8 best Kyoto luxury hotels for all traveller types, for Japanese style with home comforts

South China Morning Post

10 hours ago

Who it is for : City slickers on their second trip to Japan.
With that in mind, here is a selection of Kyoto 's most talked-about luxury hotels that cost US$1,000 or less a night, including reasons to book them and some caveats worth considering.
The choice of luxury hotels is so wide it has become ever harder to sift through the prospects. And with eye-watering prices, it is a choice most travellers cannot afford to get wrong.
In 2024, wellness pioneer Six Senses – known for resorts in such far-flung beach spots as the Maldives and Fiji – opened one of its first urban properties in Kyoto to great fanfare. Within the next 12 months, the so-hot-right-now brand Capella will open its doors in the city's Gion district
On any given month, Kyoto receives from 3 million to 4 million tourists, outnumbering residents at least two to one. So it is no wonder that every international hotel brand has been intent on planting its flag in Japan's cultural capital.
Here is the deal: Rather than being a pastiche of Japanese aesthetics, like most of the properties on this list, the funky, brightly coloured Ace Hotel leans harder into Kyoto's cosmopolitan flair.
There are regular DJ sets at in-house taqueria Piopiko, lectures by creatives and academics, as well as artists-in-residence who can install their works all around the property.
Rooms are divided into two wings: a modern hotel tower and a historical building from the Meiji period (1868-1912). You cannot go wrong with either.
Rooms at Ace Hotel Kyoto are in two wings: a modern hotel tower and a historical building from the Meiji period (1868-1912). Photo: Instagram/acehotelkyoto
Kosa Kyoto, a farm-to-table restaurant at Ace Hotel Kyoto. Photo: Photo: Instagram/acehotelkyoto and kosakyoto
One thing we would change: The service ethos feels like a cross between Japanese stoicism and blasé American Generation Z energy, which can inadvertently come off as too cool.
What you will pay: Around US$300 per night.
2. Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto
Who it is for: The crazy-rich-Asian jet set who want textbook Japanese aesthetics.
Here is the deal: The
: The
Kengo Kuma -designed Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto sits on an elegant perch just above the bustling cobbled lanes that lead to some of the city's most beloved temples.
Wooden lattices hang above the entrance, and, in an extreme attempt to represent Japanese heritage, there is even a Noh stage in the back courtyard – though its dimensions are a bit too small for the traditional choreography.
A view of Kyoto from one of the rooms in Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto. Photo: Instagram/banyantreehigashiyamakyoto
Ryozen, the hotel's main restaurant, does a better job of honouring local culture.
It serves elaborate breakfasts in multitiered
bento boxes, and its classic multicourse kaiseki dinners can hold their own against Kyoto's most esteemed venues.
One thing we would change: OK, two things. Despite the property's architectural pedigree, there are some thoughtless design choices in the rooms, including inefficient placement of light switches and being able to see yourself in the bathroom's mirror while lying in bed.
And despite the hotel's fantastic, elevated location, there is no communal place on the property to appreciate the views.
What you will pay: Around US$1,000 per night.
3. The Celestine Kyoto Gion
Who it is for: Value seekers with refined taste.
Here is the deal: For half the price of a room at an international brand, the Celestine offers comfy digs and an ultra-convenient location in the heart of Gion, Kyoto's most prominent
: For half the price of a room at an international brand, the Celestine offers comfy digs and an ultra-convenient location in the heart of Gion, Kyoto's most prominent
geisha district.
Little perks include noticeably larger rooms than at the standard Japanese hotel, plus a lounge with complimentary tea and coffee.
One thing we would change: Breakfast is mediocre, even if the staff are superb.
What you will pay: Around US$330 per night.
Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto features vibrant, contemporary works by Japanese artists. Photo: Instagram/fskyoto
4. Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto
Who it is for: Japan first-timers.
Here is the deal: There is no
: There is no
White Lotus drama at this Four Seasons, where the American-style service is truly all smiles.
