The Westin Miyako, Kyoto (ウェスティン都ホテル京都)
The Westin Miyako, Kyoto is the highest-class hotel located along Sanjo-dori Street in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City. The hotel belongs to Starwood Hotels & Resorts. It is operated by Miyako hotels & Resorts.
Summary
Location: 1 Awadaguchi Kacho-cho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City
Number of guest rooms: 501 (including 11 suites)
Number of restaurants: 6
Number of bar lounges: 3
Number of banquet rooms: 16
Operation: Miyako hotels & Resorts.
History
In April, 1890, Jinbe NISHIMURA, an oil merchant, opened 'Yoshimizuen,' a recreational amusement park, at the foot of Kacho-zan Mountain. He opened Miyako Hotel within the park in 1900. Since then, the hotel has kept the position of the highest-class hotel, as the guest house of Kyoto, the largest sightseeing place in Japan. In 1960, the present main hall designed by Togo MURANO was completed.
In April of 2002, Miyako Hotel started a business partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, participating in the Westin brand, and the hotel name was changed to the present one. Corresponding to the start of the partnership, the hotel was drastically renovated, and newly opened. With the Starwood's world-wide member organization and reservation system, foreign guests staying at the hotel, whose number was small before, increased rapidly to 1/4 of all guests staying overnight, and the average room-occupying rate was also increased from 60% (before the start of the business partnership) to 80%. It appeared on the Kyoto Shimbun Newspaper on December 6, 2005.
Facilities
The Aoi-den garden spreading in the south of the Aoi-den banquet hall is a walk-through type, one designed in 1933 by Jihe OGAWA, famous as a pioneer of modern Japanese gardens. The Kasui-en garden was built in 1925 by Hakuyo, the eldest son of the seventh Jihe OGAWA, imitating the garden of Sanbo-in of Daigo-ji Temple in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City. Both the Aoi-den garden and the Kasui-en garden were designated cultural properties (beauty spots) in 1994 by Kyoto City.
Kasui-en,' a Japanese style annex designed by Togo MURANO and completed within the Kasui-en garden in 1959, is known as a masterpiece of sukiya-zukuri style buildings after the war. In Kasui-en, you can enjoy services of traditional Japanese inns while staying in the hotel.
Access
Railways
Take the Tozai Line Kyoto City Subway: Get off at Keage Station and you will find it immediately.
From Kansai International Airport: Get on the JR Limited Express Haruka, and it takes 75 minutes.
Bus
From Kyoto Station: A bus from the hotel is available at the Hachjo entrance/exit place, and it takes about 20 minutes.
From Osaka International Airport: Limousine buses are available.