What’s the deal?
A recipient of the prestigious Michelin Key, Ace Hotel Kyoto lives in the ShinPuhKan complex, originally built in the mid-1920s as the Kyoto Central Telephone Office. Designed in a partnership between Kengo Kuma and Commune Design, the hotel preserves features of the historic building while offering modern comforts. Inspired by its home city’s deep reverence for nature and craftsmanship, the property is brought to life with regional natural materials, original works by local artists and an abundance of greenery, especially in its beautiful garden courtyard.
No matter the time of day, the lobby feels lively, communal and lived-in. More like a hip café or chic coworking space, it’s a relaxed, inclusive hangout for locals and tourists alike – the high-ceilinged area is always teeming with well-dressed digital nomads hunched over their laptops.
Also in the lobby is Japan’s first outpost of the US chain Stumptown Coffee Roasters, a Japanese-style photobooth, an assortment of Ace Hotel Kyoto-branded merch next to its circular copper front desk and an abundance of art. Most attention-grabbing is the large multicoloured textile piece by Kagoshima-based Shobu Gakuen’s artist community, and there’s even more to admire in the gallery area adjacent to the lobby. At night, tubular copper light fixtures dot the kigumi timber ceiling like constellations filling an endless, starry sky.
It’s a design hotel Kyoto can be proud of: the guestrooms brim with creative touches. Original pieces by folk artist Samiro Yunoki, who created the hotel’s logo and custom font, brighten rooms with bold hues and geometric shapes, while Isamu Noguchi’s iconic Akari lamps, handcrafted with washi paper and bamboo ribbing, add timeless appeal.
Warm and inviting, guestrooms are an amalgamation of textures – wood plank floors in the entry area, tatami-lined bedside tables, striped wool blankets (part of a collaboration with Pendleton from the Pacific Northwest), plus contrasting warm ash wood panels and cool slate tiles found in the bathroom.
AloJapan.com