Inside Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, A Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa

The entrance to the Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto
730 565 Hamish Kilburn
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Inside Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, A Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa

Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, A Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa, has opened in the heart of Japan’s ancient capital – sheltering design by an international team of renowned architects and designers including Akira Kuryu, André Fu, Shunsaku Miyagi and Yohei Akao…

The entrance to the Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto

The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International Inc., has announced the opening of Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto, A Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa in Kyoto, Japan.

Once the private residence of the aristocratic Mitsui family, the property’s 300-year-old main entrance, the Kajiimiya Gate, still stands today. Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto resides in the heart of Kyoto, the only luxury hotel in the city centre with its own natural hot spring drawn from the thermal waters deep below ground. The hotel opens up to one of the world’s most enriching and desirable destination discoveries, including the 17th-century UNESCO World Heritage-listed Nijo Castle located directly opposite the hotel and other shrines, palaces and gardens.

An image at night of the traditional gate framing the entrance to the hotel

Image credit: Marriett International/Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto

“We are delighted to celebrate the expansion of The Luxury Collection here in Japan with the opening of Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto as the brand’s second iconic property in Kyoto, in partnership with Mitsui Fudosan Group,” said Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. “The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts are an ensemble of unique hotels across the world that celebrate authenticity and indigenousness in every destination. Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto is a wonderful addition to this very special collection, and we are confident that guests will enjoy its impeccable service as much as its beauty and surroundings.”

Thoughtfully designed by an international team of renowned architects and designers including Akira Kuryu, André Fu, Shunsaku Miyagi and Yohei Akao, Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto blends tradition with modernity. Throughout the hotel, guests will be inspired by the minimalist yet contemporary design, which creates a sense of comfort with natural luxury. The gardens express the beauty and serenity as expected of a classical Japanese garden.

The hotel’s 161 guest rooms and suites feature exquisite natural materials shaped by traditional artisanal skills. Each room reimagines elegance and relaxed luxury of traditional Japanese tea-rooms, and bathing areas in every room feature spacious bathtubs hewn from stone. Two Onsen Suites feature separate living rooms, private gardens and outdoor hot spring baths for a highly memorable experience of Japanese onsen traditions in complete luxury and privacy.

A modern suite inside the mitsui kyoto a luxury collection hotel and spa/

Image credit: Marriott International/Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto

Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto features two restaurants, a bar and lounge and a private dining space, all of which showcase Japanese and international epicurean experiences while offering breath-taking views of the hotel gardens. In the signature gastronomy teppan restaurant TOKI, guests are offered culinary specialties prepared on an open-plan steel teppan framed by a Kabazakura birch counter.

The hotel’s Italian restaurant FORNI features an okudosan, a traditional Japanese cooking range reimagined as a wood-burning oven for pizzas and roasts. The Garden Bar, meanwhile, offers the perfect space to enjoy afternoon tea, drinks and cocktails and SHIKI-NO-MA provides an exclusive dining venue in an elegant setting, ideal for private events.

The hotel’s unique thermal spring spa is a relaxing sanctuary of more than 1,000 square metres of space which includes a thermal onsen spring, two private onsen facilities, four spa treatment rooms and a fully-equipped gym.

“Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto represents the essence of Japan, as framed by the narrative of its history, culture, architecture, crafts and cuisine. We seek to express this essence in our brand concept of “Embracing Japan’s Beauty”,” said Jennie Toh, Vice President, Brand, Asia Pacific, Marriott International. “We have merged tradition and modernity across all aspects of our hotel design, culinary offerings and service. We look forward to welcoming guests to our hotel, and to usher them into a world of luxury inspired by the beauty and traditions of Japan.”

Since you’re here, why not read more about Marriott International’s expansion in the Asia Pacific region?

Main image credit: Marriott International/Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto

Hamish Kilburn / 19.11.2020

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