| Nightly rate (incl. taxes/fees) | 85k Free Night Cert + 3k points |
| Length of stay | 1 night |
| Membership level | Titanium Elite (Marriott Bonvoy) |
What benefits to expect when you stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium Elite member?
The hotel opened in 2014, with a total of 134 guest rooms.
This property is a Marriott Bonvoy award sweet spot. Purchasing and redeeming Marriott points is often cheaper than paying the cash rate (over US$1,400 for the base room).
Related: Best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points
Location
The hotel is located on the banks of the Kamogawa River, with sweeping views of the Higashiyama mountains.
- 5 mins walk to Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae subway station
- 20 mins train to Kyoto station
- 1 hr 30 mins train to Itami Airport (ITM)
- 2 hrs 10 mins train to Kansai International Airport (KIX)
The area around the hotel was really nice to walk around in. One can also cross the Kamogawa River, to get to the hotel, via some stepping stones.
Arrival
Upon arrival, we were assisted with our luggages before being directed to The Lobby Lounge, to complete the check-in process.
I’d booked the standard Deluxe room with city view and, as a Titanium member, was upgraded to the Kamogawa Suite, on the morning of my stay. That’s a 7-category upgrade! This suite usually sells for about JPY 380,000 (US$2,500) a night.
We arrived at around 11am in the morning, and planned to just leave our luggages there, before heading out to lunch. To our delight, the suite was already prepared when we arrived!
I’d also requested for a 4pm check out the next day, and it was immediately confirmed during the check in process.
Kamogawa Suite
The Kamogawa Suite is 126 sqm / 1,356 sqft in size.
The suite boasts panoramic views of the Kamogawa river and Higashiyama mountains (on a clear day). I really liked the traditional Japanese furnishing, which are very well-maintained, for a 10-year-old hotel.
Unique amenities
The hotel included some lovely, localized amenities in the room.
Internet speed
The WiFi speed was very good during my stay.
Breakfast
The Ritz-Carlton hotels are not required to provide complimentary breakfast to Platinum members and above, but this hotel does. To be honest, I wouldn’t have stayed here if breakfast wasn’t included, because this is a travel hacking blog.
Guests can enjoy breakfast at La Locanda restaurant. The receptionist also mentioned that I could have breakfast delivered to the suite, at no charge. I chose an in-room breakfast, of course!
We picked a Western and Japanese meal. While the Western meal included delicious croissant, muffin and French toast, it wasn’t nearly as memorable as the Japanese meal.
To have in-room breakfast, I hung my order at the door, in the evening prior.
Other facilities
My ratings
This is how I am rating my stay, after considering what I paid:
| Breakfast | 10/10 | Club lounge | – |
| Service | 10/10 | Peace & quiet | 10/10 |
| Location | 9/10 | Facilities | 10/10 |
| Room furnishing | 9/10 | Elite member recognition | 10/10 |
| View (from the room) | 10/10 | Value | 9/10 |
Bottom line
Early check-in, generous upgrade, gorgeous view, vibey surrounding area, unique in-room amenities, and a 4pm check out. I think it’s clear that this hotel excels at recognizing loyalty members.
I had high expectations for this stay after reading rave reviews of this property on Flyertalk forum, and I wasn’t disappointed one bit. What a perfect stay.
Remember to buy and redeem Marriott points for a stay in this property, as it’s almost always guaranteed to be cheaper.
Sweet Spots: Best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points
