Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Kyoto

Exterior Hyatt Place Kyoto (photo: Hyatt.com)

Most Hyatt Place hotels are somewhat formulaic, which is not a terrible thing per se – after all, you know what to expect, and that is what you receive. With a cookie cutter hotel, there are no surprises – you get a clean hotel, with familiar furniture at a reasonable price.  Previously, I’ve only stayed at one Hyatt Place hotel that really stood out in my mind – Hyatt Place Los Cabos, in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico.

Enter Hyatt Place Kyoto.

Before I continue, I note that I had thought that all Hyatt Place hotels worldwide also promised a predictable breakfast included in the price, but I’ve since learned that outside the United States, many Hyatt Place hotels charge for breakfast.

I visited Kyoto in March, soon after Japan opened to foreigners and before Cherry Blossom season. Consequently, the country was not yet crowded with tourists and the prices were quite modest. In retrospect, I was very lucky to be traveling when I was.

Hotel Lobby

I had a hard time deciding where to stay in Kyoto. I  had reservations at all three Hyatt-branded hotels in Kyoto – the Park Hyatt, the Hyatt Regency (which I stayed at in 2014, see Review), and the Hyatt Place.

All three hotels are very well reviewed, but ultimately, I chose the newest and most economical of the three hotels, the Hyatt Place. I’d heard wonderful things about the hotel and the price was hard to beat – under $500 for five nights.

The check-in process was easy.

I can confirm the hotel was clean, and conveniently located (next to a subway stop) and overall very enjoyable.

hotel hallway

The hotel room was new and clean. I liked the fact that the room had a small couch and table. That made the space more functional and user friendly. The room wasn’t large, but we were out sightseeing a lot of the time, so we were okay with it. Did it compare to a Park Hyatt? No, of course not.

I previously praised the breakfast at the hotel. I liked everything except for the runny eggs (see, Hyatt Place Kyoto: No Free Breakfast for You). Overall, the hotel breakfast was quite a few steps (or perhaps leaps) up from the Hyatt Place breakfasts we are accustomed to in the United States. The Hyatt Place Kyoto breakfast included a nice mix of eastern and western food items and everything was fresh. When I visited, breakfast was complementary for all guests. Since August 1st, it is complementary only for World of Hyatt Globalist members, and 2,600 Yen for others.

The hotel has a laundry room with some of those newfangled washer dryer machines that are supposed to do everything for you. The wash came out wet, so we had to hang items to dry around the room. But the clothes were clean!

The hotel has a gym, complete with modern Precor equipment, which is pretty impressive for an international Hyatt Place hotel.

At first the hotel seemed a bit far from everything, but then as we acclimated to the region, everything got closer. We were very happy with our stay at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, and would recommend it.