Imperial Hotel, Kyoto: A New Luxury Stay in Gion

Explera DMC Japan now books the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto for luxury clients. The hotel opened on 5 March 2026 in Gion, inside the restored Yasaka Kaikan, a 1936 building registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. It has 55 rooms and suites, and it is the first new Imperial Hotel in about 30 years.

It is the fourth hotel of the Imperial Hotel group, after Tokyo, Kamikochi and Osaka. Its last new opening was the Imperial Hotel Osaka in 1996. The Kyoto hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.

What does the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto offer?

• Three parts. Rooms sit in the heritage section of the main building, the rest of the main building and a new North Wing.
• Five room types. Signature Suite, Suite, Junior Suite, Grand Premier and Premier.
• Signature suites. The Imperial Suite, the Penthouse Suite and the Yasaka Suite, which looks out over the main gate of the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo theatre.
• Tatami rooms. The North Wing rooms are the first Imperial Hotel rooms with tatami floors.
• The building. The heritage rooms keep original pillars and window frames of the Yasaka Kaikan.

Who do we book into the hotel?

• Small luxury groups and VIPs. With 55 rooms, the hotel suits couples, families and small private groups rather than large coach groups.
• Culture-led trips. Gion is on the doorstep, so we often add an evening from our guide to geisha and maiko experiences and a day from our private Kyoto tours.
• Early requests. Suites are few, so we request them as soon as the client's dates are fixed.

For more options across the country, see our guide to Japan's top luxury hotels.

Sources: Imperial Hotel via PR Newswire: Imperial Hotel, Kyoto opening March 5, 2026 and Imperial Hotel: Our stories of Yasaka Kaikan.