In July 2023, I checked into the Historic Twin Room at Ace Hotel Kyoto. Housed within a landmark 1926-built building in the heart of Kyoto, the 213-room hotel is conveniently connected to the Karasuma Oike subway station; just 10 minutes from Kyoto Station by taxi; around two hours from Kansai International Airport (KIX) by car; and less than three hours away from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Nearby attractions include Nishiki Market, Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace, easily accessible using one of the hotel’s Tokyo Bikes.
Launched in 2020, Ace Hotel Kyoto is the Los Angeles-headquartered brand’s first property in Asia. Other notable hotels in Kyoto include Park Hyatt Kyoto, Aman Kyoto and Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto.
The UTW (“Under Ten Words”): Traditional meets modern, Japanese meets American in Kyoto.
The must-dos (if any): Enjoy breakfast (and dinner with drinks) at Kōsa; play a vinyl record with the turntable in your room; start the day with a coffee at Stumptown; have a nightcap at PIOPIKO, window-shop and have a snack at the connected shopping arcade.
ACE HOTEL KYOTO
Located along Karasuma Street, the boutique hotel consists of two connected halves: one half is housed within the distinctive brick Shin-Puk-Kan building which used to serve as the former Kyoto Central Telephone Company, while the other half is a brand new structure with an angular gridded facade meant to evoke feels of Kyoto’s traditional machiya townhouses with their latticed facades. The hotel’s construction and renovation project was led by Kengo Kuma and Associates (who also designed The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon and Opposite House) in collaboration with long-time Ace collaborators Commune Design. The hotel is impossibly chic in its Japanese-meets-Western/modern-meets-traditional eclectic stylings, with the spacious lobby being the most busy with its visuals and ideas – noren curtains and katazome stencil-dyed fabric signs from legendary Japanese folk artist Samiro Yunoki, a juxtaposition of industrial and wood textures, high ceilings with Japanese kigumi wood joinery and pipework copper light fixtures, an ACE boutique and vinyl library sorted by genre, long communal tables, ceramic pots by artist-fisherman Kazunori Hamana, a doughnut-shaped copper front desk, an exhibition gallery and various vibrantly-coloured textile art displays.
What the hotel may lack in facilities – it does not offer a swimming pool, only a fitness centre – it makes up with an abundance of dining, shopping and entertainment options within the immediate vicinity. The Shin-Puk-Kan complex itself is home to a lush courtyard garden as well as a collection of various boutiques and eateries, with highlights including the Tea and Sake Tasuki ShinPuhKan which specialises in shaved ice, offering traditional flavours such as Matcha and Hojicha and exotic flavours such as Sencha Gin Lime; chocolate concept store Green Bean to Bar Chocolate; Café Kitsuné Kyoto ShinPuhKan, which offers Kyoto-limited flavoured drinks such as Hojicha Latte; and specialty stores such as Le Labo Kyoto, Beams Japan and Traveler’s Factory Kyoto. The complex even has its own independent movie theatre, Uplink Kyoto, located within its basement level.
HISTORIC TWIN
Located within the historic former Kyoto Central Telephone Office building where rooms are scarce (there are only 27) and thus more coveted, the 48sqm Historic Twin room has a soaring ceiling and large windows which overlook the busy street ahead. The Commune-designed twin beds which face the windows are fitted with stylish Pendleton wool blankets (an Ace Hotel feature), with a Gibson guitar near the foot of one of the beds for your Taylor Swift songwriting purposes. A cosy lounge space has a bright Samiro Yunoki artwork on the wall, retro-style seat cushions by Japanese designer Akira Minagawa and a paper lantern light fixture for that gentle, atmospheric glow. The mini-bar is stocked with a variety of snacks, Mitsumoto organic drip coffee bags as well as an extensive collection of canned and bottled beverages – think beers, juices, sodas, a bottle of Koyoi low alcohol cocktail and baby bottles of Louis Roederer champagne and Sileni Estates Sauvignon Blanc.
The most memorable and charming part of the room experience would be the TEAC turntable and selection of vinyl records available for your enjoyment. Prior to my stay, I have never fiddled with a vinyl record player before, and it was such a magical and brilliant moment swivelling the tonearm and lowering the stylus onto the groove of the vinyl record for the very first time. I swear there is a certain richness and soulfulness of sound from a vinyl record that you simply cannot replicate with playing Spotify tracks on a Bose wireless speaker. (I was not informed, and only realised after I had checked out, that guests could actually visit the vinyl library and browse the records for specific ones they may want – perhaps the hotel could better highlight this guest benefit during the check-in process. I had lovely Japanese artists and 80s rock records in my room, but I wouldn’t have minded some Anita Baker or Frank Sinatra, which were options I eventually found in the vinyl library later.)
