Ace Hotel Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

Ace hotel experience in Kyoto definitely not up to par ! We just left the Ace hotel in Kyoto after a 4 nights stay (we are a family of four and had booked 2 rooms). Let me start by saying that We are huge fans of Ace hotels. We’ve stayed in Ace hotels many times over the last 15 years all over North America, from Portland to Palms Springs. The cool relaxed vibe I and my family are used to is nowhere to be seen in the Kyoto hotel nor is the great service quality level of Japanese accommodations (we have also travelled throughout Japan on multiple trips). In terms of overall experience and feeling, the combination of the American Ace concept in a Japanese environment is definitely not a winning one. You get neither the friendly laid back ambience nor the professional attitude and service. Given the high prices : 80 000 yens a night on average during our stay for a standard room (not including breakfast but including a mandatory 13% service fee which in our case amounted to a total of over $500 US for our stay), we expected much more !

In order to back this deceitful experience, here are more specific points (more negative than positive). On the plus side : The buildings (both historic and new) are amazing. The architecture is certainly a plus and the integration of the heritage building to its new annex is perfect. The rooms are confortable and of a reasonable size and nicely furnished. Some staff members were very nice and helped us book restaurants, trains, etc. The location is very convenient, close to subway stations and numerous cultural attractions. On the minus side : We asked 1.5 hour in advance to reserve a large taxi to take us to the train station since we were 4 of us and had lots of luggage and were told it was OK. When we came back to the front desk at the given time, the taxi hadn’t been booked and we were told it would take another 30 minutes. We had a train to catch so we ended up taking the subway with our heavy suitcases. Very disappointing ! The hotel website mentions bikes free to use for clients. There were exactly 3 bikes for a hotel of over 200 rooms ! No matter how early we went to the lobby (as early as 6:30 AM) we could never get 2 bikes. I would think that the hotel could splurge on a few extra bikes or otherwise don’t bother mentioning it since it only leads to deception. Although the grounds are lovely and well maintained there is not a single exterior place to sit down and enjoy the nice weather, read a book, etc. The only outdoor space is the rooftop bar which you can only access if you order drinks or food and only if there is space. Two of us went for drinks at 5:30 PM (there was no one at the terrace but us) and we were asked to leave less than 30 minutes after being told that everything was reserved (although no one had arrived yet), without apologies even though we hadn’t finished our drink. Very disappointing ! The lobby area is spacious but has limited seating places. Since many people who are not hotel guests use the space, we were often left standing. Another small detail : the records in our room (a classic Ace hotel feature) were of no interest and the only one that I tried was so scratched that I could not even play one tune.

I could go on mentioning other disappointing features and events but I guess you get the point. If you like the Ace hotel amenities and are in Kyoto I would suggest you stay at another hotel (most likely less expensive and with better service) and come to the Ace for the Stumptown coffee, the cool lobby area (with its free wifi and charging stations, DJ music, etc.), the rooftop bar, etc. There is no value added in being a hotel guest compared to a walk-in costumer.

Having read that the Ace hotel franchise has recently been sold, I would strongly advise the new owners to look into this. There is a risk of harming the Ace brand, carefully nurtured over the years and deceiving loyal...

In July 2023, I checked into the Historic Twin Room at Ace Hotel Kyoto. Housed within a landmark 1926-built building in the heart of Kyoto, the 213-room hotel is conveniently connected to the Karasuma Oike subway station; just 10 minutes from Kyoto Station by taxi; around two hours from Kansai International Airport (KIX) by car; and less than three hours away from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Nearby attractions include Nishiki Market, Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace, easily accessible using one of the hotel’s Tokyo Bikes.

ACE HOTEL KYOTO

Located along Karasuma Street, the boutique hotel consists of two connected halves: one half is housed within the distinctive brick Shin-Puk-Kan building which used to serve as the former Kyoto Central Telephone Company, while the other half is a brand new structure with an angular gridded facade meant to evoke feels of Kyoto’s traditional machiya townhouses with their latticed facades. The hotel is impossibly chic in its Japanese-meets-Western/modern-meets-traditional eclectic stylings, with the spacious lobby being the most busy with its visuals and ideas – noren curtains and katazome stencil-dyed fabric signs, a juxtaposition of industrial and wood textures, high ceilings with Japanese kigumi wood joinery and pipework copper light fixtures, an ACE boutique and vinyl library sorted by genre, long communal tables, an exhibition gallery and various vibrantly-coloured textile art displays.

