Where are you going next?
#3736
#3740
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 676
Can you share more about what you like about the FS? I visit Kyoto a few times a year but have yet to try it due to its location. Aside from an occasional ryokan stay, I have been staying at the RC mostly for its service and location.
#3741
formerly htang333
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Wi-Fi
Programs: Virtuoso, Top Ranked: Four Seasons (Top 25 Advisor), AMAN (Top 50), Rosewood, Hyatt Prive, etc.
Posts: 1,454
I think the hard product of FS Kyoto is just much better (for my personal taste) and while they don't have the Mt. or River next to it, I really liked their garden/pond.
The pool / spa is nicer. The FS feels more like a hidden retreat to me than RC. RC is also a bit dark (especially the downstair restaurant for breakfast, not an ideal setting to start my day) where FS feels brighter and airy. Upgrade has been better at FS than RC for my clients as well so that makes me a bit bias towards FS also.
Nonetheless, I do think this RC is actually solid and if you're happy with it (esp. if RC's location is important to you), I wouldn't push for you to move to FS. However, if you visit Kyoto often then it certainly makes sense to give FS a try and if you don't like it, can always return to RC and now you'll know for sure
#3742
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: London, Paris
Programs: LH HON, AF Platinum
Posts: 2,000
I stayed at the Ritz Kyoto in 2015. Was also completely surprised. Was a solid hotel. Some weird quirks:
1) They wanted to charge me extra because we were 2 guests instead of 1. That made absolutely no sense (and honestly I never even check whether I am booking for 1 or 2--I would understand if there was an extra charge at 3 or more). Also, the room didn't come with breakfast, so adding the second guest almost literally added no cost to the hotel. That really, really irritated me.
2) The breakfast (that we paid OOP for, and I now know I can get covered if I book via my concierge) was I believe $62 and quality was good but there wasn't much selection.
Stuff could've changed since then. I'm jazzed to try the Four Seasons, but we really loved our room at the Ritz.
1) They wanted to charge me extra because we were 2 guests instead of 1. That made absolutely no sense (and honestly I never even check whether I am booking for 1 or 2--I would understand if there was an extra charge at 3 or more). Also, the room didn't come with breakfast, so adding the second guest almost literally added no cost to the hotel. That really, really irritated me.
2) The breakfast (that we paid OOP for, and I now know I can get covered if I book via my concierge) was I believe $62 and quality was good but there wasn't much selection.
Stuff could've changed since then. I'm jazzed to try the Four Seasons, but we really loved our room at the Ritz.
#3743
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
FWIW. we stayed at Suiran for 5 nights (Presidential Suite), at the RC Kyoto for 2 nights (Kamogawa Suite), and had lunch and toured the FS Kyoto in May 2018.
The RC to me feels far more intimate, more authentic, and with a true Japanese sense of place than the larger and much more corporate feeling FS. The aesthetics of the two couldn’t be more different. The RC Kyoto clearly is about Japan; until you step outside into the FS garden, the FS could be anywhere in the world. But @BESVISOR is accurate in that the public spaces at the RC are darker and more subdued whereas those at the FS are lighter.
As everyone compares and contrasts those two, and even as much as we loved our stay at the RC Kyoto and agree that it may be the finest RC anywhere in the world, it actually is the Suiran property that make us most yearn to return. If one prefers the normal Western hotel feel and amenities, then the RC or FS both will serve you very well. If one wants an even more authentic hybrid ryokan/Western hotel experience, then the Suiran outdoes both the RC and FS without much effort at all. Suiran is that rare gem of a boutique luxury hotel that beautifully combines the true sense of place with some Western luxury niceties. I’d recommend one of the upgraded larger room types for this audience, though!
The RC to me feels far more intimate, more authentic, and with a true Japanese sense of place than the larger and much more corporate feeling FS. The aesthetics of the two couldn’t be more different. The RC Kyoto clearly is about Japan; until you step outside into the FS garden, the FS could be anywhere in the world. But @BESVISOR is accurate in that the public spaces at the RC are darker and more subdued whereas those at the FS are lighter.
