The Hyatt portfolio has just gained a new aspirational property as the brand new Park Hyatt Kyoto opened it’s doors to guests yesterday, October 30th 2019.
Park Hyatt Kyoto features a tiny 70 room/suites operation and is located in the heart of Kyoto, Japan which is a favorite destination for many domestic and foreign Japan travelers.
This has been a long awaited hotel opening and Hyatt apparently left nothing to chance as they were preparing for the premiere of this new Kyoto flagship property with the Hyatt Regency Kyoto also being a longtime favorite with Hyatt loyalists.
October 30th marked the opening day for the new hotel which will be extremely popular and in all likelihood prohibitively expensive unless you have lots of points to spend (high rates are pretty much a must to make such a small operation profitable).
You can find Hyatt’s press release regarding the opening here.
Hyatt announced today the opening of Park Hyatt Kyoto. Set in the heart of this noble city with centuries of history and heritage, Park Hyatt Kyoto unfolds a journey of discovery with enriching, sophisticated and rare experiences.
Park Hyatt Kyoto is located in one of the city’s best-preserved historic districts, Higashiyama hills. The region, known as the birthplace of traditions such as the Japanese tea ceremony, the Ikebana flower arrangement and Japanese Zen gardens, will offer a rich foundation for the hotel. Park Hyatt Kyoto embodies the quintessential Japanese guesthouse, offering a serene Higashiyama hillside retreat for discerning global travelers and local residents. The hotel is next to Kodai-ji temple and within walking distance to many of Kyoto’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Kiyomizu-dera temple, and offers sweeping views of the city and Yasaka Pagoda. Park Hyatt Kyoto is located less than one mile (1.5 kilometers) from the Kyoto train station, which connects travelers to Tokyo in just over two hours via the Nozomi Shinkansen bullet train.
“We are delighted to celebrate the opening of Park Hyatt Kyoto, the second Park Hyatt hotel in Japan in 25 years, and to offer guests a refined home-away-from-home in this remarkable city,” said David Udell, group president, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “We are grateful to the hotel’s owners, Kyoyamato and Takenaka Corporation, for their trust, support and deep understanding of luxury hospitality. Park Hyatt Kyoto is a celebration of Japanese harmony and tranquility and we look forward to seeing guests immerse themselves in the city’s inspiring heritage and culture.”
Located within the same grounds as Park Hyatt Kyoto, guests can find a historic garden with steps leading to Kyoyamato, a traditional ryotei and culinary institution which opened in 1877 and serves authentic, seasonally inspired Kaiseki cuisine. Kyoyamato, one of the hotel’s owners, is a seven-generation, family-run business and consists of several historic buildings including “Soyotei,” a teahouse from the Edo era with a private room where feudal warlords once secretly met. Its storied gardens and traditional houses complement the hotel’s modern interpretation of classical Japanese architecture and intimate hospitality.
“We are excited to introduce the Park Hyatt brand of personal and exceptional hospitality in a special place like Kyoto and look forward to unlocking the unique character of Japan’s ancient capital of high arts and craft,” said Mark de Leeuwerk, general manager, Park Hyatt Kyoto. “It has been a privilege for us to work closely with our neighbors in Higashiyama as well as the artisans and craftsmen of this beautiful city.”
Concept and Design
Park Hyatt Kyoto is a modern interpretation of Japanese hospitality steeped in culture and place, immersing guests in nature. Jointly developed by Takenaka Corporation – one of the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in Japan, and Tony Chi and Associates, an award-winning interior design firm – the hotel’s design and construction incorporates traditional Japanese design, architecture and artisanal craftsmanship. Several historic buildings including an Edo-era teahouse, as well as the Japanese garden that is central to the site, have been preserved and carefully restored.
Guestrooms
The low-rise hotel features 70 guest rooms, including nine suites, offering calm and respite from the bustle of Higashiyama’s neighboring streets. The elegantly designed rooms and suites highlight local craftsmanship and materials such as fragrant Tamo wood, original artwork and Zen garden views. …
I’m surprised that even for this property Hyatt went back to Tony Chi instead of having someone completely independent design the property. I don’t want to knock it before I’ve seen it but since their offices became involved with Hyatt you can see vast similarities in all of their properties which have been renovated or newly opened.
The General Manager of the hotel, Mark de Leeuwerk (below, to the right), recently worked at Park Hyatt Tokyo and before that at Grand Hyatt Bangkok. He is a real professional with huge hospitality experience (and spirit) so no doubt the property will be run well.
Now the most important question that people will ask: How much is this hotel and how to stay there?
Well, not surprising it’s in the top category (7) which requires 30,000 points per night but that seems rather low when you consider their average published rates at this point:
Compare that to the revenue rate and even before tax and service charge (substantial) those rate are sky high: 
I wasn’t able to find availability on a single day for a Park Suite or any of the premium suites featured on the hotels website :
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Park Hyatt Kyoto is going to seek an exception from the Globalist Suite Upgrade program just as Park Hyatt Sydney and a couple other properties have done. I can’t see how the hotel would function otherwise considering they have so few suites in a 70 room hotel.
That being said, if the suites listed above can be booked on points or the higher ones even as premium suites, oh boy even the thought of it makes my mouth water!
Members staying at this new hotel can also take advantage of the following offer:
Special Offer
To provide World of Hyatt members even more ways to be rewarded, World of Hyatt is offering members the opportunity to earn 500 Bonus Points for qualifying nights at Park Hyatt Kyoto from October 30, 2019 to January 31, 2020 part of World of Hyatt’s new hotel member offer. Additional participating hotels and their offer stay periods can be found at worldofhyatt.com/newhotelbonus. No registration is required and members can earn on top of other offers.
Terms & Conditions
Offer valid for 500 Bonus Points for each qualifying night stayed by World of Hyatt members in good standing during a hotel’s offer period at participating hotels and resorts. Offer valid at participating hotels and resorts for stays with a checkout date during each hotel’s offer period. For each hotel’s offer period, visit worldofhyatt.com/newhotelbonus. To be eligible for this offer you must be a World of Hyatt member in good standing at time of reservation and stay, stay at a participating hotel with a checkout date during that hotel’s offer period, provide your World of Hyatt membership number at time of check-in, and either pay an Eligible Rate or redeem a free night award.
So essentially 29,500 points per night to stay at the Park Hyatt Kyoto.
Conclusion
Certainly one of the most anticipated openings in the Hyatt world in recent times. I can’t wait to try it in the next couple months, latest in April during Sakura in Japan. If one desired to stay here it makes earning Hyatt points through various channels such as via credit card (Hyatt Visa / Ultimate Rewards) or even buying points through promotions extremely worthwhile.
Also there is the annual Category 7 free night for Hyatt Globalists which I might very well use at this hotel if my schedule allows. Usually I always used it at Park Hyatt Tokyo.