What the hotel may lack in facilities – it does not offer a swimming pool, only a fitness centre – it makes up with an abundance of dining, shopping and entertainment options within the immediate vicinity. The Shin-Puk-Kan complex itself is home to a lush courtyard garden as well as a collection of various boutiques and eateries.

HISTORIC TWIN

Located within the historic former Kyoto Central Telephone Office building where rooms are scarce (there are only 27) and thus more coveted, the 48sqm Historic Twin room has a soaring ceiling and large windows which overlook the busy street ahead. The Commune-designed twin beds which face the windows are fitted with stylish Pendleton wool blankets (an Ace Hotel feature), with a Gibson guitar near the foot of one of the beds for your Taylor Swift songwriting purposes. The mini-bar is stocked with a variety of snacks, Mitsumoto organic drip coffee bags as well as an extensive collection of canned and bottled beverages – think beers, juices, sodas, a bottle of Koyoi low alcohol cocktail and baby bottles of Louis Roederer champagne and Sileni Estates Sauvignon Blanc.

The most memorable and charming part of the room experience would be the TEAC turntable and selection of vinyl records available for your enjoyment. Prior to my stay, I have never fiddled with a vinyl record player before, and it was such a magical and brilliant moment swivelling the tonearm and lowering the stylus onto the groove of the vinyl record for the very first time. I swear there is a certain richness and soulfulness of sound from a vinyl record that you simply cannot replicate with playing Spotify tracks on a Bose wireless speaker. (I was not informed, and only realised after I had checked out, that guests could actually visit the vinyl library and browse the records for specific ones they may want – perhaps the hotel could better highlight this guest benefit during the check-in process. I had lovely Japanese artists and 80s rock records in my room, but I wouldn’t have minded some Anita Baker or Frank Sinatra, which were options I eventually found in the vinyl library later.)

The natural ash wood surfaces of the bathroom gave it a certain recording studio feel, while elsewhere the shower area had black slate tiled walls and a soaking tub as well as bathroom amenities from Tokyo beauty brand Uka.

The full review inclusive of dining experiences and photographs is available on Secret Life of Fatbacks, a luxury...

Service and culture is a major issue at this hotel.

My second stay at Ace Kyoto and this last stay was truly unacceptable. On arrival we were rudely directed to a waiting area by perhaps the most unfriendly team member before being further chastised by the same team member for not moving our luggage as instructed.

Check in was no more welcoming with an air of arrogance and fake trendiness that seems to be the theme of this hotel devoid of hospitality. Staff wore jackets saying they are friendly but it takes more than an emblazoned jacket to be welcoming and simply just nice.

The room as expected from our previous stay was small but clean and relatively comfortable. Note however there really is no seating in the room and no truly useful space for luggage or storage apart from small carry on size.

The rooftop bar was the next experience that was surprising , with the rudest and most disinterested and poorly trained staff. We asked to move to a more comfortable seat and were curtly told no and pointed back to the original allocated seat to look at a wall. Note it was 3pm and we were the only guests in the restaurant/bar. When we left an hour later we were still the only guests - I now understand why there were no others here. This vibe of disinterest was consistent with the taco/bar concept on level 2 last stay with the music and cocktail selection the redeeming factors. The coffee shop at the lobby level however was great with friendly and professional staff.

Breakfast the following morning was met with the same air of arrogance from the host and we were then seated at a counter overlooking the closed bar area, despite there being unoccupied tables and sections of the restaurant not in use. Once I raised the issue that this was not a comfortable seating arrangement and asked to be seated at a table, were the vacant tables reset and we were then begrudgingly moved. Once again no sense of care for the guest and their experience or comfort. Our server was however quite pleasant whilst remaining somewhat indifferent. Breakfast was ok however portions are small and food only warm - once again not good enough and not competitive with other hotels in Kyoto.

Check out was at least consistent with a disinterested approach that was purely transactional - zero interest in ascertaining how was our stay or any mention of thank you. It’s now very clear why this hotel is not busy.

Ace Hotel Kyoto I simply cannot recommend and I would never return again. With rooms costing around $1000 per night there are so many better options in Kyoto with significantly larger rooms, better facilities, well trained and caring team members, far superior restaurants and bars and locations. At best this is a design driven ‘economy’ hotel with a decent gym and free bikes.

As a very frequent traveller spending over 100 nights in hotels annually this is my worst hotel experience of 2024. Congratulations Ace Hotel Kyoto.

Great design and a solid concept does not offset a staff culture that’s rotten and a clear absence of standards and Japanese...