Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto, part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, is a celebration of Japanese culture and Kyoto history from a multidisciplinary design team that includes André Fu Studio. Guests reach the double-height lobby by way of the Kajiimiya Gate, the 300-year-old original main entrance, as well as a miniature bamboo forest to discover the likes of an oversized Shoji lantern and a ceramic sculpture by Yukiya Izumita placed atop sand that recalls peaceful temple gardens.
In the former residential parlor, morning meditation unfolds amid hinoki cypress-lined walls and views of the central courtyard thick with cherry trees. The 161 guestrooms find inspiration in Japanese teahouses, decked out with birchwood floors, woven textile wallcoverings reminiscent of kimono fabric, and stone-hewn bathtubs and fireplaces. It’s the two Onsen suites, however, with their private gardens and alfresco hot spring baths, that have the feel of an elevated ryokan.
Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto was a finalist in the Luxury Hotel project category at the 2021 HD Awards.
