May 30, 2019, 9:08 am
Last edit by: bhrubin
Expert Review (posted to Luxury Forum) from May 2018:
https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...g-service-2621
https://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revi...g-service-2621
Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto, Japan [Master Thread]
Apr 9, 2015, 12:13 pm
#62
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SJC
Programs: AAdvantage 2MM+ Lifetime PLT; BA, CO, UA, US; SPG; HHonors Gold
Posts: 757
Here's some preliminary info. We checked in last night and had been upgraded from superior to deluxe room despite a sell out. Breakfast is free even though we're on an award... I'm not sure if this is because I'm Platinum but I get the impression it's unrelated. Amenity choices were points, a glass of champagne (Louis Roederer, and they gave us two without me asking) or Japanese sweets.
Apr 10, 2015, 4:02 am
#64
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: HK
Programs: SPG Platinum, BW Diamond, TK Elite
Posts: 380
Here's some preliminary info. We checked in last night and had been upgraded from superior to deluxe room despite a sell out. Breakfast is free even though we're on an award... I'm not sure if this is because I'm Platinum but I get the impression it's unrelated. Amenity choices were points, a glass of champagne (Louis Roederer, and they gave us two without me asking) or Japanese sweets.
To get here using the complimentary MK Taxi was easy. We landed at ITM and took the limousine bus to Kyoto station (¥1310 each, bus stops 5 and 15, buy tickets at the kiosks before boarding). After the very last left turn where the bus drops you off, keep walking in the same direction for another half block to the Ibis Styles hotel and find the MK Taxi line. The driver took a second to know the hotel because it's brand new but on the way he called and presumably confirmed the hotel pays because he didn't ask us to (I said nothing about it so it seems the word was well spread to the drivers). More to follow with pictures on another day.
To get here using the complimentary MK Taxi was easy. We landed at ITM and took the limousine bus to Kyoto station (¥1310 each, bus stops 5 and 15, buy tickets at the kiosks before boarding). After the very last left turn where the bus drops you off, keep walking in the same direction for another half block to the Ibis Styles hotel and find the MK Taxi line. The driver took a second to know the hotel because it's brand new but on the way he called and presumably confirmed the hotel pays because he didn't ask us to (I said nothing about it so it seems the word was well spread to the drivers). More to follow with pictures on another day.
That's the same for Hyatt Regency Kyoto as well....not difficult to find out.
Apr 11, 2015, 2:31 am
#65
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 48
Apr 20, 2015, 2:49 am
#67
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SJC
Programs: AAdvantage 2MM+ Lifetime PLT; BA, CO, UA, US; SPG; HHonors Gold
Posts: 757
Back from stay at Suiran
I stayed here for 1 night, it was very disappointing and not worth the price
The staff were friendly, just like most Japanese, but they were clearly inexperienced and nervous like they are afraid of making mistakes
The deluxe room was big and nicely decorated, but the promised hot spring turned out to be just a bathtub with hot water and the room didn't have a view, just some rocks and wood partitions with some trees
The room service is ridiculously expansive, everything starts with 1500 yen and the burger was around 7000 yen ($60)!!!
In my opinion it's not worth staying at Arashiyama as there is nothing to do other than the Bamboo forest and some temples which can be done in a half day from Kyoto
The room view:
The private hot spring!
The staff were friendly, just like most Japanese, but they were clearly inexperienced and nervous like they are afraid of making mistakes
The deluxe room was big and nicely decorated, but the promised hot spring turned out to be just a bathtub with hot water and the room didn't have a view, just some rocks and wood partitions with some trees
The room service is ridiculously expansive, everything starts with 1500 yen and the burger was around 7000 yen ($60)!!!
In my opinion it's not worth staying at Arashiyama as there is nothing to do other than the Bamboo forest and some temples which can be done in a half day from Kyoto
The room view:
The private hot spring!
In general I have to say that I agree with this reviewer.
We got a regular room on the third floor. The room had a large balcony with views of the roof of the lobby building and the surrounding (pristine) forested hills.
There was no private hot tub and the rooms are in the (to me irritating "modern") style where the bathroom sink and counter stick into the room. (There are partitions however that can close off the view of the bathroom). By Japanese standards the room was of a very good size and the amenities were very nice but nothing extraordinary.
The hotel website does not provide decent directions, and as my phone lacked wifi we had trouble finding the place when we got there late at night. We should have accepted the taxi ride from Kyoto Station but that would have meant going from our previous hotel to the Station when I (incorrectly) reckoned it would be simple enough to get to Arashiyama directly on the 93 bus. [As usual, Japanese inflexibility meant that the concierge would not authorize us to use the MK taxi voucher that was valid for Kyoto Station to Suiran from our other hotel in Nakagyo-ku].
