DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama {JPN}
Mar 16, 2023, 6:37 am
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,512
DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama {JPN}
A third Hilton-branded property in Kyoto, DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama, is scheduled to open in August 2023 but is not yet accepting reservations as of mid-March 2023. The 158-room rebranded hotel was previously Hotel Senren Kyoto Higashiyama Kiyomizu which only opened in March 2021.
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/itm...o-higashiyama/
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/itm...o-higashiyama/
Aug 6, 2023, 7:08 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2020
Programs: Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3
Currently debating between this new property and the HGI (looks about 1 year old) at the moment for a trip later this fall. I had a pretty rough experience at a brand new hotel last year so even though I'm intrigued by the Doubletree, I'm a bit cautious about booking it within weeks of a proposed opening.
Sep 10, 2023, 3:15 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,699
I just booked at this property for mid-October and am too contemplating whether to go for it, or change to the HGI. First time in Kyoto other than a day-trip pre-covid, so any recommendations or suggestions between the location of the two would be warmly welcomed.
Oct 2, 2023, 3:13 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 946
I stayed here recently so thought I would share a random collection of thoughts.
Location
Hotel facilities
Room
Diamond recognition
Bottom line
I liked the hotel a lot, both despite and because of its quirks. Pricing seemed very reasonable for the quality of the hotel - more than the HGI but significantly less than the Hyatt Regency. I would stay again as long as the pricing still made sense to me although I did feel that prices could probably go higher as the hotel becomes more well known.
Location
- In response to the question immediately above, I didn’t come across the HGI on my trip so can’t compare the two locations.
- The DoubleTree’slocation is fine but not excellent. It’s a short walk to the river and the street in front of the hotel has a bridge crossing the river. It’s a 10-15 minute walk to Gion and can be a very pleasant walk depending on which street you take up.
- The immediate area is fairly residential but there are some small restaurants nearby and across the street there’s a Family Mart, Lawson’s and 7-Eleven.
- The nearest train station (Kiyomizu-Gojo on the Keihan Main Line) is around two blocks away. The Keihan Main Line doesn’t go to Kyoto station (for shinkansen services) but it does offer a fairly easy route to parts of Osaka. It’s a simple cross-platform change to get to the Conrad in Osaka, for example. That sounds convenient but the Limited Express service doesn’t stop at this station - it’s either one stop & a train change or about 10-15 minutes walk to Shichijō station for the limited express.
- Tourist sites in Kyoto are pretty spread out and transit connections aren’t always the best so I wouldn’t say the location is a big negative - just something to be aware of.
- Also, just a note on actually finding the hotel - I walked past the entrance when I arrived. There was a signboard outside the entrance with F&B specials and it doesn’t look like a typical hotel entrance so I mistook it for the restaurant. I was wrong (there’s only one guest entrance at the northwest corner of the hotel).
- Rooms on the north side of the hotel face a major road. I don’t know what soundproofing is like. I faced another hotel (see below).
Hotel facilities
- The hotel has a modern minimalist Japanese design inside and out. It felt effortlessly cool.
- There is a public baths facility in the hotel. It’s basically an onsen but it doesn’t use spring water so they can’t call it an onsen.
- There is no lounge.
- There is a basic gym. Think some free weights, two benches, one combined resistance machine and some cardio equipment.
- The hotel has really focused on reducing plastics. Water is in refillable glass bottles. Two bottles are placed in the mini fridge and refills are on the lobby level or the first floor. Still and sparkling are available. I think this is a pro but I noticed it mentioned as a negative by some Chinese language reviews on one of the OTA sites so YMMV.
- On the plastics front: key cards are made from wood. Very nice!
Room
- I had a deluxe tatami room. Distinctive and nice not to be in a cookie cutter room. With that said, the setup isn’t conducive for working. In particular, the table and chairs are quite low, so sitting with a laptop for an extended period gets awkward. There is no power socket next to the table either, but there is one near enough that it wasn’t a problem.
- The tatami room configured lengthwise instead of “deep” like most hotel rooms. You enter the room and there is a small step up to what is basically a combined washroom/corridor. At the end of the corridor, you turn left/right (depending on the room) to the bedroom area.
- Tatami rooms don’t seem to have views. There is a hotel with a similar height next door and you face that directly. It’s quiet but not ideal. With that said, there is backlighting for the paper window covers, so it does create a nice ambiance if they’re closed.
- The shower/bath setup was very Japanese, in a single room with a small chair and bucket if needed.
Diamond recognition
- I was upgraded in advance from a base room to a tatami deluxe room. I could see the upgrade in the app but didn’t get a notification (which I think I’ve had at other properties? Or maybe I’m getting confused with another chain). No suites were showing as available on the app for my day of arrival so this seemed to have been the best available room category.
- As there is no lounge, breakfast was offered in the restaurant and a happy hour was offered at the bar from 5-6. I didn’t check out the happy hour so I can’t comment on what it includes.
Bottom line
I liked the hotel a lot, both despite and because of its quirks. Pricing seemed very reasonable for the quality of the hotel - more than the HGI but significantly less than the Hyatt Regency. I would stay again as long as the pricing still made sense to me although I did feel that prices could probably go higher as the hotel becomes more well known.
Last edited by CXYYZ; Oct 2, 2023 at 3:24 pm
Oct 3, 2023, 9:44 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,841
I stayed here recently so thought I would share a random collection of thoughts.
