Hotel Kyoto Eminence

For a hotel with an exterior that looks like a blocky apartment building, the Hotel Kyoto Eminence offers impressively grand common areas. The entranceway is lined with bamboo trees that complement the stained wood walls. A grand piano and numerous oversized mauve couches transform the lobby into a listening salon. The on-site restaurant, Zen, has a simple style with light wood furniture, and walls with bamboo panels above rock gardens with leafy stalks; the private dining room has harsh overhead lighting and dark wood furniture in an otherwise very spare space. A lounge area with white leather furniture, and black and white patterned carpeting holds the buffet setup. Few hotels in the world have both a hot spring spa as well as a bowling alley; that combination of amenities makes the Eminence a popular destination for locals, as well as tourist couples.

The drive from Osaka International Airport to the Hotel Kyoto Eminence will take about 45 minutes. Those who arrive to Kyoto by bus will appreciate the destination’s proximity to the central station, a 26-minute drive away. It’s also about 10 minutes on foot to a main shopping center, Rakusai Takashimaya Department Store. Much of the neighborhood around the hotel is urban and awash in gray cement, but about 15 minutes away by car is the Katsura Imperial Villa, which features one of the great Japanese gardens. Kyoto’s Bamboo Street, a grove with numerous trees and monkeys, is about six miles away or a 28-minute drive.

While the 31 rooms at the Hotel Kyoto Eminence can be either Japanese-style or Western, the decor is a few years past its prime. In both options, the furnishings are serviceable and simple, but hardly plush: basic dark- or light-wood furniture, plain walls, patterned carpet or pale-green floor mats, and cushions with faded and/or dated patterns. Free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, safes, mini-fridges, sinks, and kettles (in Western rooms), or mini-fridges and traditional tea pots (in Japanese rooms) are all nice plusses. Some rooms also have kitchenettes. The bathrooms have also seen better days with the finishes appearing to be a few years out of style; all have shower/tub combos and Japanese toilets with bidet functions. While the toiletries are free, they come in family sizes so guests can take what they need.

Many of Kyoto’s locals come to the hotel to enjoy the hot spring spa, which has several heated pools and saunas and a lounging area to accommodate hundreds of people. The bowling alley also makes the space a fun choice for families or even an off-site business meeting. The on-site restaurant serves traditional Kyoto dishes, but guests shouldn't expect anything too distinctive. There's also a bar. For anyone organizing a business meeting, the Hotel Kyoto Eminence’s meeting space is large enough for theater-style presentations.