I love Japanese ryokan, but sometimes when I'm traveling I enjoy the comfort of a western-style hotel. If I'm really looking for luxury, I always trust Westins, and in Sendai, the Westin Hotel delivers all the goods.
Located only a few minutes walk from Sendai station and about a 10 minute drive from the Sendai-Miyagi interchange on the Tohoku expressway, the hotel's location is perfect for visitors. It places you right in the heart of all of the major attractions in the city, whether you're there for Sendai's Tanabata Festival or heading to the many historical sites related to Date Masamune and his fellow clansmen.
The hotel itself is housed in a huge skyscraper, but shares about 25 floors with offices. The hotel occupies the top fifteen floors or so, and while that means it takes two elevator rides to get to the rooms (one to the 26th floor reception and one to the room floors), it means that all the rooms offer spectacular views of the city. For us, we could see the iconic Date Masamune statue from our window, along with the tree-studded mountains that help give Sendai the name, "City of Trees."
The rooms are large, luxurious, and comfortable. It was the kind of room that made you feel like you would be content not leaving it. In fact, we didn't for much of our stay. We opted to try the room service for our meal, and although it was expensive, the service was excellent and the food was delicious. There are also a few hotel restaurants and bars, but we did not get a chance to try them out.
Complementing all of the other features of the hotel is a very friendly and helpful hotel staff. Most spoke enough English to support the average English-speaking visitor, and all were accommodating to our needs and requests.
Pricing varies depending on the time of year and vacancy. It is, however, a luxury hotel, so one night for two people will cost somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 yen on average.
There is a parking garage located under the hotel. With hotel validation, the fee is 1500 yen per day.
