The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto

A truly outstanding hotel in every respect. The location is convenient to everything we wanted to do. The rooms are spacious, spotless and had every amenity one could wish for in addition to lovely decor. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet (don’t miss the authentic French croissants) and a birthday teppan dinner. The chef even prepared a no-fish custom menu for us. One of the highlights of our stay - the Ritz bicycle tours of Kyoto sights hosted by our very capable and engaging guide Victoria. The staff made us feel welcome and we would definitely stay here again.

We had the most perfect visit to the RC Kyoto. The best way to describe it is serene and frictionless. Service is impeccable and they really try to anticipate your needs before you have to say anything. We really enjoyed the garden view rooms and all of the small touches in the room go a long way to make for a memorable visit. Don't miss out of the hotel pool and spa amenities as well as the morning bike tour at 6:30am. It was the highlight of our trip. We can't wait to return.

Having stayed in many luxury hotels around the world and in context of the exorbitant amount we paid for our stay (over ¥300,000 / US$2,100 per room per night for a regular king room : US$8,500 for our 2 night stay for 2 rooms), we are EXTREMELY disappointed. This is the worst room we have stayed in at in any Ritz Carlton, or in fact in any luxury hotel in the world. We booked connected king rooms as we were traveling with our young kids. Unlike the photos advertised on the website and platforms like Trip advisor, our rooms overlooked a graveyard and a multitude of buildings with hundreds of windows looking directly into us vs. the beautiful river view advertised on the website and travel platforms. I have attached photos. It was eerie and absolutely disappointing to have this kind of a view at this kind of a hotel in a beautiful city like Kyoto. Again I want to reiterate, for the price paid, the room was not worth it AT ALL. Moreover given ~50% of rooms in the hotel have this morbid / graveyard view, we felt it was grossly mis sold and mis advertised as there are no photos of this anywhere. When we brought this up with the hotel manager Midori, at first we were told to pay an additional ¥60,000 per room per night to switch to connecting rooms with a river view, then it was suggested we move to a river view room (complementary) but separate from our children who they will not upgrade. Again for a Ritz Carlton and for the amount we had already paid, the service and the way they dealt with this issue was extremely disappointing. We regret picking this hotel. For this amount we could have picked any of the beautiful luxury hotels in Kyoto. I wish we had. This experience at the hotel really ruined our trip to Kyoto. Please check ahead about the room type and view before booking. And be aware that the staff will not be accommodating at all. I do wish to highlight that the concierge was very knowledgeable and helpful.

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto was superb in every way. The service we received from the wonderful team, from check-in until we departed, was excellent. The entire staff was perfectly trained for their particular roles. The rooms and hotel facilities were impeccable, spacious, and beautiful. The food at the restaurants, including the glorious breakfast buffet, was sublime. I can’t recommend this magnificent hotel highly enough!

Hands down by far THE BEST overall hotel I have ever stayed at! The hotel is a nice property with very clean traditional but modern aesthetics. It’s located just a short walk outside of the tourist area along the Kanagawa River, which has a nice walking path to enjoy the outdoors. By far, what elevates the Ritz Kyoto to a whole other level is its customer service and attention to detail. It started with my email correspondence before my visit. Navigating direct Japan restaurant booking was somewhat difficult, so I emailed the hotel for help with finding a restaurant and booking it. The emails were always responded timely by the concierge staff and when I checked in, I was given restaurant directions to:from the hotel to give the taxi driver. When I entered or left the property, the staff went out of their way to ask me if I needed any assistance, whether it was directions, taxi service, restaurant recommendations, etc. They were always one step ahead of me offering assistance before I even realized I needed it! Megumi O in Guest Experience provided fantastic check-in experience, so helpful and accommodating. The absolute standout was N Sakamoto at the front desk. Thank you for providing such caring customer service for my friend who was fatigued and rested at the hotel while I was out. It was very much appreciated. The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty recognition is outstanding at this property! I could go on and on, but the bottom line, if you want the best, stay here!