The natural ash wood surfaces of the bathroom gave it a certain recording studio feel, while elsewhere the shower area had black slate tiled walls and a soaking tub as well as bathroom amenities from Tokyo beauty brand Uka.
DINING
Breakfast is served at Kōsa, the stylish restaurant on the 3rd level led by Chef Katy Cole of Tokyo’s 20-seat bistro Locale. The restaurant specialises in Californian Kyoto cuisine prepared using regional ingredients. Guests with breakfast privileges can choose from four breakfast sets: American Breakfast (two eggs any style with bacon, sausage, roasted tomato, breakfast potato, avocado, assorted artisan bread, seasonal fruits); Eggs Benedict (poached eggs, sauce hollandaise, mixed greens, seasonal fruits, yogurt parfait with house granola and fruit compote, choice of bacon or smoked salmon); California Avocado Toast (avocado toast with artisan sourdough, poached egg, roasted tomato, market mix greens, seasonal fruits, yogurt parfait with house granola and fruit compote); and Japanese Breakfast (grilled miso marinated salmon, hot spring egg, obanzai, rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, seasonal fruits). With its soaring ceilings and the lush greenery backdrop outside, breakfast turned out to quite be the peaceful and energising experience.
Beyond breakfast service, Kōsa is open for dinner, with both an a la carte menu as well as a chef’s course menu being available. Like a valentine to nature, the Chef’s Course showcases vegetables in varied and surprising ways, from the roastiness and crunch of the Today’s Harvest Vegetables courses to the pleasing sweetness of the corn and onion in Big Fin Reef Squid in Onion Soubise. Elsewhere, the Kujo Scallion Focaccia, Sicilian Olive Oil was a chewy delight, while the Rainbow Rice Risotto, Ise Little Neck Clams, Sweet Corn, Morning Glory, Lemon Relish was suitably scrumptious and the Kumamoto Beef Sirloin, Roasted Carrot, Creamed Greens, Crispy Shallot likely to facilitate tiny shivers of pleasure.
For those seeking to imbibe, Kōsa offers a variety of choices, from cocktails such as Sansho Biri Biri Gin Tonic (Sansho infused craft gin, tonic, sudachi) and Umeshu Boulevardier (Japanese whisky, umeshu, Scarlet Bitter Liqueur) to a variety of wines, sakes and beers. I am grateful to the bar team for introducing me to Tokyo Local Spirits, a series of spirits from Toranomon Distillery infused with interesting ingredients such as Myrtle and Holy Basil. (I subsequently trekked to a faraway store in Osaka to purchase some bottles.)
Also located on the third level is Mr Maurice’s Italian, a modern Italian restaurant and bar overlooking the Shin-Puk-Kan courtyard garden below which offers both indoor and rooftop terrace seating. The restaurant serves a variety of bruschettas; antipastis like Grilled Octopus and Porchetta; wood-fire pizzas such as Kyoto Veggie, Funghi & Seasonal Mushroom and Pepperoni; housemade pastas such as Lobster Spaghetti with San Marzano Tomato and Basil, Fettuccine Duck Ragu and Rigatoni Alla Vodka with Shallot Cream; secondis like Maple Glazed Crispy Fried Chicken and Omi Beef Sirloin Bistecca (250g); and desserts such as Catalana (caramelized pear, almond crumbles) and Tiramisu.
The buzzy and glossy Mexican lounge and bar PIOPIKO specialises in Mexican fare, with their most popular items being their tacos (options include Sweet Potato, Fried Shrimp and Chicken Al Pastor). The tipples on offer – often incorporating tequila and mezcal – include PIOPIKO Margarita (tequila, lime, agave, lavender) Kyoto Smokey Yuzu Mezcalita (mezcal, local tea, cognac, yuzu kosho, lemon) and Sunnyday Service (acou rum white, passion fruit, almond, orange, natural wine, mint, milk, clarified).
Rounding up the hotel’s dining concepts is famed Portland roastery Stumptown, which serves up a variety of coffee beverages throughout the day, including its popular Coffee Float with vanilla ice cream.
CONCLUSION
Bursting with quirky character and visual personality, boasting confident dining concepts (in particular Kōsa) and offering a vinyl turntable feature that made for a most memorable and atmospheric room experience, the hotel surprised and impressed me in so many ways. I need to visit another Ace Hotel, pronto.
Ace Hotel Kyoto
245-2 Kurumayacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto,
Kyoto 604-8185, Japan
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