re not something I would pay for in the first place. Still, you can enjoy amazing views of Tokyo from either places, but window curtains might come down if the sun’s too glaring.
However, the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo should be commended for offering Titanium and Ambassador Elite members free breakfast as a Welcome Gift which is more than what most Ritz-Carlton hotels “offer.”
Pools & Spa
Both hotels’ pool experience are very similar. There’s the regular lap pool with lazy chairs by it. Though, the lazy chairs in Prince Gallery faces the windows rather than the pool that Ritz-Carlton set up. I personally prefer it to face the sky through the windows rather than people swimming.
Both hotels provide a special lane in the lap pool for special members, Seibu Elite for Prince Gallery and Club members for Ritz-Carlton.
Both hotels have jacuzzi by their pools. The water pressure in Ritz-Carlton Tokyo’s jacuzzi is a lot stronger, but the one in Prince Gallery is still quite good.
Finally, both hotels also have bath pools area separate from the swimming pool area. You may enjoy a relaxing bath with a gorgeous view of Tokyo skyline. There’s also cold plunge pool for the hot and cold bath experience. You will have to go fully nude in both establishments, and lockers are provided to store your belongings.
Overall, the pool and spa facilities in both Prince Gallery and Ritz-Carlton are pretty equal. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take pictures of the pool and spa area for The Prince Gallery due to the heavier traffic during my stay there.
Conclusion
The Prince Gallery and Ritz-Carlton are two of Tokyo’s luxury hotels under Marriott Bonvoy worth considering if you have 85K Free Night Certificates on hand. Out of the two hotels, I’ve enjoyed The Prince Gallery more due to the more vibrant feel, and it’s also equipped with more modern amenities. Though admittedly, award availability is tight, so you need to plan more ahead for The Prince Gallery than Ritz-Carlton Tokyo when you plan to redeem your Marriott points.
Ritz-Carlton Tokyo provides slightly better service but the hotel’s showing its age more than The Prince Gallery. Still, it’s cool that they go beyond brand standards and give free breakfast for Titanium and Ambassador Elites. I haven’t mentioned in in this post, but they did give me 6pm late checkout as well! Obviously, it may not reflect your stay, but I definitely felt that service was more personal at The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo.
When it comes down to it, it’s a battle of better hard product, but lesser soft product vs. lesser hard product, but better soft product. I personally prefer the former.
If you cannot find award availability for The Prince Gallery, but also can’t redeem it for The Ritz-Carlton, then I would suggest Mesm Tokyo, Autograph Collection, which I believe is the second best Marriott hotel in Tokyo next to The Prince Gallery.