Review: Park Hyatt Kyoto, Japan

I was just outside of there two days okay. I stayed at the Roku Kyoto LXR (Hilton), which was amazing! I thought that the location of the Park Hyatt would be too busy (the LXR is the opposite, depends on what people want. This was our third time in Kyoto so the quieter vibe worked for us. I can see how the PH's location would be ideal for anyone's initial visit to Kyoto). The pictures look amazing at PH!

We are at Conrad Osaka now...wow, what an amazing hotel! If you are in Osaka, it would be cool meet you.

Totally with you on the Kohaku bar awkwardness. I was there in early March and it was just so awkward and I also felt awkward talking to my wife because it was so quiet. The only two other couples that were there were both Japanese sugar daddy/sugar baby couples who didn't speak much to either and it almost seemed like they were staring at us every time we talked.

There was a bartender there from Maryland though who made it a bit less awkward and he was super nice and chatty. He really saved the hour or so we were there from being unbearably awkward. The "head" bartender lady made good drinks but she was very quiet and sort've just stared at you.

You may not know this, but those welcome grapes look like Japanese muscat grapes (google it), which probably cost like $30 for that bunch.

If I was traveling to Kyoto with a big budget I’d stay in a traditional ryokan. However I like history and Japanese culture quite a bit. The Hyatt is a great option if using points though.

Ben
„I spent Hours working there“. Did you see anything of Kyoto and wouldn‘t working from home be more comfortable?

@ Christoph -- We spent seven nights in Kyoto, so we had plenty of time to see things. This wasn't purely a vacation, but also a review trip, since reviewing hotels is part of my job. Typically when we travel, I work for about half the day, and then sightsee and enjoy great meals for the other half. I'd say that's a pretty great arrangement.

What's weird about those twin beds is that they look intended to be configurable as either two singles or one double. In other words, housekeeping can just push the two mattresses together, place a single mattress pad across the both of them, and then make up the bed as a double (or whatever the equivalent size is when the two mattresses are combined). I've stayed at a number of hotels with this setup. Strange that this property hasn't figured it out.

It's near impossible to get a suite upgrade at this property on a multi-night stay. There are only 4 park suites.

Based on your previous reports, we were in Kyoto at the same time and I was in room 509 at the PH Kyoto for 4 days, so chances are we we overlapped and were neighbors, although I definitely would have seen you and said hi if I had seen you in the tea lounge we walked though a bunch of times!

Only thing I can add to your trip report is that we had dinner at the Kyoto Bistro and it's really the only part of the experience I can't recommend. Very average western food.

Otherwise, Ben captured every element perfectly and we had the same impressions across the board. We liked it so much that although we had booked 3 nights, when a 4th became available with points during our stay, we jumped on it and shortened our Tokyo stay that was following.

It is not near impossible, it is impossible. PH Kyoto is excluded from properties accepting suite upgrades. That said, the rooms are spacious and lovely.

I thought the Japanese breakfast doesn't look much better than the free one included at Park Hyatt Toyko, and many Japanese connoisseurs agree food is not much to write home about. Plus, you can order everything on the menu for unlimited times at PH Tokyo

My wife and I were there in August. Learned the beans they use in their cappucinos and coffee is from the % Arabica coffee shop around the corner. Meaning you dont need to wait until % opens or wait in line to get great coffee.

Also, we got the largest version of the teppanyaki meal and really enjoyed it. Add in a whiskey and some other drinks and it was not cheap but was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Is that recent? Many reports in flyertalk about using TSUs

Funny, I must have lucked out or got one before they changed a policy. We were there last year and we're able to use a suite upgrade cert for our 4 nights there. It was lovely....

Hoping to get in to the park hyatt Kyoto when I was there in March, but stayed at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto instead.

Once I saw the crowds, I was glad I didn’t go. It might be serene inside, but Time square outside is not an exaggeration, oppressively crowded; fun for an hour, and that’s it .

No need for FOMO there

I think Darin is confusing it with the Hyatt Regency Kyoto which has been excluded from TSUs for a while.

