How Virtú In Tokyo Built Asia’s Most Hospitable Bar

Food & Drink

Walk into Virtú at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, and you can feel an aura of hospitality emanating from the room before you even sit down. Certainly before you take your first sip of a cocktail. Staff quickly assess incoming guests and where they might best fit into the space, whether it’s an adventurous solo traveler keen for conversation at the bar, a couple desiring a quiet corner, or a group of business people wanting a comfortable table to spread out and talk shop. Warm greetings kick off a practiced but natural progression of water, menus and leading questions, all with the goal of finding the best drink for the guest and the occasion. It’s all part of the personalized experience at this Paris-meets-Tokyo bar helmed by head bartender Keith Motsi.

The hotel opened in 2020 and occupies the top six floors of a financial district building, with stunning views of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. Virtú is joined by est — a one Michelin star French restaurant that sources most of its food from local purveyors and serves an award-winning list of French and Japanese wines — and Pigneto, an all-day Italian restaurant with a rooftop terrace. So, visitors have options. But when it’s time for a drink, one enters Virtú through a bookshelf-lined hallway to find a space filled with luxe furniture, warm colors, a grand back bar, and a wall of windows that looks out over the city. That’s also where you’ll find Motsi and his team.

Motsi was born in Zimbabwe, raised in England, and worked in London, Beijing and most recently at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul’s Charles H. bar before moving to Tokyo to take up the top job at Virtú in 2022. Since his arrival, the bar has quickly made a name for itself on international best-of lists.

Last year, Virtù was named the highest new entry on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list, ranking 20th overall. This year, it moved up to the number 11 spot. And earlier this summer, it took home the Michter’s Art of Hospitality award, which is voted on by the 50 Best Academy’s 265 members and recognizes the bar that provided the best hospitality experience over the past 18 months.

The bar is known for its good service and adherence to the Japanese principle of omotenashi, which has roots in ancient tea ceremonies and means giving yourself up unto others to provide a selfless level of hospitality.

“Arriving towards the end of the pandemic, my initial focus was on acclimating to the local culture and getting to know our talented team,” says Motsi. “The essential elements were already in place, so our main goal was, and continues to be, making daily improvements.” The bar embraces the philosophy of ‘kaizen,’ which emphasizes continuous, incremental improvements, with the goal to get a little better each day.

Rather than enlisting a one-size-fits-all approach to service, Motsi encourages team members to be themselves and to serve guests in a way that feels authentic to each individual. It’s all about heart and hustle.

“At Virtú, we honor Japan’s rich hospitality traditions while adding our distinctive personality,” says Motsi. “Our incredible team is our secret ingredient, and we love giving them the stage to let their unique personalities shine.”

That strategy makes each visit to Virtú slightly different, depending on who’s behind the bar and waiting tables, but there’s a noticeable throughline in the level of service and in the consistently good drinks.

“Every cocktail on our menu embodies our pride and craftsmanship,” says Motsi. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards, with regular tastings ensuring each offering is always at its peak. Our relentless pursuit of perfection is evident in every sip.”

Standout cocktails include the Smoked Ume Old Fashioned, made with homemade brandy umeshu (plum liqueur), bourbon, Japanese whisky and hinoki bitters, and the Yuzu Nagi, a gin-cognac concoction that enlists yuzu in multiple forms, from juice to liqueur to bitters. Bartenders have also studied the classics, so they’re quick with Martinis, Manhattans and other favorites.

Motsi acknowledges Japan’s impeccable hospitality and drink standards, which are the calling cards at the city’s dozens of tiny cocktail bars run by solo proprietors. At a larger venue like Virtú, the team lives by the Four Seasons ethos to treat others as you wish to be treated. “This philosophy is woven into our DNA,” he says. “Our bar is a small but vibrant part of the bigger picture. We focus on nurturing future leaders and keeping our team motivated and inspired, always thinking about their growth and where they’ll be in a few years.”

In the case of Motsi, that focus took him from Four Seasons bars in Beijing and Seoul to Tokyo, where he now runs one of the top-ranked bars in Asia. So, the philosophy seems to be working.

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