Wow. This is where I’d pull out my phone, video the episode, and post to Twitter. Someone like that deserves to be properly shamed, just as the RC Kyoto team deserves to be lauded for handling such a person.

But I agree—this is a spectacularly good RC. (Of course, as spectacular as it is, we still yearn even more for Suiran. You may wish to give that a try sometime, too.)

I am writing this reply sitting in my Ritz Kyoto river view luxury room at the moment! We checked in at 5:30pm (staying for 7 nights) for 2 rooms (1room has plat and 1 room has titanium) and BOTH room got upgraded to luxury river room!!! I did NOT ask for the upgrade but I did email the hotel ahead of time to let them know that I understand it‘s peak season so I don’t expect to be upgraded. But we are open to upgrades for only few nights IF available. I was NOT expecting both rooms to get upgraded to river view. Now thinking about it, if my rooms were facing the street view/buildings, it totally wouldn‘t be the same experience for me. Nothing beats having a cup of tea infront of the river from your own room!!!

From luggage handeling to checking in...etc, the service has been superb! Both of my toddlers were given a Ritz kids passport which they can collect stamps or stickers and redeem Pierrer Hermes ice cream/macarons...etc. Tonight, they already got the ice cream from Simon from front desk. Kids enjoyed their bath in the sakura themed bathtub and loved the dog bath sponge.

At 60000pt a night, it‘s a steal! We paid 50000 a night at Osaka Marriott the past 2 nights yet it’s nothing close to Ritz Kyoto. I am glad we took advantage of the 60000pt a night and booked for Jan 2020 as well.

Is the hotel still providing free breakfast as platinum benefit?

Yes, we are staying here right now for 7 nights! You can choose from western buffet or Jap set breakfast each morning. You will also receive 20% off most restaurants here including the afternoon tea.

On a side note, the hotel has decided to stick with policy that they will ONLY honour the plat or any other elite benefits IF it‘s booked under the member’s name. The room reservation confirmed with me several times over email that they will honour my husband‘s titanium benefits even if the room was booked under my mom’s name (using points). But there was huge issue this morning at the restaurant becase they kept on asking me to pay for the breakfast for 1 room. Then the front desk still couldn‘t sorted it out until 2pm until I showed them the email...

Just spent 2 nights here on points. Received a Titanium upgrade from a Deluxe room to a Garden Terrace Suite (62 sq meters). The suite was amazing - elegant, spacious, beautifully appointed, with a private Japanese garden and terrace on the top floor overlooking the Kamogawa River and Higashiyama mountains. Possibly the best hotel room I've ever stayed in. In comparison, the Executive Suite and the Tower Suite at the Ritz Tokyo feel simply ordinary (aside from their skyscraper views).

Also happened to see a Luxury room (52 sq meters, river view) on the fourth floor. It was also beautiful and spacious, with a serene view of the river and mountains.

The property is beautiful inside and out, with the overall design in the style of a traditional Kyoto residence. The interior is decorated with dozens of custom art pieces commissioned for the hotel. The hotel feels quite special and distinctive compared to the rest of the Ritz properties. In many ways, the design aesthetic feels more akin to a Park Hyatt than a standard Ritz-Carlton (e.g., more of an elegant and understated boutique, less of a big corporate property).

Breakfast is included for Platinum guests and above. Choice of Japanese set breakfast at the Michelin-starred Mizuki (reservation required), or Western breakfast buffet at La Locanda. The Japanese breakfast is served in a kaiseki-style presentation, and I recommend trying it at least once - how often do you have a Michelin meal for breakfast?

The hotel offers a number of guided activities, including an art tour and cycle tour that were both excellent and complimentary. The guided hike was also tempting, but unfortunately I wasn't able to fit it in my schedule.

Service throughout the hotel was thoughtful and personal, with one hiccup at the Lobby Lounge addressed gracefully and proactively (we did not complain or request compensation, but accepted the kind gesture).

The only fault I can find with the hotel is the lack of a Club Lounge. However, the breakfast benefit for Platinum members is a nice mitigation.

Overall, we loved our stay and would highly recommend this property for a memorable experience in Kyoto.

Platinums and above don’t get Lounge access so you’re not really missing out on much but I do like the RC Kyoto over the Westin Kyoto.

Only benefit is breakfast for plat.

Yes