Lost in Translation: Hyatt Regency Kyoto

Great review!

Lucky - LMAO! I loved the interactions you had with the staff in the restaurant and for check out! This is pure gold... comic fodder for an episode on Seinfeld!

We liked this Hyatt better than the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, and Hyatt Regency Hakone. Every single person was amazing, we were given a fabulous room with a tea ceremony area and a great view of the water features, the staff was great, and we liked all of the restaurants. We are thinking about going to go back for Thanksgiving!

Lucky - you missed out on the tub? That's a Japanese cedar tub: When you fill it with water, the aroma makes soaking in it quite relaxing.

Do give it a try next time.

@ Moody -- I had no clue, wish I had known! That makes sense then.

Moody - You're right, it was very relaxing but with that much water it's more amazing that it did not leak.

Rikki - I certainly enjoy it more since they now upgrade me to the deluxe balcony king without asking. Great hotel and excellent service from the Concierge.

Nice review Lucky. It brings back lots of fond memories of my time there last year. The GM of the HR Kyoto came from the PH Tokyo. He's the most hand-on customer centric GM I've ever met. Sometimes, you'll see him busing table at breakfast. We stayed in a "family room" with the main room similar to yours, but there was an attached room that has 2 double beds, same entrance for both rooms. I called it a suite Japanese style. We loved the service and accommodation of this place, will definitely be back.

1. Refused to honor clearly defined loyalty benefits resulting in pointless circular logic merry-go-round.

2. Played ridiculous shell game with restaurant selections, prices, and benefits.

3. Lots of random bowing.

1 + 2 + 3 = "Service was spectacular."

Seriously?!

Just for the record, that cedar tub is every bit as comfortable as it looks. There is no technical reason they couldn't have made it into an oval or circle or some other shape that begins to resemble a space an actual human might fit comfortably in. A prime example of form over function, just as you originally called it.

Isn't there a tad too many service quirks for this to be a Park Hyatt?

@ PH -- There were two service quirks which I perhaps highlighted a bit too much. The rest of the service was beyond spectacular, though.

@Lucky: I think part of the disconnect is that you have not been entirely clear about what "the rest of the service" involved. What other services did you request that were so "beyond spectacular" that they completely overshadowed the refusal to honor a guaranteed checkout and the steadfast adherence to mind numbingly obtuse meal policies? Once you've explained that I think everything will start falling into place.

Actually, 4pm check-out isn't guaranteed for Diamonds. Read the fine print on Hyatt.com, it actually mentions "Subject to availability at Hyatt resorts and casinos. Not available at Hyatt Residence Club resorts."

I wonder why it is not branded as a Grand Hyatt

@ Samuel -- It's not guaranteed at resorts, though this isn't a resort. It's a hotel, where it is guaranteed.

@ Dax -- There were two hiccups with the service, and the rest of the experience was spectacular. There's a certain aspect of service you can't do justice to with a description, and I feel this is one of those hotels. For example, my friend dropped a bottle of champagne and it exploded. One of the employees went in to "save" it, and then got champagne glasses so we could enjoy it before it was flat.

@ Carl -- Hyatt's branding, is, at the end of the day, completely screwed up. The Hyatt near Tampa Airport is a Grand, while this is a Regency. And now they're building non-branded Hyatts, like the Hyatt 48 Lex. It's clear that with the exception of Park Hyatt, the rest of Hyatt's branding doesn't mean anytime.

Lucky, you spent $10 going from the Kyoto train to the hotel? There's a free taxi cab complimentary for guest across the street at the MK Taxi stand/Vista Hotel. I am at the hotel right now...I will see if my experience matches your own.

I believe Hyatt categorizes this property as a "resort", thus making late check out subject to availability.

@ Nate Esq -- We didn't realize the complimentary taxi benefit till the return, so we used it then.

@ DW -- Is that written anywhere? Every "resort" I've seen has it in their name.

@ Lucky- The below is from the current T&C on goldpassport.com. Clicking through to the other site will provide the list of what Hyatt considers "resort" properties.

