Kyoto's best hotels, as chosen by Conde Nast Traveller's global editors
Kyoto is a city famed for its culture-drenched landscape of ancient temples, trails of scarlet shrine gates, and serenely still tea rooms. From calming onsens and contemporary art retreats to centuries-old ryokan inns and buzzy urban landmarks, there's so much to do and see around the city. Now is a good time to add “hotels” to the list, as well, thanks to the boom in both quantity and diversity of properties.
Perhaps you're looking for something more at the traditional end of the spectrum, like the quiet sanctuaries found at generations-old Ryokan inns. Here, the art of omotenashi hospitality reaches hushed new heights through its sliding screens, meditative gardens, and intuitively gentle kimono-clad staff. Or you may be more interested in one of the contemporary newcomers, from the high-end deluxe resorts and five-star onsen retreats to the modern holistic wellness sanctuaries and art-packed properties. No matter what you're looking for or who you're travelling with, there's a Kyoto hotel perfect for you.
Editor's picks
- For families: The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
- For couples: Aman Kyoto
- With an onsen: Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto
How we choose the best hotels in Kyoto
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve. For more information on how we review hotels and restaurants, please look at our About Us page.
More Kyoto recommendations
Christopher CyperthotelThe Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
$$$Featured in our Gold List of the best hotels in the world 2026
When you arrive at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, you leave behind the chaotic energy of a tourist-filled city and enter a luxe sanctuary. The landmark hotel was the first big international luxury brand to open in the ancient city, in 2014, and its star power shines as bright today. Situated in a peaceful site overlooking the Kamogawa River, the hotel is a layered contemporary expression of ancient Kyoto. Here, high luxury harmonises with low-key Kyoto discretion. It’s a place where off-duty Hollywood celebs sip tea or cocktails alongside generations-old Kyoto families.
In the guest rooms, you’ll find cherry blossom carpets, intricate woodwork, calligraphic artworks, and large bathrooms. Dining options span the globe: Japanese fare at Mizuki, dishes inspired by the country’s 72 micro-seasons at Chef’s Table by Katsuhito Inoue, and Italian specialities at laid-back La Locanda. And for those suffering from Kyoto-temple fatigue? Recovery is nonnegotiable in the moodily lit wellness spaces—whether swimming laps in the basement pool or drifting off with a green tea massage in the spa. Danielle Demetriou
Courtesy Hotel The Mitsui KyotohotelHotel The Mitsui Kyoto, a Luxury Collection Hotel
It’s a bold move to open a design-forward property in a city that has fully tied its identity to the past. Even bolder to build it on the exact site where the long-prominent Mitsui family had a residence from the late 1600s to the 1940s. But once you hear the storybook ending – how in 2015 the Mitsui corporation’s real estate arm bought back this beloved parcel of land – it makes sense. While the sleek André Fu–designed spaces break from Kyoto’s usual decor tropes, the past is everywhere. See, for instance, the 300-year-old wooden gate that once demarcated the original estate. There are subtle signifiers too: a long corridor with blond wood arches that echo the maze of torii gates at Kyoto’s famed Fushimi Inari shrine, a ceiling installation inspired by kimono fabric. But it’s the practical yet cosseting touches – the neatly folded pyjama set that appears at turndown, the sprawling underground onsen – that will shape this next chapter of the Mitsui legacy. Rebecca Misner
Courtesy MarriotthotelSuiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto
$$$Set in the Arashiyama district on the western side of Kyoto (an area frequented by Japanese nobles of years gone by), Suiran sits seamlessly on the jade waters of the Katsura river. The original buildings, which now house the restaurants and lobby, are constructed around beautifully manicured Japanese gardens, and sunlight-dappled pebble-stone pathways lead the way to the more modern low-rise buildings that house the rooms. Yukata-clad staff welcome you warmly with a hot towel and tea whilst discretely whisking your luggage off to your room, leaving you to enjoy the serene surroundings, bathed in light and soothed by the sounds of flowing water. Here, chaotic city life is a distant memory and the deliberate and un-rushed pace is the catalyst for achieving a state of repose.
