Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

It was next to the school and it was very noisy and staff wasn’t so friendly also their uniforms were very bad.

Tout

We had a fantastic stay at the four seasons. The hotel is stunning with beautiful gardens you can enjoy. It is very close to most attractions. The staff and the service was beyond expectation. A special mention to Jamie from guest experience who helped us arrange our taxis, our dinners and made us feel very welcome. He was extremely attentive and really went above and beyond. We highly recommend this hotel, it is worth the pricy rooms.

Four Seasons Kyoto exceeded my lofty expectations for a Four Seasons hotel. Beautifully-designed contemporary facility and wonderful historic garden. Rooms are spacious, comfortable, quiet, spotlessly clean. Location is satisfactory - we could walk to major areas (e.g., Gion and Shinkyogoku shopping street) but Uber is also readily available and very easy to use. Staff and service are outstanding. Staff greeted me and my family members each time we entered the lobby and asked if they could assist with anything. Within a couple days of arrival, the hostess at breakfast knew us and addressed us by name (remarkable considering how many guests she must see every day). Food costs were on the high side (not out of line for Four Seasons) but many local dining options are readily available. If I visit Kyoto in the future, I would not look elsewhere for lodging.

Very helpful staff. Room, garden and spa were amazing.

Garden view is stunning, the full glass windows and the amenities are topping up the facility, great food and very very nice and attentive personnel!

There is a lot to like about the Four Seasons Kyoto, but there were major missteps in customer service.

Firstly, I scheduled two tours through the hotel. I was looking forward to the Kyoto at Dawn tour because I wanted to beat the infamous crowds. The car for the tour was a 1/2 hour late, defeating the purpose of getting my family up early. (Not to mention the guide was nice but lacked any historical knowledge). Pro tip - use Context Tours, not the Four Seasons. I use them in every country I go to.

No apologies were offered until I mentioned it at the front desk. (The concierge was aware because they were frantically calling around trying to find us ride.) They offered to refund $120 - utterly ridiculous considering that I lost valuable time at the shrine and spent around 18k at the hotel. After, I expressed that it wasn’t about the money but the experience and how disappointed I was - they offered to refund a total of $350. Again, not adequate for the initial lack of apology, poor outcome etc. and amount of money I’m spending at their hotel.

Other missteps, the front desk calling me after 10:00 PM at night to tell me about a room charge and “oh, also to see how your day was.” Why are you calling me this late? Especially about a room charge if we aren’t checking out for days. Other annoying things, room service wrong 2 out of 2 times ordered. Every little customer service interaction I had was just so annoying; this is a shame because my favorite hotel in the world is Four Seasons Geneva.

I’ll end on a positive note. The maiko performance and music at night were excellent. The breakfast was pretty good and the setting was very pretty. Nonetheless, the whole experience was subpar. I recommend looking at the Ritz or Park Hyatt.

An absolutely gorgeous hotel within walking distance (about 1.5 mikes from lots of great shopping, food, etc of Kyoto. The hotel has an amazing backdrop with bamboo, a pond with Koi and other plantings and a great little gym. I highly recommend this hotel although it is not budget friendly as it is a Four Seasons Hotel

We were very happy with our stay at the FS Kyoto. The grounds are beautiful, the breakfast and overall service was excellent and in particular the concierge (Catherine) was very attentive.

Quite simply, the perfect Kyoto hotel, which embodies the tranquil zen beauty of this special place. 10/10 recommended. Elegant, luxurious, sublime. Staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. Etienne the Head Concierge is so good at his job, and the cultural activities held in the lobby add a lot to the overall experience.

After the disaster in Osaka with the Ritz-Carlton, this was a very welcome change. This is likely one of the top 5 hotels which I have ever stayed at. The service - impeccable. Room - impeccable. Location - great. Breakfast - room for improvement.
Our normal room was large, aesthetically one of the most beautiful I have stayed at, and the attention to detail, shockingly good. We have been members of the Marriott Bonvoy for ages and have consistently stayed at Ritz-Carlton, JW, St. Regis and am a member of the Leading Hotels of the World but after a few bad experiences with the Marriott hotels and lately with the RC in Osaka, we have decided to ditch the membership loyalty and go with privately owned hotels like the Four Seasons. The benefits of these loyalty programs is a sham and if you want to enjoy your vacation, go with private. This Four Seasons is what one would not only expect considering the price and reputation, but they attempt to exceed it at every turn. From the locally sourced turn down treats to the Japanese Gatorade (Pocari Sweat) outside their sauna/ Ofuro area and swimsuit centrifuge, you have the feel that they are not cutting costs where they can to please shareholders, but to provide their guest with a memorable experience. That is something that RC has lost and feels like the corporate monstrosity which we felt. Thank you Four Seasons - even without a loyalty program, you have now gained a family of loyal guests. Bye bye Bonvoy!

So after staying at the Four Seasons Tokyo Otemachi, we were expecting a lot from the FS Kyoto, especially since it was much more expensive for a standard room than what we paid for a suite in Tokyo.

PROS:
Good location, very nice architecture that tries to blend into the surroundings

Room layout (we were in a Heritage Garden Deluxe Room) - the bathroom was very nice, wet room style shower and tub which was cool and unique.

Housekeeping was really good.

Welcome amenities for our birthday(s) and anniversary, very nice touch.

Bed and sheets were comfortable

Concierge pre-arrival was extremely helpful in setting up tour guides with transportation for our Kyoto tour and for Nara day trip.

CONS:
Arrival experience was CHAOTIC. Nothing serene or calm upon arrival here.

Our luggage was transferred by the FS Tokyo Otemachi the prior day to the FS Kyoto and the concierge teams had texted via WhatsApp and included me on the group chat that our bags were on the way. I knew they were there since 10am the morning of our arrival because our apple tags showed they were at the hotel. When we checked in I asked if our bags were in our room and was told they had not arrived at the hotel yet. I explained that they were at the hotel and they debated me, but I had no choice but to wait for them to deliver them once they "received them". My tags were showing them on property since 10am. It was 3pm. It took them another hour to find them and have them delivered. FS Kyoto dropped the ball here.

Breakfast was disappointing. Great selection but all the dishes that are hot on the buffet were luke warm at best, mostly cold. Dumplings, fried rice, eggs, bacon, everything was cold. I mentioned to the server and they brought out a kitchen or line cook and they checked the hot plates and shook their head. This happened 4 days in a row. I just asked our server to bring me or reheat the food. Very unlike any FS I have been at. Also, it was so busy, it felt like Disney World, and the floor manager was berating the servers in front of us for not cleaning the tables fast enough, etc.

I did give this feedback on their survey and to the credit of the hotel, the GM reached out right away to apologize for the breakfast issues and for falling short on other things, but I told her it would not deter me from staying here or recommending this hotel as I believe it is the best in Kyoto. Just be prepared as Kyoto gets insanely crowded.

Everything

Exceptional and seamless stay at Four Seasons Kyoto. From the warm welcome to the smooth departure, every detail was thoughtfully handled. The staff were consistently attentive, the restaurant options were excellent, and the food and beverage quality was outstanding. The location is perfect for exploring Kyoto. Special thanks to the Concierge team for helping us create wonderful family memories in Kyoto.