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No other Japanese city can compete with Kyoto for style and grace. For the ultimate experience of Kyoto hospitality, stay in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. Though often costly, a night in a ryokan guarantees you beautiful traditional Japanese surroundings, excellent service, and two elegant meals (breakfast and dinner) in most cases. But you don't have to limit yourself to the traditional. Kyoto is a tourist city, so accommodations range from luxurious hotels to small guesthouses. Service in this city is impeccable. The information desks are well stocked, and concierges or guest-relations managers are often available in the lobby to respond to your needs.
Located at Kyoto Station, the hotel is noteworthy for its good service and fusion of ultramodern design and traditional Japanese style. The spacious Western-style rooms have broad desks, separate tea areas, and bathrooms with big soaking tubs. A stroll between the hotel's north and south towers affords a great view from within the glass walkway.
One of the city's best hotels, the Kyoto Brighton has an elegant design, and its staff display a thorough dedication to gracious, efficient hospitality. Glass elevators whisk guests up from the central atrium to large rooms with separate sleeping and lounging areas. Some rooms have outside terraces with city views. Bilingual concierges are on hand to help you plan your sightseeing. The on-site Hotaru restaurant merits a visit; the resident chef won a contest on the popular cooking show Iron Chef. The sweets in the lobby's café are also worth checking out. Free shuttle bus to station runs every 20 minutes.
This chic downtown pied-à-terre successfully combines traditional ryokan elements—sliding paper screens, tatami rooms—with some unexpected boutique-hotel touches like the contemporary room design and the lobby aromas that change with the season (citrus when it's cool outside, mint when it's warm). One definite break with tradition is that you can opt for a plan that includes no meals.
If the beauty of Arashiyama inspires you to spend the night in the area, consider this resort whose draws include its kimono-clad staff, modern amenities, multicourse meals, and spacious hot springs a short walk from the monkey park. In addition to the communal areas, there are five private thermal-water pools guests may use, three of them invitingly open-air. Other perks include complimentary ice-cream bars after your bath or massage.
Situated just across the road from the Imperial Palace and gardens, the Kyoto Garden Palace is a classically styled yet unfussy hotel, offering excellent Japanese hospitality plus quiet, clean, and comfortable rooms. The two excellent ground floor restaurants are great spots for lunch or dinner, and both have views of the serene interior garden. East-facing rooms overlook the famous palace and grounds.
This unpretentious ryokan welcomed its first guest, a monk from the nearby Higashi-Hongan-ji Temple, in 1884. The innkeepers are welcoming, the rooms, most of which have private baths, are pleasant, and the temple-facing location provides a special atmosphere. Ask about the studio apartments on the top floor for extended stays. After renovations, the interior has lost some of its 19th-century authenticity, though the improved convenience is worth it.
Directly south of Kyoto Station, this refurbished hotel is more convenient than glamorous. Rooms are of standard size and comfortable enough but pretty much devoid of style. There are several restaurants and bars within, so you won't lack for food and drink. This is a decent place if you are on a package tour or if you can't find a room in this price range elsewhere.
Directly across from the Kyoto International Conference Hall, nestled in a forest setting, this grand hotel will make you feel like visiting royalty. Rooms are spacious, with views of lush greenery on both sides, some facing the nearby mountains and others the inner garden. Demonstrations of the tea ceremony take place in the teahouse beside the garden pond upon request. The chef of the French-themed Beaux Sejours restaurant is one of city's most talented practitioners. The Kokusai Kaikan subway station is a few minutes away by foot.
One of Kyoto's major hotels, recognized for its excellent service and restaurants, the Rihga Royal is a five-minute walk from Kyoto Station, making it an especially fine choice for those with early train connections. Although it is a Western-style hotel, paper shoji windows and Japanese textiles lend atmosphere to the rooms. Four-person family rooms are available for larger groups. Kyoto's only revolving restaurant crowns the building, offering splendid views of the city; there are four other on-site restaurants. The staff members are trained to make you feel like a VIP.
Its chic interiors have enabled this boutique hotel near the Imperial Palace to gain a foothold in this competitive market with individually designed suites, each the unique creation of a different renowned local or international interior designer. The styles range from traditional, with sliding doors painted with gold leaf, to ultramodern, with everything in ethereal whites. In a popular one, diaphanous white curtains halo the walls and bed. If your suite isn't to your taste, if at all possible the staff will move you to one that is. The rooftop bar has fine city views, and you can dine under the stars in the courtyard.
At the foot of the Philosopher's Path and near the temple and shrine-filled Okazaki area, the renovated Westin Miyako is only minutes from major attractions. Separate cottages with Japanese-style rooms are available, and the views from the restaurants take on a magical quality at night when city lights are twinkling. For several decades this was the queen of Kyoto's hotels and the top choice of visiting celebrities, but newer high-end properties have eclipsed it.
This ryokan feels very "Japanese," and what it lacks in big-hotel amenities it makes up for in atmosphere, albeit with some limitations, including some shared-bath rooms, that may not appeal to all travelers. A traditional ryokan, Yachiyo is in a quiet, verdant part of town close to the Heian Jingu Shrine and the National Museum of Modern Art. The least expensive rooms share bathrooms. If you prefer, you can have breakfast and dinner in your room instead of the restaurant.
