Imperial Hotel, Tokyo

Since 1890, the Imperial hotel has catered to royalty, statesmen, fabled celebrities and the leaders of international commerce. Luxury is the keyword. The 1923 building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was lost in a fire, but a vestige of it survives in the art-deco Old Imperial Bar on the mezzanine level. Rooms are superb, with private writing desks, three telephones, individual environment control systems, remote control TV with bedside consoles and a spaciousness rarely encountered in Tokyo hotels. The staff can greet guests in five languages. Ginza is just behind the hotel, which faces Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace grounds.