In 2010, local designer and longtime Hyatt collaborator Tony Chi designed New York’s Andaz 5th Avenue, the company’s locally influenced boutique concept known for repurposing existing properties and personalized service, substituting quantity with quality. Chi has now created an Andaz in Tokyo, located in the city’s Toranomon Hills, a neighborhood changing from a business destination to one populated by residents and travelers. The 164-room hotel “represents the past, present, and future of Japan. We wanted to create a sustainable environment in a way that makes guests feel they are checking into a time zone,” he says.

Chi’s chief inspiration was the Japanese paper known as washi, used frequently in Japan in origami. “Once I fold the piece of paper, that action itself adds onto the memories held by the piece of paper,” he explains. “Andaz Tokyo represents memories in the making.” Washi is found throughout, from the porte-cochère to a corridor-cum-art gallery, in an elevator, and woven among other spaces. Elsewhere, a palette of walnut, bronze, and basalt stone predominates.

The vision of the Andaz (Sanskrit for “life”) as a home away from home begins at the entrance, with floor-to-ceiling shoji doors (which are closed in the evening) at the reception area on the building’s 51st floor. Original artwork, all with a thematic purpose, is pervasive. At reception, for example, is “Infinite Universe,” using kumiko-zaiku, a traditional Japanese technique that combines thousands of small cut dried wood pieces.

Walnut-dominated guestrooms follow the minimalist tatami style, with custom furniture and luxurious bathrooms that boast separate areas for bathing and washing.

It’s “Andaz 2.0,” says Chi.