I have been wanting to try out this place for a long time after hearing how lovely and great this property is. It comes with a solid executive lounge and the location is awesome as it is right opposite the Kyoto Station. This provided you with great transport links which can be spared for Japanese standards in Kyoto. The hotel is also one of the newer ones in town. I love to see the expanding Hilton footprint over here in Kyoto. There used to be just one LXR and one HGI. I would love to try the Hilton someday as it looks so gorgeous! I also tried the other DoubleTree which is the one near Gion. That was excellent too! Kyoto is such a huge tourist destination and see plenty of demand. It could do with another Hilton and perhaps even another HGI. Let’s see how this is!
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked the Premium Room since this is the lowest category that is available for my dates. I will be staying here for 3 nights! This is one of the higher-tier room types here. We will have two rooms here. The rates are cheaper than others in the city but still high given the peak season. I reached out to the hotel to get some information and also to put down some requests. I did not get any upgrade before the stay even till when check-in opened online. This is quite surprising as higher-tier rooms are available. I usually get at least one tier upgrade. I did see that they have quite a fair bit of higher-category rooms available. I would love to get the executive deluxe. All the rooms here come with a tub as usual over here in Japan. Doubletree by Hilton Kyoto Station comes with 266 guest rooms spread across 10 categories. You can check out the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access | Bathtub | Room Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest | No | Yes | 22 Sqm |
| Deluxe | No | Yes | 25 Sqm |
| Premium | No | Yes | 33 Sqm |
| Triple Deluxe | No | Yes | 25 Sqm |
| Triple Premium | No | Yes | 33 Sqm |
| Executive | Yes | Yes | 33 Sqm |
| Triple Executive | Yes | Yes | 33 Sqm |
| Executive Deluxe | Yes | Yes | 44 Sqm |
| Executive Suite | Yes | Yes | 81 Sqm |
| Tatami Suite | Yes | Yes | 81 Sqm |
Checking In
I got to Kyoto station at around 2.40pm and from there is it about a 10-minute or so walk to the hotel. The hotel is almost directly right opposite the station. This makes it very convenient and easy to travel with especially when you have huge bags. Kyoto is not good for commuting with public transport and with bags, you might need even more than one taxi. I love the exterior look of the hotel and you can There are no bellboys at the entrance. This is weird at a DT.
I was warmly helped by a friendly associate who reconfirmed everything and helped me with my check-in. We had two rooms and it took quite some time. There is a slight language barrier with the staff helping me. No upgrades are available. They did extended lounge access to both my rooms. Late check-out is also extended till 1pm.
Premium Room
I was assigned a room on the fifth floor. We didn’t get connecting rooms but they were side by side at the least. The rooms are similar in size but do differ in terms of the layout. I will share my room, 507 here. Immediately upon entering, you can find a wardrobe to the left. It is a little bit on the smaller side. It comes with everything you might require from an ironing kit, bath slippers, hangers, freshener, and laundry bags. There was more space in the room for a bigger wardrobe.
Heading in, along the corridor to the left, you can find the bathroom. The toilet and bathroom are separated in different rooms here. The bathroom is of a nice size and nicely equipped. There is a single sink with plenty of counter space. There is a full set of amenities and also a hairdryer right below.
The shower room is fully enclosed behind the glass door. I love the Japanese concept with the tub inside too. It is very spacious. The standing shower water pressure and temperature control are excellent. They had both a handheld shower head and a rainforest shower head. As usual, amenities are from Crabtree and Evelyn.
On the other side of the entranceway, you can find the toilet which is sitting in a nice small room, there is even a little mini sink here too. Very Japanese!
The main space of the room is very spacious and huge. It is in a rectangular configuration which allows for great use of space. This is really a nice room. I love the look and the carpet design which add a little Japanese flair to the place. There is a space in the corner with a humidifier to set up the portable stand. This spot will be so much better off for a larger wardrobe.
I opted for a room with twin beds since this is the only one that’s available. I would love to get a king but they are fully booked. There are nightstands on either side of the bed with controls for the lighting and power outlets. It is pretty perfect in this aspect. The beds are super comfortable and plush! The sheets were high-quality as well. The same goes for the pillows. We managed to get some additional harder ones that provide really good neck support. I had a comfortable sleep here. I have to point out that the air-conditioning works very well here. They are powerful and very quiet.
Along the wall, you can find the table stretched throughout. This includes the TV platform. The television is of a good size and high definition. It comes with a good number of both local and international cable TV channels.
The spacious panel allows you to store some items. The working desk and dressing table stretch up towards the end.
