ANA The Room Business Class review (B777)

I FINALLY had the chance to try out The Room on All Nippon Airways this fall while traveling from Tokyo (NRT) to San Francisco (SFO). The seat configuration is super interesting, since each row alternates which direction they face. I was in 9K and faced backwards, which felt a bit weird while taxiing and looking out the window!

I'm still not a millionaire, so I booked this seat using American Express Membership Rewards points by transferring to Virgin Atlantic. I booked this seat before the points pricing increase, so I got it for an excellent 45,000 MR points + $250 in taxes/fees. Business class redemptions through VS for ANA are now 52,500 MR points.

As per usual, I had to call Virgin Atlantic to make this booking. I did check for "Saver" award availability on both United's site and ANA's award checker before booking to ensure I had a chance at the seat. 

Membership Rewards points transfer near instantaneously from Amex to Virgin Atlantic, so I transferred after confirming with a VS rep that the seat was available to book. 

At the time of booking, my scheduled aircraft was configured with the old business class seating, not The Room. A couple of months before departure, I received an email stating my aircraft was swapped to a Boeing 777 equipped with The Room. 

To get to Narita airport (NRT), my husband and I took the Narita Express from Tokyo Station (the train ride was about an hour). I had checked in the day before on my phone, so I just had to drop off my checked bag. I was able to use the Business Class priority line to tag and drop my bag.

I was able to visit the ANA lounge for a few small bites and tea for 45 minutes. It was quite busy with other international flight guests and since United (+ I imagine other Star Alliance carriers) can use the lounge. You can order items like curry and ramen at the ANA lounge, but I opted not to since I was going to have a meal on board.

As you can see, the seat is huge. I am only 5'1", so I had plenty of room while seated upright, while dining, and when the seat was reclined in bed mode. I knew I was going to be spoiled when I saw that I had 2(!) windows in my space. I'm not sure if it's because I was seated in a backwards-facing seat, but I did have to wear a shoulder belt during takeoff and landing.

Waiting at my seat was a mattress pad, 2 pillows of different firmness, a blanket, slippers, headphones, and an Ettinger amenity kit; which contained lotion, an eco bag, and lip balm.

There's generous table space, and at least 3 outlets available at each seat. The panel next to the inflight entertainment display opens up for a small storage area where a bottle of water and other flat items could fit. The door to this panel had a mirror on it, which made doing my makeup easy when we were close to landing. I do wish there were more pocket-like storage spaces, since I felt like items were prone to sliding off the table top surfaces.

Below the entertainment screen is where the tray table folds and slides into. It could easily fit a 16" Macbook, and I liked that it slid forward/back so I could get in and out of my seat easily without stowing anything. Buttons controlled the window shade electronically, which isn't something you see every day.

The huge 24-inch entertainment display could be controlled by touch or by a remote in the seat's side table. While it didn't tilt, I was able to view it from multiple angles, like when dining and reclining.

My favorite feature about ANA's The Room seat (besides the fact that it's lay flat) is the privacy. Each seat has a sliding door, so I was able to rest comfortably. It didn't feel claustrophobic since the door didn't go all the way up to the aircraft ceiling (you can see above the doors if standing). The door closed with the push of a button, and were easily pushed back into the open position. Middle seats have a center divider too if you don't know the person seated next to you. Seats are configured 1-2-1, so if you're traveling solo, opt for one of the windows!

During boarding, I was offered an oshibori and choice of champagne or orange juice. A flight attendant for my section introduced herself and explained the seat functions. Drink glasses were collected before take-off.

About an hour after take-off, flight attendants came by for drink and dinner orders while providing dinner's amuse-bouche. I also received a WiFi voucher, which provided connectivity for the whole flight. For my drink, I had a highball with Suntory's World Whisky Ao. Dinner choices were Japanese "washoku" or International. I went with the Japanese option, which was designed by Ginza Okuda, a Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant located near the Imperial Palace.

Dessert options were a cheese plate, fruit plate, and chestnut mont-blanc. I asked for both the fruit plate and mont-blanc, and my flight attendant happily provided. I also tried ANA's specially blended herbal tea, "mitoco", a blend of rose, jasmine, and peppermint, to wind down before bed.

Once my dessert plates were collected, I was provided a bottle of water. My only complaint with the dinner service was the amount of time it took. By the time all dinnerware was collected, I was 2.5 hours in to my 9 hour flight, so I didn't have a lot of time to sleep.

2.5 hours before landing, the inflight lights started to slowly creep on (I guess to mimic a sunrise) and wake up passengers. A half hour later, breakfast service began, which again had a Japanese and International option. I went with the Japanese breakfast.

ANA has an on-demand food service, with items like a pork and rice bowl, Ippudo ramen, and Haagen-Dazs ice cream, but I was too full to order.

The business class cabin had 4 lavatories available, and I never had to wait to use the restroom. The bathrooms were always clean, and I loved that the faucets were motion activated. The toilet had a bidet on it, but I tend not to use public bidets. Toothbrushes, body wipes, and mouthwash were also stocked in the lavatories.

ANA has truly outdone themselves with this business class experience. The Room rivals many first class products. I'm definitely keeping an eye on award space for next year to try snagging another seat up front. Maybe I'll get lucky and book ANA's The Suite!