Roku Kyoto, New Hilton LXR Hotel In Japan

By Ruby J. Adams 4 years ago

Here’s yet another exciting addition to Hilton’s luxury hotel portfolio…

Hilton’s Roku Kyoto opens September 2021

Roku Kyoto will be the first Hilton LXR Hotels & Resorts properties in Asia, and Hilton’s first property in Kyoto. The hotel will be located in the foothills of the Takagamine Sanzan in norther Kyoto. This will be located in the 28.6 acre Shozan Resort Kyoto, which is a luxury enclave home to a variety of gardens and tea houses.

Roku Kyoto will feature 114 guest rooms, along with all the amenities you’d expect, from restaurants, to a spa, fitness center, and natural hot springs. Details of the hotel are still fairly limited, though below are some renderings to give you a sense of what to expect.

Roku Kyoto exterior


Roku Kyoto property


Roku Kyoto lobby


Roku Kyoto lobby


Roku Kyoto guest room


Roku Kyoto guest room


Roku Kyoto guest room


Roku Kyoto guest room


Roku Kyoto dining


Roku Kyoto dining


Roku Kyoto dining


Roku Kyoto spa

For context, this will be Hilton’s eighth LXR property, and complements the following:

  • Crockfords (Las Vegas, United States)
  • Habtoor Palace (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  • Mango House (Mahe, Seychelles)
  • Oceana (Santa Monica, United States)
  • Susona (Bodrum, Turkey)
  • The Biltmore, Mayfair (London, United Kingdom)
  • Zemi Beach House (Anguilla)

Redeeming Hilton Honors points at Roku Kyoto

Roku Kyoto is accepting reservations for stays as of September 16, 2021. Paid rates at this hotel are really high, even compared to the competition. Rates (including taxes and fees) for base rooms range from over $1,000 per night in the off season, to over $2,000 per night on some dates in the high season.

Best of all, you can redeem points here, at the rate of 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night. This is an exceptional use of points, especially if you’re going in peak season.

Hilton Honors elite members get a fifth night free on award redemptions, meaning that you could pay 76,000 points per night for a standard room over five nights.

Why luxury Hilton additions excite me

I’m always thrilled to see Hilton add more luxury properties, especially independent ones like this. Historically one of Hilton’s biggest challenges has been that its luxury footprint was limited, though this is an area in which the program has been improving greatly.

There are so many great implications for this with Hilton Honors:

In other words, I appreciate the valuable status that can be earned without actually being “loyal,” especially when I can use those benefits at luxury properties.

Hilton’s luxury footprint continues to grow, including properties like the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Zemi Beach House, Oceana Santa Monica, Mango House Seychelles, the Conrad Abu Dhabi, and more.

Mango House Seychelles

Kyoto is an amazing hotel market

Kyoto is an incredible hotel market, and the number of luxury hotel options keeps growing. When you combine Japanese hospitality with luxury brands, it’s a great combination.

Even though there are already a lot of amazing luxury properties in Kyoto, I’m particularly excited about this one. Realistically, the two best points hotels in Kyoto are the Ritz-Carlton and Park Hyatt:

  • The Ritz-Carlton is extremely well regarded, but keep in mind that Marriott Bonvoy Platinum members and above don’t receive complimentary breakfast at the brand
  • The Park Hyatt Kyoto is excellent as well, but obviously not everyone is a Hyatt loyalist, and award space can be tough to come by

So it’s awesome to see a Hilton Honors luxury property open in Kyoto.

Park Hyatt Kyoto

Bottom line

Roku Kyoto will be opening in a few months, and will be Hilton’s first LXR property in Asia, and Hilton’s first property of any brand in Kyoto. Competition in the Kyoto hotel market is fierce, and it’s always hard to know how good a hotel belonging to an independent brand will be.

At a minimum this hotel is worth being aware of, and it could be a great option for anyone looking to earn and redeem points when in Kyoto. I look forward to seeing some firsthand reports of the property when it opens.

Anyone considering a stay at Roku Kyoto once Japan reopens?

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