As everyone compares and contrasts those two, and even as much as we loved our stay at the RC Kyoto and agree that it may be the finest RC anywhere in the world, it actually is the Suiran property that make us most yearn to return. If one prefers the normal Western hotel feel and amenities, then the RC or FS both will serve you very well. If one wants an even more authentic hybrid ryokan/Western hotel experience, then the Suiran outdoes both the RC and FS without much effort at all. Suiran is that rare gem of a boutique luxury hotel that beautifully combines the true sense of place with some Western luxury niceties. I’d recommend one of the upgraded larger room types for this audience, though!
#3744
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
#3745
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 676
While I normally stay at the RC, am not a big fan of their lobby which is too dark for me and isn’t really a comfortable place to lounge around. Will have to give the FS a try one of these days maybe when the Aman is open as a comparison!
Last edited by HKTraveler; Apr 24, 2019 at 12:40 pm
#3746
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: La Jolla, CA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Lifetime Titanium, Delta Plat, Hilton Diamond , Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,615
Oops. Fixed. Thanks!
Shucks, sorry to miss you yet again. You and @damon88 always seem to stalk me or I’m stalking you!
I see several more near misses on your schedule. DC a few weeks apart and Scotland 6 months apart. It's pretty funny how many times this has happened. (On this list --we just did Grande Bretagne, Mystique and Prince de Galles LAST October )
#3747
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 1,642
https://www.threechimneys.co.uk
#3748
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
The Isle of Skye these days is over-run with tourists - it's a Star Wars/Game of Thrones place, I think. Authorities are thinking of somehow managing the numbers. Anyway, rather than Kinloch Lodge I recommend you look at this place on the far side of the island. It rates 7/10 in the current Good Food Guide while Kinloch rates 4/10.
https://www.threechimneys.co.uk
https://www.threechimneys.co.uk
#3749
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA & Bangkok (Home)/Lawrenceville & Switzerland (Boarding School)/Baltimore, MD (College)
Programs: DL DM, AL MVPG 75K, SQ Gold, BA Silver, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriot Plat, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 599
As Im in college, I am pretty limited to summer travel, but here it goes! And some aren't up to this threads level of luxury haha
MAY 2019
St. Regis NYC
Baha Mar Grand Hyatt (Friends birthday trip)
Four Seasons Ocean Club
Waldorf Astoria Atlanta (Presidential Suite)
Fairmont Chicago (Got the insanely cheap porn star rate)
Waldorf Astoria Chicago (Close to the best Barneys in the states!)
East Hampton, NY (Staying at my boyfriend's)
JUNE 2019
Mandarin Oriental London
Hotel Grand Bretagne
Four Seasons Astir
Mystique Santorini
Mykonos- Santa Marina
Grand Hyatt Athens (1 night before flying home)
SLS Beverly Hills
Waldorf Astoria Rome
Fendi Suites
Le Sirenuse
Belmond Caruso
Hotel Cesare Augustus
Le Prince de Galles
JULY 2019
Park Hyatt DC
Rosewood Dallas
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia
Park Hyatt Vienna
Park Hyatt Hamburg
Jumby Bay (Birthday)
Belmond Charleston (Birthday)
AUGUST 2019
Ritz Carlton Central Park
St. Regis Singapore
St. Regis Bangkok
Rosewood Bangkok
Peninsula Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Belmond La Residence Phou Vao Luang Prabang (Thinking about switching to Amantaka)
Four Seasons Baltimore (Moving out of the dorms!!)
SEPTEMBER 2019
Peninsula Paris
Park Hyatt Milan
Rosewood London
Four Seasons Hampshire
MAY 2019
St. Regis NYC
Baha Mar Grand Hyatt (Friends birthday trip)
Four Seasons Ocean Club
Waldorf Astoria Atlanta (Presidential Suite)
Fairmont Chicago (Got the insanely cheap porn star rate)
Waldorf Astoria Chicago (Close to the best Barneys in the states!)