Courtesy Hoshinoya, KyotohotelHoshinoya Kyoto
$$$The Hoshinoya, Kyoto, a hybrid ryokan-hotel, is made up of a series of low buildings inspired by traditional Japanese houses that cling to the banks above the Hozugawa River in the temple-rich Arashiyama district, and is accessible only by a lazy boat ride in a hinoki (Japanese cedar) vessel. Its 25 elegant rooms are also redolent of cedar, and although they don’t have TVs, they do have heated wooden floors, hand-blocked wallpaper, shoji-inspired sliding glass doors, and picture windows (all the better to lean out and watch the foxes, deer, and occasional monkey that prance through the forest), deep cedar soaking tubs, and lofty duvets that sigh when you flop down on them. From the iron lanterns that light the moss-traced stone walkways to the lashed bamboo fences, every detail has been well-considered. In lieu of a bar, there’s a library, refreshed throughout the day with complimentary snacks by the gracious staff (who speak excellent English). As in a traditional ryokan, there are some restrictions – the boat back to the docks runs only from 8am to 9pm but Hoshinoya is a retreat not only from town but from modernity. At night, after you’ve eaten an excellent Japanese or French meal and changed into the provided lounging clothes (complete with raw-silk robes), you can sit in the Zen rock garden, look up at the star-smeared sky, and forget what century you’re in.
Courtesy Ace Hotel KyotohotelAce Hotel Kyoto
Modern-Americana-meets-handcrafted-Kyoto is not a conventional formula – yet Ace brand’s first Asia outpost was always going to break rules as well as turn heads. In an ancient Japanese capital famed for its aesthetic discretion (latticed facades, minimal tea rooms, sliding screens), the direction here is unapologetically unorthodox. From tacos and DJ parties to paper lanterns and temple-inspired joinery, it’s a confident cross-pollination of east and west courtesy of LA-based Commune Design and Japanese architect Kengo Kuma (plus 50 homegrown artisans). First is its size: the hotel inhabits a cavernous century-old building known as the Shin-Puh-Kan, plus a new build with a striking angular gridded facade whose abstract lines hint at the city’s famed townhouses. In the lobby, music fills the industrial-edged space, with young staff in striped jackets hovering by a shiny pink copper front desk as round as a rubber ring. Rainbow-bright bursts of contemporary artwork cover the walls, while local creatives gather beneath a high timber ceiling at a long communal table, and craft coffee lovers can get a taste of Portland at the hotel’s on-site Stumptown Coffee. The compact guest rooms mix up Judd-inspired benches and TEAC turntables with washi-ceilings and tatami areas plus vintage-tinged textiles and bold artworks. Food belongs unwaveringly in the US camp: zesty tacos – a Kyoto novelty – at Piopiko (by Wes Avila of LA’s Guerilla Tacos); and quality comfort food at Mr Maurice’s Italian, by Marc Vetri. Another highlight is Kosa directed by chef Katy Cole; enjoy modern farm-to-table treats and natural wines in a contemporary tea room-inspired space, with vast paper lanterns crafted at a centuries-old atelier – an unapologetic finale to perhaps the ancient city’s most novel hotel yet. Danielle Demetriou
Six SenseshotelSix Senses Kyoto
Right in the heart of Higashiyama, a scenic (and busy) downtown area famed for its constellation of temples, shrines, and cultural landmarks, sits the serene haven of Six Senses. From its contemporary design and wellness rituals to its sustainability efforts and locally sourced ingredients, the property is perfectly steeped in the surrounding ancient former capital. In typical Six Senses fashion, the spa is also quite impressive. Here guests can enjoy four treatment rooms inspired by the senses, an Alchemy Bar, an Herbal Tea Lounge, a Watsu pool, a larger pool, a Biohack recovery lounge, and a studio for meditation and yoga. After a long day of relaxing, head to one of the 81 spacious rooms and suites overlooking either Toyokuni Shrine or the plant-filled inner courtyard. Finish off your night with a delicious meal at Sekki – the Japanese word for season – with their ever-changing menu tapping into Japan’s calendar of 24 subtly shifting micro-seasons. Danielle Demetriou
Courtesy Aman KyotohotelAman Kyoto
As fresh as the first cherry blossom, Aman Kyoto feels as if it could have existed for centuries, which sets it apart among the flurry of new hotel openings in the city. This delightfully out-of-time quality has much to do with its setting: 80 serene acres of woodland, dense with maples, crosshatched by stone paths and fast-flowing streams. It’s a city hotel enfolded in nature. The aura also comes from the late architect Kerry Hill’s knack for merging traditional and contemporary. Containing just 28 bedrooms, Aman Kyoto’s six pavilions have latticed walls and pitched roofs that echo the forms of machiya houses; every bathroom has its own wooden ofuro tub. Another factor in Aman Kyoto’s curious magic is its slow genesis. Between its conception and completion, Vladislav Doronin acquired Aman, owner Adrian Zecha stepped down, and Hill passed away. Thus, Aman Kyoto bridges old Aman and new Aman, embodying all that has made the brand so exciting and influential. Steve King