Ummmm at 40k points or $2,000 per a night, I would say there's a lot of room for improvement. This stay seemed like it missed the mark in more ways than one.

If I'm paying that amount per a night, yeah I'm gonna nitpick.

I miss Japan,

went here in September im still thinking about that Japanese breakfast.

We stayed at the Park Hyatt in March 2020, in the early days of Covid (we were living in Tokyo). Due to the small number of foreign tourists in Japan, we were upgraded to a gorgeous suite. The lack of “facilities” didn’t bother us because frankly, I don’t go to Kyoto to hang out in the hotel. We had already booked dinners at great Kyoto restaurants. There was no breakfast buffet but we had an amazing Japanese breakfast served in our room and a lovely Western breakfast in the restaurant. It sounds like they have added some additional features (like the champagne hour), but overall it is a lovely hotel, offering a blend of Japanese and modern design. I also really liked its small scale.

Wouldn’t the Michelin-starred restaurant be their signature restaurant?

I wonder where else you pay more for the local food option!…

The review has actually put me off the property, not sure why!

Thanks for your post. We booked this hotel for April 2024! I wanted a beautiful hotel but and this place fit our budget. I don’t care about that there isn’t a pool. I’m traveling all that way to get in a pool. I am going there to see Kyoto!!

Review relly doesnt read like a 5/5

I’m not surprised at all that the bar was booked out during early hours. Everyone wants to be there around sunset and twilight for the views. After that I imagine people find cheaper (or more luxe) places to be in town. I will say that I did enjoy the solitude in the half-hour before closing; it was just me and the bartender.

@ Michael -- You would think, but as you'll see on the Park Hyatt's website, Yasaka is considered the signature restaurant:
https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/japan/park-hyatt-kyoto/itmph/dining

I think that's because the Michelin star restaurant isn't actually run by the hotel, but just happens to be on property. I could be mistaken, though.

@ Darin -- Happy to hear you had a similar impression. Hope to meet you next time!

If that's true, if would help explain the Japanese breakfast surcharge.

There’s info online as well as a detailed book in the hotel which talks about the construction of this hotel. Kyoyamato existed there all along and they own the buildings in that area. A company approached them with the idea of redeveloping the old buildings into a hotel, and using Hyatt as the hotel operator was suggested as the after thought.

Instead of saying Kyoyamato is a restaurant in PH, it’s more like PH is a hotel in Kyoyamato. I suppose their accounts are also kept separate.

https://www.takenaka.co.jp/takenaka_e/story/04/

I’ve tried a lot of 3 star restaurants in Japan as well as Japanese breakfast from various hotels over 15+ trips to Japan and I’d consider the Kyoyamato breakfast as worth the premium. It’s quality is better than what you normally get elsewhere and easily the best Japanese breakfast I’ve tried so far

Many "traditional ryokan" properties are actually very affordable. A ryokan, after all, is "traditionally" a simple traveler's inn. Whether or not you splurge on a luxury version of this experience is a personal choice.

Ben’s review was spot on, but we were scheduled to be here for 3 nights and ended up adding a night while we were there. It was a great experience, great facility, even if not every single facet of the experience wasn’t spot on. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again, and keep in mind that Kyoto hotels are VERY expensive.

Oops, exactly right. So just “nearly impossible” as Omar correctly noted, not technically impossible!

That doesn't look like a junior suite, because you are using the American standard. As we all know, American standards for design and size of the room are the lowest in the world, you will find the place with the highest is in Asia, followed by Europe. If you go into China's luxury hotel, you will see that 45 sqm is not a big base room, it's even smaller than average. But what is funny is, a 40-50 sqm room in America's so-called luxury hotel can be considered as a suite???

Looks like you can use your suite upgrade awards now for this hotel. Park Suite 1 king bed.

I happen to be at the Park Hyatt Kyoto in Room 510 as well at the moment. I'd reserved a "King" bed and as another commenter suggested, the hotel pushed the two beds (they seem to be wider than standard twins) into one absurdly wide bed that could fit at least four standard-sized people. The only downside is that much of the room real estate is occupied by the bed. No grapes for me, but the hotel did furnish some delicious cherries as a welcome gesture.