Even when presented with the name in Japanese, no one near the Arashiyama (Randen) train station knew where it was. Since one of the website mentions it is on the grounds of the Tenryu-ji temple I almost entered the grounds. I am glad I didn't as the next morning I realized how vast Tenryu-ji is.
Also, a word of caution, there are virtually no restaurants that are near the hotel (or rather that were open around 8:30pm on a Wednesday night, which peculiarly appears to be the closed night in that neighborhood). When I checked in I specifically asked to be advised of nearby restaurants. A hotel of this class should have a ready list - I was a bit taken aback when they said they would call the room and let me know. (Ditto the point above about inexperienced staff).
30 minutes later, I still had not received a call back and we were getting rather hungry, so I called the front desk. I was told there was nothing open and that the nearest thing they could find which they suggested was some kind of bar was a 15 minute taxi ride away. They suggested room service where I saw the above-mentioned 6000 JPY burger!
At this point I was more than a little angry and started Googling around, which wasn't too helpful as most of the suggestions were in Japanese. Now around 10:00 or so I called them and asked if they knew any delivery places, and they were able to find a pizzeria that would deliver.
On the plus side, someone actually came up to our room with the menu that they had had faxed or printed off the web and was able to take our order, call it in, pay for it (charged to the room), and bring the delivery up to our room with plates and silverware. Total cost about 3800 JPY for a medium pizza and a spaghetti with red sauce - both were fairly decent, or by 10:30pm, our standards had become sufficiently low!
Other pluses: the hotel is right by the river, 5 minutes walk from the bridge and 10 minutes walk (from the back through the park) to the Bamboo Forest and another 10 minutes to Tenryu-ji. There are other temples and the Okochi Sanso villa nearby that we did not have time to go to.
In conclusion, not worth the trouble unless you are spending several days in the Arashiyama area. All of the highlights can be done in a day trip from another location in Kyoto.
Apr 25, 2015, 10:01 pm
#68
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 1
Suiran Review
We recently completed our stay at the Suiran in Kyoto. When we were looking to book the hotel, we looked around for some reviews since it had just opened, and had trouble finding some in English, so I thought I’d jot down a few notes for the next person looking to stay there.
Overall, we had a delightful stay. The service and facilitates a immaculate and everything felt easy and comfortable. I spotted a couple reviews since we last checked and I think they’re pretty spot on. This place isn’t cheap (but then most of Japan, in the luxury segment is not), and it’s very quiet at night (but this is Ryokan-inspired – it’s meant to be). Also agree on a couple thing like controlling the onsen temperature, or at least instructions – it’s scalding hot, which in the end was fine for us, but just barely. Staff was nervous to make a good impression, and not everyone spoke good english, but it didn’t get in our way. I think I saw the guest who struggled to get dinner after 8 – we were lucky we were hungry early due to jet lag – we barely squeezed into a tofu restaurant at 7:30.
Location: Note that this is a bit outside Kyoto, in Arashiyama, which has it’s own set of sites and charms (Bamboo grove, and a couple shrines, UNESCO of course…). The hotel is on the river and it’s at the far end of a street, removed from the hub-bub of the main tourist stretch. The area gets very quiet at night, but during the day is full of tourists. There’s a fun tram that takes you to somewhat nearby areas that is practical, and you can take the JR line into Kyoto after a short walk. Restaurants in the area either belong to hotels (see Food, below), or close on the early side.
Rooms: Gorgeous. While some will say we should have done something more authentic, I really like me creature comforts on vacation, and I appreciated that we had a very nice bed – what you would expect in a typical luxury hotel – along with a traditional Ryokan bath (onsen). We were in a Superior King. Beautiful stone bathroom, shower with an exit to the best part: the outdoor onsen. The style was minimalist and natural, it really appealed to us.
Food: The first day we had lunch at the restaurant, the KyoSuiran. It was kaiseki style, and very good. We’d eaten at multiple michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo leading up to our stay and it held it’s own. We were also recommended a traditional tofu restaurant in town which was also delicious. Breakfast is pretty good, though the western menu is very big. It’s included in your platinum amenity. We ended up getting pieces of it on our second day since it’s so filling. Would be nice to see a bit more a-la-carte on this front.
Service: Handily meets the standard Luxury Collection hotels command. The chief concierge, Hiromi, was very helpful before our arrival, arranging a complimentary taxi ride from the train station, and tickets to a geisha dance in town. Overall very friendly and helpful staff. Some rough patches, but having stayed at hotels that just open, there's some polish that comes with time.