Ben RichardshotelThe Shinmonzen
A smooth modern riff on a traditional ryokan inn (and the chic little sister of Villa la Coste in the South of France), The Shinmonzen sits on a quiet lane in Kyoto’s Gion district, with a traditional-style wood façade leading to a contemporary interior cocktail of modern design and world-class artwork. Each of the individually designed suites is flooded with natural light and showcases a smooth mix of modern Kyoto craftsmanship (picture minimalist screens and hinoki cypress-wood bathtubs) and hints of its Provençal DNA (as reflected in the lingering scent of jasmine from each of the balconies overlooking the river). Danielle Demetriou
GettyhotelHiiragiya
Discovering this ancient ryokan is part of the fun. The namesake wild holly protruding from the eaves lends a certain natural element to the environment. Creaky floors, cypress tubs with hot steam water, and tatami mats heighten the senses at each turn. In-room dining is a must: Slip into your robe and hunker down on your tatami for an in-room kaiseki meal of simmered razor clams, billowy yuba dumplings, tender bamboo shoots, and sea urchin chawanmushi served on handmade Kiyomizu ceramics. It's on a quiet back street and just one street away from a main thoroughfare, but you would never know. It's so quiet, I could hear a white eye warbler tweeting in my private moss garden. This is an intimate Kyoto experience that the big chains cannot offer. Adam Graham
Courtesy Park Hyatt KyotohotelPark Hyatt Kyoto
A plaque honouring the partnership of the Pritzker, Takenaka, and Kyoyamato families in the gravel garden entrance of Kyoto’s Park Hyatt is overlooked by most travellers. But to Japanese guests, it’s an assurance of being in good hands in the newly opened 70-room masterpiece of Japanese architecture built into Higashiyama’s temple-dense hillside. The true meaning of this plaque deserves some unpacking. The Pritzkers get a mention because they’re the American family behind the Hyatt and the iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo. Takenaka, the builders, are a 17th-generation Kyoto construction company responsible for many of Japan's temples, shrines, ryokan, and skyscrapers. And Kyoyamato, because the 360-year-old wooden tea house standing among the hotel's modern buildings has been and remains their family restaurant, a warren of immaculately restored tatami mat rooms offering kaiseki meals and garden views. The Park Hyatt’s interiors are the work of Tony Chi, who used fragrant ash wood for the angular ceilings, basalt stone work, and shoji screens made with local washi paper to create serene rooms. He also commissioned the legendary 16th-generation potter Asayaki-san in nearby Uji for the tableware, weaving a golden thread of heritage through this utmost of modern hotels. Adam Graham
Shinsho-anhotelShinsho-an
The atmosphere leans more toward luxurious private home than hotel at Shinsho-an, in both scale and ambience. Sleek interiors use top-quality materials sourced from across Japan with contemporary design touches, adding to the scene-stealing modern Kyoto restaurant and next-level hospitality – right down to the cashmere-covered hot-water bottles you can request beneath the sheets at night. Each of the four suites is uniquely designed and extremely spacious, with minimalist flower arrangements by one of Japan’s oldest florists. All meals are created by Michelin-starred chef Toshiro Ogata, from mouth-melting squid sashimi at breakfast to the nine-course omakase dinner. Danielle Demetriou
Maana homes KyotoMaana Homes
Located down a quiet, narrow lane near the 16th-century Toyokuni Shrine in Kyoto’s culture-packed Higashiyama district, here "over-tourism” will feel like a distant dream. The property is a serene hat trick of suites, smoothly renovated across a network of century-old traditional machiya townhouses. The three unique spaces, which each sleep between two and four people, bring a taste of ancient Kyoto to the modern world through design, craftsmanship, materials, and atmosphere: sweeps of sand-toned walls, bathtubs crafted from Shigaraki clay, and curated Kyoto antiques find their home alongside more contemporary and international design notes like sculptural French pendant lights and clean-lined Danish sofas. The contemporary riff on Kyoto aesthetics continues in the on-site sister café Kissa Kishin (farm-to-table breakfast highlights include the soft and tasty bread made from amazake and koji). Kiyomizudera is the newest (and largest) Maana Homes space in Kyoto; It also operates two standalone machiya houses, Maana Kamo and Maana Kyoto. Danielle Demetriou
