HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Kyoto

From the moment we arrived at The Mitsui Kyoto, we knew we were in for something special. This gem of a hotel seamlessly blends luxury with nature, creating an atmosphere that feels both magical and welcoming.

As we stepped into the lobby, we were greeted by the warm smiles of the staff, and Mei, the Ambassador, made us feel exceptionally welcome. The check-in process was swift and personal; we were offered a refreshing welcome drink—a delightful green tea that instantly made us feel at home.

Our room was nothing short of a sanctuary. Spacious and elegantly decorated, it featured floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the breathtaking cherry blossom tree in the garden. The king-sized bed was like sleeping on a cloud, complete with a plush mattress and a selection of pillows that let us customize our comfort. And can we talk about the bathroom? A deep soaking tub and luxury toiletries made it the perfect oasis after a day of exploring.

The breakfast was a culinary adventure. Kudos to the chef for preparing such a wonderful breakfast that makes your day start off great! The dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, "TOKI" was a truly extraordinary culinary experience. The ambiance combined elegance and warmth—soft lighting, tasteful decor, and an inviting atmosphere set the perfect stage for an unforgettable evening.

The service was impeccable. Our server Mana was knowledgeable and genuinely passionate about the menu, guiding us through the intricacies of each dish with expertise. Her attentiveness without being intrusive made us feel both special and comfortable.

Now, onto the food—the star of the show! The tasting menu was a symphony of flavours, each dish a masterclass in creativity and technique.

The next day we also had the opportunity to experience the tea ceremony, and it was simply amazing. Yuko was a superstar, making us feel over the moon with the entire experience.

The spa at this hotel was the best we have ever experienced in our lives. The warm spring waters and the serene ambiance make it so inviting that you won’t want to leave.

What truly set The Mitsui Kyoto apart was the exceptional service. Every staff member greeted us with smile, and their attention to detail was remarkable. They anticipated our needs and went above and beyond. This is all a result of their training manager, the extraordinary SONO MASUDA! I believe she should be cloned and placed in every hotel so that each one can offer the same highest level of hospitality.

Our stay was nothing short of magical and we already planning our return.

A huge thanks...

My wife and I stayed at the Mitsui for 6 nights at the beginning of June 2024, and although the room and amenities were fantastic we had a very mixed experience including such highlights as been chased out of the restaurant on suspicion of not paying for our pre-paid breakfast! Firstly, the positives - the building itself is gorgeous, surrounding a beautiful garden which you can see from the restaurants and walk through at your leisure. We stayed in the Nijo-jo Castle View room, which overlooks the approach and main castle itself, which is quite the sight to behold. The room itself was spatious, comfortable and very well stocked with all possible amenities, and the fittings were high quality and well kept. However, we had numerous, confounding problems with the service. The first of these was that it was completely impossible to put charges onto our Room unless we had a specific type of Credit Card. Debit cards were not accepted, and they could not settle up payments at the end of our stay. Any restaurant meals had to be paid for immediately, and Spa Treatments had to be pre-paid. I checked this with multiple staff who said the same thing. When we arrived, we were offered a discounted upgrade on the room, which we opted for, although a day later it turned out that they had miscalculated the price, so we were asked to immediately come and rectify this. So not only had they given us a false price for the room upgrade, but we had to take time out of our day to pay for it on two occasions because they couldn't hold payment until the end of the stay. This trend of inconveniences continued when we had breakfast in the morning (which had been prepaid for). I explicitly asked the waiter if we needed to pay for the coffees, to which he said no, it's included. So we got up and walked away, and half way to the door, a lady waved us down and exclaimed that we needed to wait and pay for the breakfast. She spent a couple minutes talking with the manager, and then told us we could leave and apologised to us. Another issue is that the Wifi service requires a Marriot Bonvoy account, which isn't just a simple sign up, you need to go to the front desk and sign up. An inconvenience which just added to our already disrupted experience. Additionally, we requested that the turndown service was not required, but this was ignored. Once again, strange and easily preventable errors in service. Overall, I think the hotel has potential to be a lovely, enjoyable destination, but the service was not competent enough to match a luxury...

When entering Hotel Mitsui Kyoto you'll be greeted by many staff standing around the reception area giving the impression that it's well staffed. However this is very misleading as once you're booked in it becomes very clear the rest of the hotel is not well staffed. Checking in we went through the normal procedure of showing our passports and the staff member showed us to our room. Only then did he remember he'd forgotten to return our passports to us which he'd left in reception. Such carelessness should not be happening.

Every single time bar one that we ordered food to the room they forgot things. "Sorry I forgot the hot food" "Sorry I forgot the cups." They estimate it'll take maybe 45 minutes even if you're ordering apple juice and a scoop of ice cream. In a 5 star hotel when ringing for laundry or used plates collection I shouldn't have to set a timer on my phone because noone comes.

The breakfast is average although the poached eggs are nice but it's impossible to mess them up. The food in general is average and does not fit with the pricing or 5* hotel rating. 2 million¥ for the 2 nights and this is the service provided?

We wanted to send a bag to the hotel we're staying at in Tokyo but somehow this is a challenging task. The staff member my wife was dealing with was very dismissive. Somehow hotels in Tokyo and Osaka don't have this issue. The staff seem trained in a Western hospitality model rather than the typical Japanese/Eastern style and it makes it very weird. Maybe when delivering the food, the staff shouldn't repeatedly ask what we're watching on TV and instead should focus on not forgetting things and providing an actual 5* service.

While on honeymoon last year we stayed Bessho Sasa near Mt Fuji and enjoyed the onsen, so we were looking forward to experiencing the onsen here. While it was nice, the water had a strong chlorine smell which we couldn't understand given it's supposed to be fresh from the hot springs and we certainly didn't experience a chlorine smell at the Bessho Sasa onsen. Funnily while Bessho Sasa is a 3* hotel it provided a highly professional service compared the 5* Hotel Mitsui Kyoto.

When checking out you'll be once again greeted by loads of staff in reception standing around doing nothing. Why the manager isn't redeploying and properly training these to make the whole service run smooth I don't know. The beds are amazingly comfortable but we would not choose to...