Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

Quite simply, the perfect Kyoto hotel, which embodies the tranquil zen beauty of this special place. 10/10 recommended. Elegant, luxurious, sublime. Staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. Etienne the Head Concierge is so good at his job, and the cultural activities held in the lobby add a lot to the overall experience.

After the disaster in Osaka with the Ritz-Carlton, this was a very welcome change. This is likely one of the top 5 hotels which I have ever stayed at. The service - impeccable. Room - impeccable. Location - great. Breakfast - room for improvement. Our normal room was large, aesthetically one of the most beautiful I have stayed at, and the attention to detail, shockingly good. We have been members of the Marriott Bonvoy for ages and have consistently stayed at Ritz-Carlton, JW, St. Regis and am a member of the Leading Hotels of the World but after a few bad experiences with the Marriott hotels and lately with the RC in Osaka, we have decided to ditch the membership loyalty and go with privately owned hotels like the Four Seasons. The benefits of these loyalty programs is a sham and if you want to enjoy your vacation, go with private. This Four Seasons is what one would not only expect considering the price and reputation, but they attempt to exceed it at every turn. From the locally sourced turn down treats to the Japanese Gatorade (Pocari Sweat) outside their sauna/ Ofuro area and swimsuit centrifuge, you have the feel that they are not cutting costs where they can to please shareholders, but to provide their guest with a memorable experience. That is something that RC has lost and feels like the corporate monstrosity which we felt. Thank you Four Seasons - even without a loyalty program, you have now gained a family of loyal guests. Bye bye Bonvoy!

So after staying at the Four Seasons Tokyo Otemachi, we were expecting a lot from the FS Kyoto, especially since it was much more expensive for a standard room than what we paid for a suite in Tokyo. PROS: Good location, very nice architecture that tries to blend into the surroundings Room layout (we were in a Heritage Garden Deluxe Room) - the bathroom was very nice, wet room style shower and tub which was cool and unique. Housekeeping was really good. Welcome amenities for our birthday(s) and anniversary, very nice touch. Bed and sheets were comfortable Concierge pre-arrival was extremely helpful in setting up tour guides with transportation for our Kyoto tour and for Nara day trip. CONS: Arrival experience was CHAOTIC. Nothing serene or calm upon arrival here. Our luggage was transferred by the FS Tokyo Otemachi the prior day to the FS Kyoto and the concierge teams had texted via WhatsApp and included me on the group chat that our bags were on the way. I knew they were there since 10am the morning of our arrival because our apple tags showed they were at the hotel. When we checked in I asked if our bags were in our room and was told they had not arrived at the hotel yet. I explained that they were at the hotel and they debated me, but I had no choice but to wait for them to deliver them once they "received them". My tags were showing them on property since 10am. It was 3pm. It took them another hour to find them and have them delivered. FS Kyoto dropped the ball here. Breakfast was disappointing. Great selection but all the dishes that are hot on the buffet were luke warm at best, mostly cold. Dumplings, fried rice, eggs, bacon, everything was cold. I mentioned to the server and they brought out a kitchen or line cook and they checked the hot plates and shook their head. This happened 4 days in a row. I just asked our server to bring me or reheat the food. Very unlike any FS I have been at. Also, it was so busy, it felt like Disney World, and the floor manager was berating the servers in front of us for not cleaning the tables fast enough, etc. I did give this feedback on their survey and to the credit of the hotel, the GM reached out right away to apologize for the breakfast issues and for falling short on other things, but I told her it would not deter me from staying here or recommending this hotel as I believe it is the best in Kyoto. Just be prepared as Kyoto gets insanely crowded.

Exceptional and seamless stay at Four Seasons Kyoto. From the warm welcome to the smooth departure, every detail was thoughtfully handled. The staff were consistently attentive, the restaurant options were excellent, and the food and beverage quality was outstanding. The location is perfect for exploring Kyoto. Special thanks to the Concierge team for helping us create wonderful family memories in Kyoto.

The Four Seasons Kyoto was our second stop on our family vacation. The hotel was a beautiful and calm oasis. The entire team at the hotel was gracious, friendly and helpful. The rooms are spotless. We enjoyed every minute at the hotel. The breakfast was delicious. The total feel of the hotel is very serene. We are looking forward to returning to the hotel soon. Thank you Four Seasons for a lovely family vacation.