6. Diamond members receive a 4:00 PM late checkout (local hotel time) on day of departure at Hyatt properties. 4:00 PM late checkout is subject to availability at hotels with a casino (including Grand Hyatt Macau and Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila) and Hyatt resorts. A detailed list of Hyatt resorts can be found at hyattresorts.com

@ DW -- Wow, I learn something new every day, thanks for the heads up! I was under the impression that resorts were properties with the name "resort" in them. Very interesting! I do wish the hotel would have explained that to me, because I wasn't aware.

Do I need an invite to Virtuoso? If so, whom do I contact?

@ Aeroman -- No need for an invite, you just need to work with an agent that has a Virtuoso affiliation. If you go to the "Luxury Hotels" forum on FlyerTalk you'll find plenty of agents there.

Thanks 😉

I'm at the HRK right now. Very nice hotel, although I think they need to do something about the "free internet only in the lobby" thing. Having a crowd of people sitting in the lobby wearing their pajamas on their iPhones and laptops seems contrary to the intended ambiance of the hotel. Otherwise, an excellent Kyoto hotel.

I'm here on a Virtuoso rate and I'm also Platinum, but didn't get an upgrade. I'm here 4 nights though, and they said the last two nights they should be able to upgrade me. Even the standard room is very nice compared to the other Japan hotels I've stayed in so far though.

I received only a diamond upgrade to a tiny deluxe room ...

http://www.youhavebeenupgraded.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/hyatt-regency-kyoto.html?m=1

Are there minimum night stay for the $100 USD Food n Beverage credit book through Virtuoso? Will I get the $100 F&B credit even if I book one night stay?

Can you give me the Virtuoso agent contact? I went to their website and it's not so useful (no email contact and way to check the room rates/availability). Many thanks!

@ Lee -- Yep, you get the benefit even if staying just one night.

Bring running shoes if you want any kind of spa treatment there. I had to take the elevator to the basement, down a long hallway, around the corner to a second elevator and up a floor to get to the spa.

@Lucky
I know this an old post, but I was wondering who you used to help book this hotel. I know it was through Virtuoso, but who specifically.

@ WISluggo -- If you email me I'd be happy to provide a referral.

i have stayed at this property some 20 times... and concur that it is better than the park Tokyo. behind the scenes you mention interacting with is a rather Excellent general manager by the name of Yokoyama. I have been in some 50 Hyatts, and traveled in some 30 + countries, and Yokoyama-san ranks with the top 5 hotel GMs worldwide... like Kurt V; for those in the know.
One great thing to utilize in this hotel is the local knowledge... whether its a rail trip to Amanoshidate, one world's hidden treasures of a resturant in Arashimaya ; getting the proper kind of green tea,...that little incense store you visited three years ago but forgot the name of...
the staff is all very knowledgeable---this is not at just the concierge desk but throughout the hotel. btw i have just booked my next stay.

Hi Lucky,

What is the benefit of booking via Virtuoso, do I have to call an advisor to use Virtuoso's services?

TIA!

@ Fan -- To get Virtuoso benefits you have to book through a Virtuoso agent. Details on that can be found here:
https://onemileatatime.com/amex-fhr-perks/

I really wish I had seen this review before booking a cheap room at the awful Westin Miyako in Kyoto. Your room and the Diamond treatment would have been well worth the additional cost. Never good to be penny wise and pound foolish. I will be sure to look for your reviews next time before I travel to a new place.

We stay at this Hotel every other year and find this hotel to be as good and if not better than the PH in Tokyo which we also enjoy regularly. The service is terrific and there is an intimacy to this wonderful hotel that you can't get elsewhere. BTW it is literally next door to a major tourist site and across the street from the Main Art Museum for Kyoto. You just can't beat the service, the beauty of the hotel and the beauty of the rooms. Those cedar tubs are so wonderful and a real treat, they really are quite the luxury, and combined with the Yuzu bath salts, it is a luxury few people get to enjoy in their lifetime. I think this is the best hotel in Kyoto and wouldn't stay anywhere else. A brief story, this is how good the service is. We had met a wonderful friend of a relative more than a decade ago who was so kind to us when we first visited Kyoto. I wanted to see him again and thank him for his kindness but I only had his business name, not even a business card or his name. Well his company had shut down and yet the concierge staff found the man and his family and set up a meeting for us. It was amazing! I will never forget the hotel staff for that wonderful moment they made possible!