PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This has been one of Kyoto's grand hotels since 1969, a familiar landmark topped by the city's only revolving restaurant, open also for breakfast. The building's aging exterior offers a modern rendition of traditional Japanese architecture with its railed ledges, but the lobby is rather confining and uninteresting, with a row of chairs near the checkout desk testimony to the sometimes long queues. Still, rooms are comfortable enough, with adequately sized standard rooms that feature shoji screens and window panels that close for darkness. The most expensive rooms, occupying the top two floors, have smart-looking Italian-style furnishings, better views, and spacious modern bathrooms. To aid the foreigners who make up about 30% of hotel guests, there's an English-language guest-relations coordinator on staff. Another plus is the frequent shuttle bus to Kyoto Station, though it delivers you to the south side of the station (city buses depart from the north side of Kyoto Station). Facilities: 7 restaurants; 2 bars; lounge; indoor pool (fee: ¥1,050/$8.75/£4.40); sauna (men only; fee: ¥2,625/$22/£11); concierge; complimentary shuttle to station; salon; florist; bakery; room service (6am-midnight); in-room massage; same-day laundry/dry-cleaning service; nonsmoking rooms, executive-level rooms.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Japan, 9th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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