Left on the platform were two bottles of drinking water as well as a water tumbler with a filter. They only provide this one time. The convenience store is just around the corner, I would just get some drinking water for a buck. The mini fridge is left empty for your use here. You can also find some packaged tea and coffee. There is no proper coffee machine being provided. Thankfully, I can just pop into the executive lounge for some.
By the side of the room, there is a seating area with two chairs and a coffee table. It is always nice to have an additional seating spot in a normal room which could come in handy if you want to relax or dine.
There isn’t much of a view in the room and I just left the curtains drawn most of the time. No turndown services are offered.
Fitness Centre
The fitness centre is located on the second floor. It is at the end of the corridor You can access it using your key card. The place is open 24 hours every day. It is a cosy place. You can find typical gym equipment over here. They are well-maintained and clean. Water and towels are provided here.
Laundry Room
The laundry room is open 24 hours and is also located on the second floor. You can find the prices over here. This will be handy for long-term stays or families who need to get laundry done. There are a total of 2 machines.
Executive Lounge
This is a unique one. It is not that common for DT to have an executive lounge. The lounge is located on the 9th floor. The majority of the floor is dedicated to the lounge with only a very small number of rooms here. The lounge is open from 7am to 9pm daily. They provide two services with breakfast from 7am to 10am and evening cocktails from 5pm to 7pm. The lounge comes with a panoramic view of Kyoto with the mountains and the station. It is quite nice to see the Shinkansen entering and leaving the station. The lounge comes with about 50 to 60 seatings. I love the furniture. It is a good spot to see the sunset. You can find pictures of the place here.
Throughout the day you can find some snacks, soft drinks, tea and coffee available.
I also managed to check out the evening cocktails on my very first night. I appreciate having lounge access as I am always done by this time to retreat back to the hotel to rest up before heading out for dinner. The spread is pretty food with some breads, salads and hot dishes. There are also some cakes and doughnuts. The food quality is there. I love that the selection changes from day to day.
Drinks wise is equally impressive. There is a nice selection of Japanese Liquors ranging from Sake, Sochu and Plum Wine. You can also find beers, and red and white wine. Non-alcoholic beers and simple mixes are available as well. The service is very good and I love winding down and chasing some sunset. It certainly exceeded my expectations.
Breakfast at the Executive Lounge
Breakfast at the executive lounge is available for executive guests. This provides a much more quiet and cosy environment as compared to the restaurant. Which is constantly very crowded. The timings are the same as the restaurant which I feel is a little bit too early with the last call at 9.30am and stopping at 10am for a city hotel. The breakfast is on the smaller side here with a niche selection of hot dishes, You can find some potatoes, sausages, broccoli and rice porridge. There are also some pastries, salads and Japanese breakfast items.
There are also some juices, tea and coffee. They can certainly improve on the selection here or do a la carte given the low crowd. I would recommend the restaurant instead.
Breakfast at Harvest Kitchen
I went down to the restaurant to have breakfast on my first morning at around 8am. It was really packed and busy at this hour and we had to queue for a little bit. Japanese Hilton usually have a priority line for elite members and special items. It will be nice if there is something here too. Breakfast cost 3800 yen if not included in your rate or elite status. Breakfast is served till 10a, with a last order at 9.30am which feels way too early.
I have heard plenty of good things about this after hearing about it. I appreciate that they offer Diamond members a quieter spot at the end of the restaurant. Breakfast is quite a spread and very generous. I was not expecting this level over here. Everything is served buffet style. There is a huge collection of stir-fried, congee, western items, egg stations, noodle stations, pastries, fruits, cold cuts and salads. I will leave the pictures to the rest of the sharing.
Drinks-wise consists of Nespresso coffee, tea and juices. Last but not least. How amazing is it to have a matcha soft-serve station for breakfast? This is further enhanced with matcha, cakes, pancakes and mochi. Not the healthiest thing but super lovely to create your own parfait in the morning.
Conclusion
A very nice hotel with a great location and pricing. It is very good for this quality. I enjoyed my stay a lot and would highly recommend it for travellers. With Kyoto’s limitation on public transport, you are also better off dropping off your bags at a hotel near the station than travelling to a hotel far away. That will add costs. The rooms are very comfortable and I appreciate the central location of the hotel which makes popping by to rest or to drop off your shopping easy. You can even use the lounge for a drink. This works so well for me in Japan. I usually head out to eat to hit up the attractions or shopping. I am more or less done with my legs by 4 or 5pm or so. You can then head back to drop off your stuff, freshen up and enjoy the evening cocktails. Head out then for dinner if you want. I do wish that they could expand the working hours of the lounge and also the lounge breakfast. I will have no qualms about coming back for another stay.
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