 Western (French) food had been the official banquet fare of the Imperial Palace since Emperor Meiji hosted a luncheon for the nephew of the king of Italy on 8 September 1873, and the Imperial Hotel followed that tradition.Japan's first Diet building, just finished on 24 November 1890 in time for the first Diet session, burned down on 20 January 1891.After a week of preparations, the House of Peers reconvened in the ballroom of the Imperial Hotel, where they would meet until March 1.

Business was slow at first, and the hotel lost money.