Ritz-Carlton to open hotel in Kyoto

Ritz-Carlton and Sekisui House Ltd, one of Japan's leading home builders, on Wednesday signed an agreement for the development of The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto.

The hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2014, will have 136 guest rooms with an average size of 50 square meters for standard rooms, making them some of the largest in the city. It will also feature four dining options, banquet and meeting rooms, as well as a spa and other recreational facilities.

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto will have an excellent strategic location as an urban resort on the Kamogawa River, Nijho Ohashi, close to Kyoto’s popular downtown areas including Gion and Kawaramachi-dori, the city’s retail and entertainment district. The hotel’s guestrooms will offer views of the river and the Higashiyama Mountains.

Isami Wada, Sekisui’s chairman & CEO, said, “The Ritz-Carlton has a great reputation in Japan for its service and for running some of the best hotels in the country. We firmly believe that The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, will further strengthen that reputation. The hotel will be a great benefit to the city and people of Kyoto and a flagship in our own portfolio. Our goal with this project is to construct a hotel which is reminiscent of the 1,000-year history of Kyoto that can be inherited by our next generation and to be a continuous and important part of a long and distinguished history. In doing so we will add a new glamour to Kyoto, thereby contribute to promoting the economic revitalization throughout Japan and in Kansai.”

While in keeping with the traditions and cultural sensitivity of Kyoto, The Ritz-Carlton will be a subtle and inspired juxtaposition of modernity and respect for Japanese tradition, incorporating the work of internationally famous Japanese design houses such as Spin Studio. The architects and designers have gone to great lengths to preserve the traditional Meiji house and courtyard into the architectural structure of the building.

Exceptionally rich in beauty, history, spirituality and culture, Kyoto draws 50 million visitors annually to experience the city and its 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. While many of these visitors are Japanese, there is real growth in the numbers of international visitors coming to the city, and Kyoto is now very much must-see destination for sophisticated global travelers who are attracted to the city for its quintessential Japanese experience.

© Japan Today