Hoshinoya Tokyo is on many a design-loving traveller's hit list. Here's why. 

Standing tall in Tokyo’s business district is Hoshinoya Tokyo, an urban property by the well-regarded homegrown hospitality brand. Don’t be fooled by its ultra-modern multistorey facade, the inside is a beautiful ode to the ryokan, except it's done in a vertical orientation. 

The entrance features an impressive wooden doorway carved from a single slab of aomori hiba (cypress wood), which leads to a tatami room style lobby. Above, each floor functions as a 6-room traditional ryokan, with private suites and a communal ochanoma lounge, where seasonal teas are served throughout the day. 

Of course, no ryokan is complete without an onsen. Perched on the top floor Hoshinoya Tokyo is two bath houses, separated by gender and fed by hot spring waters drawn from 1,500 meters below the ground.

Each bath hall contains an indoor bath and an outdoor bath, which is really something to behold. The outdoor baths are located at the bottom of a grandiose cave-like, open-roof chamber with soaring walls that frame the sky above.