Some tips/notes: When you get a taxi to transfer to the hotel from the station, make sure to ask where it picks you up – it’s across the street from the station. The gardens are really pretty, be sure to walk around. We missed out on tea by the river – The spot looked really nice.
Overall, we had a delightful stay. The service and facilitates a immaculate and everything felt easy and comfortable. I spotted a couple reviews since we last checked and I think they’re pretty spot on. This place isn’t cheap (but then most of Japan, in the luxury segment is not), and it’s very quiet at night (but this is Ryokan-inspired – it’s meant to be). Also agree on a couple thing like controlling the onsen temperature, or at least instructions – it’s scalding hot, which in the end was fine for us, but just barely. Staff was nervous to make a good impression, and not everyone spoke good english, but it didn’t get in our way. I think I saw the guest who struggled to get dinner after 8 – we were lucky we were hungry early due to jet lag – we barely squeezed into a tofu restaurant at 7:30.
Location: Note that this is a bit outside Kyoto, in Arashiyama, which has it’s own set of sites and charms (Bamboo grove, and a couple shrines, UNESCO of course…). The hotel is on the river and it’s at the far end of a street, removed from the hub-bub of the main tourist stretch. The area gets very quiet at night, but during the day is full of tourists. There’s a fun tram that takes you to somewhat nearby areas that is practical, and you can take the JR line into Kyoto after a short walk. Restaurants in the area either belong to hotels (see Food, below), or close on the early side.
Rooms: Gorgeous. While some will say we should have done something more authentic, I really like me creature comforts on vacation, and I appreciated that we had a very nice bed – what you would expect in a typical luxury hotel – along with a traditional Ryokan bath (onsen). We were in a Superior King. Beautiful stone bathroom, shower with an exit to the best part: the outdoor onsen. The style was minimalist and natural, it really appealed to us.
Food: The first day we had lunch at the restaurant, the KyoSuiran. It was kaiseki style, and very good. We’d eaten at multiple michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo leading up to our stay and it held it’s own. We were also recommended a traditional tofu restaurant in town which was also delicious. Breakfast is pretty good, though the western menu is very big. It’s included in your platinum amenity. We ended up getting pieces of it on our second day since it’s so filling. Would be nice to see a bit more a-la-carte on this front.
Service: Handily meets the standard Luxury Collection hotels command. The chief concierge, Hiromi, was very helpful before our arrival, arranging a complimentary taxi ride from the train station, and tickets to a geisha dance in town. Overall very friendly and helpful staff. Some rough patches, but having stayed at hotels that just open, there's some polish that comes with time.
Some tips/notes: When you get a taxi to transfer to the hotel from the station, make sure to ask where it picks you up – it’s across the street from the station. The gardens are really pretty, be sure to walk around. We missed out on tea by the river – The spot looked really nice.
Apr 27, 2015, 6:37 am
#69
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 4
We recently completed our stay at the Suiran in Kyoto. When we were looking to book the hotel, we looked around for some reviews since it had just opened, and had trouble finding some in English, so I thought I’d jot down a few notes for the next person looking to stay there.
Overall, we had a delightful stay. The service and facilitates a immaculate and everything felt easy and comfortable. I spotted a couple reviews since we last checked and I think they’re pretty spot on. This place isn’t cheap (but then most of Japan, in the luxury segment is not), and it’s very quiet at night (but this is Ryokan-inspired – it’s meant to be). Also agree on a couple thing like controlling the onsen temperature, or at least instructions – it’s scalding hot, which in the end was fine for us, but just barely. Staff was nervous to make a good impression, and not everyone spoke good english, but it didn’t get in our way. I think I saw the guest who struggled to get dinner after 8 – we were lucky we were hungry early due to jet lag – we barely squeezed into a tofu restaurant at 7:30.
Location: Note that this is a bit outside Kyoto, in Arashiyama, which has it’s own set of sites and charms (Bamboo grove, and a couple shrines, UNESCO of course…). The hotel is on the river and it’s at the far end of a street, removed from the hub-bub of the main tourist stretch. The area gets very quiet at night, but during the day is full of tourists. There’s a fun tram that takes you to somewhat nearby areas that is practical, and you can take the JR line into Kyoto after a short walk. Restaurants in the area either belong to hotels (see Food, below), or close on the early side.