East Hampton, NY (Staying at my boyfriend's)
JUNE 2019
Mandarin Oriental London
Hotel Grand Bretagne
Four Seasons Astir
Mystique Santorini
Mykonos- Santa Marina
Grand Hyatt Athens (1 night before flying home)
SLS Beverly Hills
Waldorf Astoria Rome
Fendi Suites
Le Sirenuse
Belmond Caruso
Hotel Cesare Augustus
Le Prince de Galles
JULY 2019
Park Hyatt DC
Rosewood Dallas
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia
Park Hyatt Vienna
Park Hyatt Hamburg
Jumby Bay (Birthday)
Belmond Charleston (Birthday)
AUGUST 2019
Ritz Carlton Central Park
St. Regis Singapore
St. Regis Bangkok
Rosewood Bangkok
Peninsula Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Belmond La Residence Phou Vao Luang Prabang (Thinking about switching to Amantaka)
Four Seasons Baltimore (Moving out of the dorms!!)
SEPTEMBER 2019
Peninsula Paris
Park Hyatt Milan
Rosewood London
Four Seasons Hampshire
Last edited by Quinlanty; Apr 25, 2019 at 9:22 am Reason: Added trips
#3750
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Mem
Programs: Delta GM, Amex Reserve, Amex Plat, JP Morgan Palladium
Posts: 983
As Im in college, I am pretty limited to summer travel, but here it goes! And some aren't up to this threads level of luxury haha
MAY 2019
St. Regis NYC
Baha Mar Grand Hyatt (Friends birthday trip)
Four Seasons Ocean Club
Waldorf Astoria Atlanta (Presidential Suite)
Fairmont Chicago (Got the insanely cheap porn star rate)
Waldorf Astoria Chicago (Close to the best Barneys in the states!)
East Hampton, NY (Staying at my boyfriend's)
JUNE 2019
Mandarin Oriental London
Hotel Grand Bretagne
Four Seasons Astir
Mystique Santorini
Mykonos- Santa Marina
Grand Hyatt Athens (1 night before flying home)
SLS Beverly Hills
Waldorf Astoria Rome
Fendi Suites
Le Sirenuse
Belmond Caruso
Hotel Cesare Augustus
Le Prince de Galles
JULY 2019
Park Hyatt DC
Rosewood Dallas
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia
Park Hyatt Vienna
Park Hyatt Hamburg
Jumby Bay (Birthday)
Belmond Charleston (Birthday)
AUGUST 2019
Ritz Carlton Central Park
St. Regis Singapore
St. Regis Bangkok
Rosewood Bangkok
Peninsula Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Belmond La Residence Phou Vao Luang Prabang (Thinking about switching to Amantaka)
Four Seasons Baltimore (Moving out of the dorms!!)
SEPTEMBER 2019
Peninsula Paris
Park Hyatt Milan
Rosewood London
Four Seasons Hampshire
MAY 2019
St. Regis NYC
Baha Mar Grand Hyatt (Friends birthday trip)
Four Seasons Ocean Club
Waldorf Astoria Atlanta (Presidential Suite)
Fairmont Chicago (Got the insanely cheap porn star rate)
Waldorf Astoria Chicago (Close to the best Barneys in the states!)
East Hampton, NY (Staying at my boyfriend's)
JUNE 2019
Mandarin Oriental London
Hotel Grand Bretagne
Four Seasons Astir
Mystique Santorini
Mykonos- Santa Marina
Grand Hyatt Athens (1 night before flying home)
SLS Beverly Hills
Waldorf Astoria Rome
Fendi Suites
Le Sirenuse
Belmond Caruso
Hotel Cesare Augustus
Le Prince de Galles
JULY 2019
Park Hyatt DC
Rosewood Dallas
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia
Park Hyatt Vienna
Park Hyatt Hamburg
Jumby Bay (Birthday)
Belmond Charleston (Birthday)
AUGUST 2019
Ritz Carlton Central Park
St. Regis Singapore
St. Regis Bangkok
Rosewood Bangkok
Peninsula Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Belmond La Residence Phou Vao Luang Prabang (Thinking about switching to Amantaka)
Four Seasons Baltimore (Moving out of the dorms!!)
SEPTEMBER 2019
Peninsula Paris
Park Hyatt Milan
Rosewood London
Four Seasons Hampshire
This would be just like my college hotel choices if you just eliminated all of the above and substituted:
June:
Youth hostel Salzburg
Ex Communist dorm Budapest
Youth hostel Prague
Floor of roach motel Amsterdam
Just kidding. Have a great summer! I am a little envious.