The Interior Master Of The Park Hyatt Tokyo: John Morford
Although the name John Morford only resonates with a few people, they surely recognise his most renowned creation: The Park Hyatt Tokyo.
Made famous in the 2003 movie “Lost in Translation” in which Charlotte [Scarlett Johannsen] meets the famous actor Bob Harris [Bill Murry] in the New York Bar of the Hotel which sees the start of a rather unusual friendship.
Even though Morford publicly stated that he didn’t like the movie as it was “...so Hollywood”, the now so mondaine status of the hotel was partly influenced by Sofia Coppolas Screenplay.
Morford was in fact the only designer involved in the process which gave him control over every aspect of the hotel aesthetic, down to the books in the in-house library.
The 178–guest room hotel occupies the top 14 floors of a 52-story, three-towered skyscraper in the Shinjuku district.
The Presidential Suite is supposed to be as cosy as it is grand. Its main theme is gardens, with lush plants in alcoves and a central painting of stones from an ancient Chinese garden. The suite is also intended to evoke an at-home feeling.
Though Morford tends to lodge in less spectacular quarters, he says even the more typical guest rooms—with freestanding marble tubs and walk-in closets —are ample and luxurious enough to almost dissuade him from venturing outside the hotel. And surely the Johansson and Murray characters in Lost in Translation felt just that way.
The feeling of spaciousness is immediately picked up again when guests step out of the elevators into the 41st-floor Peak Lounge with its skylighted bamboo garden.
Beyond the lounge is an open, spiral stair leading to the Girandole, a French-style brasserie," the heart of the hotel".
The 52nd floor houses New York Grill and its adjoining bar, where the jet-lagged Johansson and Murray meet for the first time.
A modern ambience, a stunning 360-degree view over Tokyo and exceptional drinks and service makes the New York Bar one of the most famous Bars in Tokyo.
