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BRINGS THE FINEST OF JAPANESE CULTURE TO THE WEST

By Madelyn Miller

Enjoy the best of Japan without leaving the United States. If you appreciate Japanese culture, art, food and their attention to detail, you can enjoy a uniquely Japanese experience at the Hotel Nikko San Francisco without leaving the country. A distinctly Japanese influence is felt throughout the hotel. Sleep on a tatami mat, look at Japanese art, stroll around a Japanese Garden, relax in a traditional Japanese dry sauna and then dine on fresh sushi without even leaving the hotel.

Architecturally, the understated beauty of the two story lobby's sleek marble columns combined with the soothing sound of cascading water sets the stage for a stay filled with tranquility.

For an alternative to a conventional hotel suite, Hotel Nikko San Francisco offers an exotic Japanese Tatami Suite. For $1700 a night, you will be treated like Japanese royalty.

If you wish to enjoy the Northern California weather, there is a sunning area with lounge chairs surrounded by a beautifully manicured Japanese garden. Then swim a few laps in the glass-vaulted indoor swimming pool. And in the Japanese style of attending to detail, and to ensure that every guest has the opportunity to enjoy the facility, complimentary toiletries and exercise clothes, including swimsuits are available. Additional options for stress reduction and relaxation include traditional dry saunas, a "kamaburo" (Japanese dry sauna) and "ofuros" (Japanese soaking tubs). Shiatsu massages as well as use of a tanning cabana are offered to guests for a nominal charge.

Members of the Hotel Nikko San Francisco guest relations staff recently returned from a 10 day study program in Japan. The subject? Observing guest services at the top hotels in Japan, including the Hotel Nikko Osaka and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. They also studied the influence of Japanese culture on guest accommodations. The goal? To bring the finest points of service, comfort and pampering back to the West.

Jan Marshall, director of rooms for Hotel Nikko San Francisco, led the study tour. According to Marshall, attributes of Japanese service include efficiency, simplicity, exactness, and most of all, dedication to the needs of the guests. Marshall's goal is to incorporate all to these services into every appropriate area of Hotel Nikko, satisfying not only guests from Japan, but Westerners, as well.

Among the service ideas they brought back are a guest relations officer dressed in an authentic Japanese kimono to greet guests upon their arrival at the hotel. Guests will be welcomed in the proper Japanese manner, with a bow and the word "welcome" in Japanese.

Attention to authenticity is the first priority for Hotel Nikko. The kimonos to be worn by guest relations officers are special-ordered directly from Japan, costing $2,000-$3,000 each.

And Hotel Nikko San Francisco is the only hotel in the city in which every member of the guest relations staff speaks fluent Japanese, as do many of the other hotel employees.

Those who are bilingual wear nametags with their names printed in both English and Japanese. Perhaps this is part of the reason the hotel was chosen to host the Cherry Blossom Pageant, a great honor in the Japanese community.

When you think of Japan, do you think of sushi? Then try to Hotel Nikko's sushi bar, which was rated one of the finest in San Francisco. With a wide selection of the freshest fish including tuna, yellowtail, salmon, whitefish, squid, eel and octopus, the sushi and sashimi are always a delicious, light alternative to traditional American cuisine. They offer some exclusive sakis, so be sure to sip some.

Even the all-American tradition of Sunday brunch has a Pacific Rim flair at Hotel Nikko San Francisco. Dining in style above the elegant lobby, brunch guests can choose from a selection of assorted dim sum such as siu mei and steamed pork buns as well as a variety of sushi. But traditionalists will enjoy favorites such as made-to-order omelets. Decadent deserts such as chocolate-dipped strawberries and chocolate mousse cake await those with a sweet tooth. ($28.95 per person includes free validated parking)

Located directly off Union Square
Hotel Nikko San Francisco
222 Mason Street
San Francisco 94102
415-394-1111 fax
1-800-nikko-us (1-800-645-5687)

http://www.nikkohotels.com/amer/sanfran.html

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