Rooms: Gorgeous. While some will say we should have done something more authentic, I really like me creature comforts on vacation, and I appreciated that we had a very nice bed – what you would expect in a typical luxury hotel – along with a traditional Ryokan bath (onsen). We were in a Superior King. Beautiful stone bathroom, shower with an exit to the best part: the outdoor onsen. The style was minimalist and natural, it really appealed to us.
Food: The first day we had lunch at the restaurant, the KyoSuiran. It was kaiseki style, and very good. We’d eaten at multiple michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo leading up to our stay and it held it’s own. We were also recommended a traditional tofu restaurant in town which was also delicious. Breakfast is pretty good, though the western menu is very big. It’s included in your platinum amenity. We ended up getting pieces of it on our second day since it’s so filling. Would be nice to see a bit more a-la-carte on this front.
Service: Handily meets the standard Luxury Collection hotels command. The chief concierge, Hiromi, was very helpful before our arrival, arranging a complimentary taxi ride from the train station, and tickets to a geisha dance in town. Overall very friendly and helpful staff. Some rough patches, but having stayed at hotels that just open, there's some polish that comes with time.
Some tips/notes: When you get a taxi to transfer to the hotel from the station, make sure to ask where it picks you up – it’s across the street from the station. The gardens are really pretty, be sure to walk around. We missed out on tea by the river – The spot looked really nice.
Overall, we had a delightful stay. The service and facilitates a immaculate and everything felt easy and comfortable. I spotted a couple reviews since we last checked and I think they’re pretty spot on. This place isn’t cheap (but then most of Japan, in the luxury segment is not), and it’s very quiet at night (but this is Ryokan-inspired – it’s meant to be). Also agree on a couple thing like controlling the onsen temperature, or at least instructions – it’s scalding hot, which in the end was fine for us, but just barely. Staff was nervous to make a good impression, and not everyone spoke good english, but it didn’t get in our way. I think I saw the guest who struggled to get dinner after 8 – we were lucky we were hungry early due to jet lag – we barely squeezed into a tofu restaurant at 7:30.
Location: Note that this is a bit outside Kyoto, in Arashiyama, which has it’s own set of sites and charms (Bamboo grove, and a couple shrines, UNESCO of course…). The hotel is on the river and it’s at the far end of a street, removed from the hub-bub of the main tourist stretch. The area gets very quiet at night, but during the day is full of tourists. There’s a fun tram that takes you to somewhat nearby areas that is practical, and you can take the JR line into Kyoto after a short walk. Restaurants in the area either belong to hotels (see Food, below), or close on the early side.
Rooms: Gorgeous. While some will say we should have done something more authentic, I really like me creature comforts on vacation, and I appreciated that we had a very nice bed – what you would expect in a typical luxury hotel – along with a traditional Ryokan bath (onsen). We were in a Superior King. Beautiful stone bathroom, shower with an exit to the best part: the outdoor onsen. The style was minimalist and natural, it really appealed to us.
Food: The first day we had lunch at the restaurant, the KyoSuiran. It was kaiseki style, and very good. We’d eaten at multiple michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo leading up to our stay and it held it’s own. We were also recommended a traditional tofu restaurant in town which was also delicious. Breakfast is pretty good, though the western menu is very big. It’s included in your platinum amenity. We ended up getting pieces of it on our second day since it’s so filling. Would be nice to see a bit more a-la-carte on this front.
Service: Handily meets the standard Luxury Collection hotels command. The chief concierge, Hiromi, was very helpful before our arrival, arranging a complimentary taxi ride from the train station, and tickets to a geisha dance in town. Overall very friendly and helpful staff. Some rough patches, but having stayed at hotels that just open, there's some polish that comes with time.
Some tips/notes: When you get a taxi to transfer to the hotel from the station, make sure to ask where it picks you up – it’s across the street from the station. The gardens are really pretty, be sure to walk around. We missed out on tea by the river – The spot looked really nice.
I am planning to stay there next new years and have been looking for more reviews and guest pictures. Do you happen to have any pictures you can share? Thanks!
May 3, 2015, 10:41 am
#71
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: SFO
Posts: 1,746
No. There are two onsen baths available for rent but no spa services and no pool. There is a tiny gym with something like two stationary bikes (or maybe it was treadmills) and that's it.
May 6, 2015, 7:08 am
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,054
Jun 15, 2015, 4:28 pm
#74
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
No, there is no room type attached to any award at this hotel that allows more than two occupants in a room/suite.
Yes.
It's possible, but you would have to redeem for an upgraded room type, subject to availability.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Looks like even paid rate, limited to 2 adults per room?
Is it even possible to redeem 2 rooms for the same night at this property?
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]