Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
Inside the luxury £1,000-a-night Tokyo base where England are preparing for the Rugby World Cup final
It was once torn apart by Godzilla as he rampaged through Tokyo – but the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku will be housing some better-mannered beasts this week.
The plush city-centre hotel hosts Eddie Jones’ England team as they prepare for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final.
And ahead of the showpiece occasion, Sportsmail has taken a look inside England’s base – where prices for a room this weekend start at over £1,000 per night.
Premier Grand Suite
Boasting of spectacular views across the city, England should have the perfect spot to prepare for the biggest night of their lives.
They swapped hotels with fellow finalists South Africa this week, moving into the Keio Plaza which proved a good luck charm when they stayed for the Pool A clash with Argentina earlier this month – England won 39-10.
Japanese Tatami Suite
There are 16 different types of room on offer at the Keio Plaza. This begins with a Standard Twin ranging up to the Premier Grand Suite Twin. The description for the latter reads: ‘our Club Floor Premier Grand Suite is the most prestigious relaxation and comfort with its rooms and the Club Lounge’.
Luxe Lounge
To stay there as of today (Wednesday, October 30) for one person and for one night ranges considerably in price. The aforementioned Standard Twin room starts from £214.76 and rises to £235.28 – which includes bed and breakfast. If you’re looking for luxury though, the Premier Grand Suite Twin will set you back £723.49 with or without the breakfast option.
England, of course, will be set up with their own nutritionists and backroom staff to make sure they are well-fuelled for the final away from the breakfast buffet.
But this weekend, with the big event in Yokohama, prices unsurprisingly rise. If two people wished to stay at the Keio Plaza this weekend for two nights (Friday to Sunday) then there is only one room available on offer via Booking.com.
Imperial Suite
That is the Premier Grand Suite Twin and will cost £2,366 overall. On your own? There’s a discount – but it’s only £18, leaving the cost at £2,348.
For the Argentina game, England arrived here on September 29 and eventually checked out on October 10. Later on it turned out to be a pretty good base for South Africa, too, as they edged past Wales 19-16 in the second semi-final on Sunday.
South Africa are now staying at the Tokyo Bay Hotel, close to Disneyland.
Guests at the Keio Plaza have access to 28 facilities on offer at the plush hotel. These include a sky swimming pool on the seventh floor of the main tower (which is only open during the summer months), a fitness room which boasts treadmills, cross trainers and free dumbbells – to name a few – as well as three shopping centres.
Fitness room
There are a variety of options to unwind as well. An in-room Shiatsu massage between midday to 2am is available for between £28.55 (a 30-minute partial body massage) to £178.45 (a 100-minute Japanese Authentic Massage using Japanese aroma oil).
Meanwhile on the third floor of the main tower lobby there is a Reflexology room open between 11am to 9pm and an Esthetic Salon on the eighth floor of the South Tower complex.
Carju Raja Esthetique Salon
While all of these options sound luxurious, England have a vast medical team of their own to look after their stars leading up to the final.
In total there are 11 restaurants listed on the Keio Plaza’s website. These include Japanese cuisine, Kaiseki cuisine, Teppan-taki, Tempura and Sushi. There are also French and Italian offerings if someone fancies a break from Asian food.
Premier Grand Club Lounge Dining
Local transport links are good – but England needn’t worry about that. Their main focus will be the trip to the ground… Yokohama’s International Stadium is a 23-minute drive away. Jones and his team are now counting down the hours.
