The Chapter Kyoto, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel — Hotel in Kyoto

This is a completely new property with very stylish public areas of lobby and restaurant. The hotel features a very nice onsen with one indoor and one outdoor spa soaking pool available to both gender sections. The indoor pool features clear water while the outdoor pool features milky opaque water both gently hot. Nice locker and bathing area with high quality shampoo, body wash etc.

The breakfast buffet is good but even at the “discounted” price it still runs at about $30 per person unless you have super high elite status with Bonvoy.

The staff is polite and helpful but tried to upsell me at check in claiming different conditions in their system than the Concur booking site I used. They were politely letting it go when I recited to conditions on Concur.

The biggest disappointment are the rooms. They are very nicely designed but decidedly “conventional Japanese”: tiny, mostly twin or single beds. Every floor features only two rooms with king beds, which are vibrating from an air handler system in the central courtyard that blows non stop - so I moved to an even smaller room with a queen bed. Additionally, the guest room windows are intransparent safety glass (means amber tinted with metal wiring) and in some rooms even the tiny slit that would open by sliding, that sliding window is locked, e.g. 441. Thus, you cannot let fresh air into your room by opening a window - unfortunately a frequent problem with Marriott properties.

However, at the end of the day those shortcomings are just detail. The chief offense is the size of the rooms. It’s just sad that an investor would sink so much money into a brand new and beautiful property and build a footprint, which is just not anywhere close to the expectations of a Western Brand hotel product - it feels like a very...

We spent three nights at The Chapter Kyoto. All in all, we really liked it. The hotel is well located, away from the crazy-busy tourist stuff but close to some good restaurants and the subway. The hotel is quiet. Staff are really friendly and helpful. ||The rooms are compact but well organized (except for the weirdly laid-out lighting and switches). Air temperature control is fine. The bed is a very generous-sized queen, and both the bed and the pillows are really comfy. Shower was great, and they had a really nice-smelling body/hand wash and lotion. The only issues we had with the room was that if you had a lot of luggage, there wasn’t anywhere to put it except on the seating area against the wall, and there was very little closet/drawer space. There was a tea kettle with some pour-over coffee options in the room, but to get an espresso you needed to go downstairs to the lobby and hope the finicky Nespresso machine was working. ||The gym is likewise compact but serviceable, with some cardio equipment, dumbbells (up to 45 pounds), kettlebells, benches and a couple mats. ||As Marriott Titanium members we opted for the breakfast, which was so-so (good salad/fresh veg, yogurts and some fresh fruit and granola/cereals; but bad coffee, egg options and pastries). We checked out the complimentary-for-members happy hour which was also so-so: pretty good glasses of white wine, but the snacks weren’t great. So in hindsight we’d have banked the points and scrounged up breakfast somewhere else, and we would’ve taken more advantage of some of the excellent wine bars close to the hotel. ||However, we did love the location and the room, and we would definitely stay here again if life takes us...

Our recent trip to Kyoto was a special one — a family journey with my wife, her parents, and her younger brother, celebrating my mother-in-law’s retirement after 40 years of dedicated service.||When we arrived, we were deeply touched by a beautiful surprise: a handwritten card and a dessert plate with the message "Congratulations on your retirement" — both prepared for my mother-in-law. What made it even more meaningful was that the card was personally written by Ms. Jun Kiyoung, one of the hotel staff. It was a sincere and unforgettable gesture.||The room was exceptionally clean and well-organized, and the public bath — open until 1:00 AM — was perfect for unwinding after a long day of walking.||While the hotel doesn’t have a traditional concierge desk, the front desk team more than made up for it. They kindly recommended local restaurants and even helped us make reservations during the busy Golden Week season — something we truly appreciated.||I would also like to give a heartfelt thanks to the young Japanese male staff member who assisted us at check-in. He greeted us with a warm smile and was extremely attentive throughout our stay. Although I received his business card, I unfortunately lost it during the trip. I regret not remembering his name, but his kindness truly stood out.||And of course, Ms. Jun Kiyoung’s thoughtful support and handwritten message made our experience all the more special and personal.||This wasn’t just a hotel stay — it became a meaningful part of our celebration and created a memory we’ll treasure as a family.|I wholeheartedly recommend The Chapter Kyoto for anyone planning a special occasion or...