With the recent Hyatt award chart changes, the Hyatt Place Kyoto is one of the hotels making a rare downgrade in a category. It was previously a Category 3 Hyatt hotel, but as of March 26, 2024, it is a Category 2. This makes standard nights only 8k points per night!

While traveling during the Sakura (cherry blossom) season, we were in Kyoto during their peak rates. I had originally booked each room for the Category 3 peak rate of 15k points per night, making our stay for two rooms for three nights 90k points total. We happened to check in on the date the new award changes went into effect and received an automatic refund of 5,500 points for each night for each room! This gives me 33k points right back in my Hyatt account.

Jess previously stayed at the Park Hyatt Kyoto, but if you need a more family-friendly (and lower points-priced) hotel in Kyoto, the Hyatt Place Kyoto is perfect. In my opinion, this hotel was worth it at the previous Category 3 rating. And now, at the new Category 2 rating, I’d consider this hotel a steal!

 

How to Get to Hyatt Place Kyoto From Kyoto Station

We arrived in Kyoto via train from Osaka. Kyoto Station was easy to navigate from the JR line to the local subway line. We bought our tickets and hopped on the next subway to Marutamachi Station. After getting off the train, we followed the signs to exit doors number 5 and 6. Once we exited door number 6, we turned left and walked right into the Hyatt Place front entrance.

This hotel’s location is great for getting around to most of the sightseeing spots. We even walked back to our hotel from the Nishiki Market, which was only about 20 minutes.

 

 

Hyatt Place Kyoto Check-In

We arrived at Hyatt Place Kyoto around 2 p.m. and stopped at the front desk to check in. When I booked our reservations, I requested connecting rooms. Unfortunately, at check-in, our rooms were about six rooms apart. My husband asked if they had connecting rooms available, and after a little searching (and commenting on how this is their busy season), the front desk attendant found us connecting rooms!

We left our bags at the front desk and walked to the Imperial Palace to get dinner. We returned to the hotel around 4:15 pm to collect our room keys and bags. At this point, the lobby was mobbed with people. It looked like two separate tour groups had been dropped off to get into their rooms as well. Luckily, since we pre-registered earlier in the day, we could quickly get our room keys and bags and head straight to our rooms.

It was also lovely to see all the cherry blossom decorations as we were here right as they bloomed at the end of March.

 

 

Next to the front desk is a bar. During check-in hours, they have bins of amenity items for you to grab if you need them. They had cotton swabs, razors, small towels, and hair brushes.

In the evening, there is a full bar with snacks for purchase. During our stay, it looked like they had some ice cream bars, fruit bowls, yogurt, and small sandwiches.

 

 

They gave our kids an amenity kit with a bath sponge, toothbrush, slippers, and activity booklet.

 

 

 

Hyatt Place Kyoto Rooms – King Room Connecting Two-Twin Room

Hyatt Place Kyoto is a Category 2 hotel now. Standard rates are 8,000 points per night. Off-peak rates are 6,500, and Peak rates are 9,500. A king room with a king-sized bed and a single fold-out chair is available. A two-twin room with a single fold-out chair is also a standard option. The max occupancy per room is 2-3 people. Due to this, we had to reserve two rooms for our family of 5.

This hotel is very new, having opened in 2021. Our two rooms were modern and spacious. Everything in the room was very nice and new, from the beds to the bedding to the towels. They even provided pajamas and slippers.

 

 

 

Hyatt Place Kyoto Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast runs from 6:30 am to 10 am. This is one of the few unique Hyatt Place hotels that does NOT offer free breakfast included in your rate. Globalists will receive free breakfast, but everyone else has to pay. During our stay, it was 2,600 yen ($17.15) for adults and 1,300 yen ($8.60) for kids.

Breakfast was a buffet served at the rear of the hotel lobby. I really appreciated that it opened at 6:30 am so that we could get to the busy tourist sites before the crowds.

We were there right at 6:30 a.m. on all three mornings, and there was barely anyone. They had a poster with the crowd expectations, and it noted that 7:30 a.m.- 9 a.m. is their busiest timeframe.

 

 

Breakfast is set up as a buffet, with chefs making different types of eggs and omelets. There is a nice mix of Western and Japanese foods. The food options included rice, salmon, three types of soups, coffee machine, pastries, yogurt, fruit, hash browns, sausage, and cereal. Drink options were milk, water, apple juice, orange juice, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

 

 

Hyatt Place Kyoto Amenities

While breakfast was not included, unlimited coffee and tea were available in the lobby. There is also a small 24/7 gym and laundry room. A fully stocked bar in the lobby with some small bite options is also available, along with free Nespresso coffee machines.

I have to say, Japan has had the best laundry facilities at their hotels. Their machines automatically add laundry detergent for you, so there is no need to pack that.

We traveled for 2.5 weeks with only three carry-on suitcases for our family of 5, so I did laundry twice during our trip. At the Hyatt Place Kyoto, I paid 400 yen for a wash cycle and hung our clothes to dry overnight in our rooms.

 

 

Bottom Line

With the recent Hyatt award changes moving the Hyatt Place Kyoto down to a Category 2 Hyatt hotel, I think this hotel is a no-brainer for families needing two rooms in Kyoto, Japan. It is in a great walkable location, next to a big subway stop. Our two connecting rooms gave our family of five tons of space to spread out, too. We definitely give this hotel two thumbs up for a family trip to Japan.

 

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