Its legion of international staff seamlessly bridges the gap between cultures, offering the creature comforts of home – there is a steakhouse on site, and plenty of English is spoken.
But you still get a genuinely Japanese experience: the hotel is situated on a former samurai's estate in the heart of southern Higashiyama.
Opt for a room overlooking the garden, whose pond and bonsai trees are more than 800 years old.
One thing we would change: The decor – purples, golds, oranges and floral prints everywhere – feels a tad dated.
What you will pay: Around US$730 per night.
5. Marufukuro
The art deco motif makes the Marufukurou hotel feel like something out of a Japanese version of Mad Men. Photo: Marufukuro
Who it is for: Art deco obsessives who would pick pitch-perfect 1930s opulence over traditional Japanese aesthetics.
Here is the deal: Set in the former Nintendo headquarters, this Tadao Ando-designed boutique hotel near Kyoto Station takes a bold art deco swing.
Its 18 ultra-mod hotel rooms – and a few moody common areas that double as a lounge or bar – feel as though they could be the set for a Japanese version of
Mad Men
One thing we would change: The communal spaces are packed with details, so by contrast the rooms feel a bit sparse.
What you will pay: Around US$445 per night.
6. Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
The Ritz-Carlton's midtown location puts it within walking distance of practically all Kyoto's major attractions. Photo: Instagram/ritzcarltonkyoto
Who it is for: Luxury travellers who want to hit the ground running.
Here is the deal: The hotel that jump-started Kyoto's five-star hospitality game roughly a decade ago is now a well-oiled machine with top-notch service.
Its midtown location – which puts practically all Kyoto's major attractions and big-name restaurants within walking distance – makes it the best pick for busy travellers who are out at the temples for sunrise and izakayas for late-night drinks.
When you are kaiseki'd out, the concierge team will happily help you track down great pizza – no judgment. And its signature picture windows, looking out over the lazy Kamo River, still offer the moments of peaceful contemplation that define the world's best urban oases.
One thing we would change: The red, lacquer and golden accents tend to read a bit more Chinese than Japanese.
What you will pay: Around US$900 per night.
The main building of Sowaka is a historic structure that has been renovated from a traditional Japanese restaurant. Photo: Instagram/sowaka.hotel
7. Sowaka
Who it is for: The inn crowd – meaning someone who would like to stay at the Japanese equivalent of a historic bed-and-breakfast.
Here's the deal: More than anything, this is a faithful tribute to the 400-year-old sukiya style of Japanese architecture that you see all over Kyoto – think traditional teahouse aesthetic with tatami floors and shoji paper walls.
It inhabits an old structure in the heart of Gion that was once an elaborate restaurant – now with 23 rooms that are each completely unique.
The smaller rooms are the more smartly designed ones; avoid the annex with modern rooms, which entirely miss the point.
Pro tip: The inn is affiliated with
: The inn is affiliated with
Small Luxury Hotels of the World – a group of independently owned properties vetted for their ability to deliver a luxury experience – which means you can book it with Hilton points.
One thing we would change: The soundproofing, which is thin throughout the old wing of the hotel.
What you will pay: Around US$775 per night.
8. Six Senses Kyoto
Six Senses is a hotel in Kyoto for travellers for whom well-being is core to their needs. Photo: Instagram/sixsenseskyoto
Who it is for: Travellers with picky palates or dietary restrictions.
Here is the deal: A small snapshot of what you will find at the spa in Kyoto's most wellness-focused urban resort: a
: A small snapshot of what you will find at the spa in Kyoto's most wellness-focused urban resort: a
Watsu pool for underwater massages, a 'biohacking zone', a large fitness centre, steam rooms and a so-called Alchemy Bar slinging tailor-made immunity-boosting shots.
At the hotel restaurant, you will be served whatever is growing locally that week, prepared in accordance with your particular dietary requirements. That is hard to come by in Japan.
Skip these perks – and this hotel as a whole – if you want to be out on the town. But if well-being is core to your needs, there is nowhere else you will be better accommodated.
One thing we would change: The views. Most rooms face a very cramped interior courtyard.
What you will pay: Around US$965 per night.
Advertisement