Location
Hotel facilities
Room
Diamond recognition
Bottom line
I liked the hotel a lot, both despite and because of its quirks. Pricing seemed very reasonable for the quality of the hotel - more than the HGI but significantly less than the Hyatt Regency. I would stay again as long as the pricing still made sense to me although I did feel that prices could probably go higher as the hotel becomes more well known.
Location
- In response to the question immediately above, I didn’t come across the HGI on my trip so can’t compare the two locations.
- The DoubleTree’slocation is fine but not excellent. It’s a short walk to the river and the street in front of the hotel has a bridge crossing the river. It’s a 10-15 minute walk to Gion and can be a very pleasant walk depending on which street you take up.
- The immediate area is fairly residential but there are some small restaurants nearby and across the street there’s a Family Mart, Lawson’s and 7-Eleven.
- The nearest train station (Kiyomizu-Gojo on the Keihan Main Line) is around two blocks away. The Keihan Main Line doesn’t go to Kyoto station (for shinkansen services) but it does offer a fairly easy route to parts of Osaka. It’s a simple cross-platform change to get to the Conrad in Osaka, for example. That sounds convenient but the Limited Express service doesn’t stop at this station - it’s either one stop & a train change or about 10-15 minutes walk to Shichijō station for the limited express.
- Tourist sites in Kyoto are pretty spread out and transit connections aren’t always the best so I wouldn’t say the location is a big negative - just something to be aware of.
- Also, just a note on actually finding the hotel - I walked past the entrance when I arrived. There was a signboard outside the entrance with F&B specials and it doesn’t look like a typical hotel entrance so I mistook it for the restaurant. I was wrong (there’s only one guest entrance at the northwest corner of the hotel).
- Rooms on the north side of the hotel face a major road. I don’t know what soundproofing is like. I faced another hotel (see below).
Hotel facilities
- The hotel has a modern minimalist Japanese design inside and out. It felt effortlessly cool.
- There is a public baths facility in the hotel. It’s basically an onsen but it doesn’t use spring water so they can’t call it an onsen.
- There is no lounge.
- There is a basic gym. Think some free weights, two benches, one combined resistance machine and some cardio equipment.
- The hotel has really focused on reducing plastics. Water is in refillable glass bottles. Two bottles are placed in the mini fridge and refills are on the lobby level or the first floor. Still and sparkling are available. I think this is a pro but I noticed it mentioned as a negative by some Chinese language reviews on one of the OTA sites so YMMV.
- On the plastics front: key cards are made from wood. Very nice!
Room
- I had a deluxe tatami room. Distinctive and nice not to be in a cookie cutter room. With that said, the setup isn’t conducive for working. In particular, the table and chairs are quite low, so sitting with a laptop for an extended period gets awkward. There is no power socket next to the table either, but there is one near enough that it wasn’t a problem.
- The tatami room configured lengthwise instead of “deep” like most hotel rooms. You enter the room and there is a small step up to what is basically a combined washroom/corridor. At the end of the corridor, you turn left/right (depending on the room) to the bedroom area.
- Tatami rooms don’t seem to have views. There is a hotel with a similar height next door and you face that directly. It’s quiet but not ideal. With that said, there is backlighting for the paper window covers, so it does create a nice ambiance if they’re closed.
- The shower/bath setup was very Japanese, in a single room with a small chair and bucket if needed.
Diamond recognition
- I was upgraded in advance from a base room to a tatami deluxe room. I could see the upgrade in the app but didn’t get a notification (which I think I’ve had at other properties? Or maybe I’m getting confused with another chain). No suites were showing as available on the app for my day of arrival so this seemed to have been the best available room category.
- As there is no lounge, breakfast was offered in the restaurant and a happy hour was offered at the bar from 5-6. I didn’t check out the happy hour so I can’t comment on what it includes.
Bottom line
I liked the hotel a lot, both despite and because of its quirks. Pricing seemed very reasonable for the quality of the hotel - more than the HGI but significantly less than the Hyatt Regency. I would stay again as long as the pricing still made sense to me although I did feel that prices could probably go higher as the hotel becomes more well known.
Is it far to walk to the tourist attractions such as Gion, Nishiki market etc?
Hard to figure it out from google maps
I am thinking of either Doubletree or Chapters Hiyori.
Thanks!
Oct 3, 2023, 1:36 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 946
Assuming you’re talking about the Autograph Collection property as an alternative. That location looks decent to me (maybe better than the DoubleTree?) but any location in Kyoto will come with trade-offs IMHO.
Mar 1, 2024, 12:06 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 221
I'm traveling with extended family (5 adults and 1 toddler) to Kyoto and debating between this DoubleTree (and maybe the Kyoto Station if it opens in time), HGI, and the Hyatt Place. I'm trying to book 2 rooms total: 1 suite-type room + 1 guest room.
- Does anyone know what the space separation is like for the suites, i.e. is there an actually door you can close off?
- Does this place have self-service laundry machine?
- I can't keep track of the new breakfast rules, so do HH Golds get free breakfast? If so, for how many rooms maximum?
Thanks in advance!
- Does anyone know what the space separation is like for the suites, i.e. is there an actually door you can close off?
- Does this place have self-service laundry machine?
- I can't keep track of the new breakfast rules, so do HH Golds get free breakfast? If so, for how many rooms maximum?
Thanks in advance!