With Japan reopening to most visitors in late 2022 , it is again near the top of many travelers' bucket lists – and for good reason.
Whether you're dreaming of a trip to Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto, it's tough to go wrong when visiting this Asian island nation, no matter your destination. And if Japan wasn't already on your mind, this should be reason enough for you to visit – our team recently uncovered excellent award availability at the Park Hyatt Kyoto from now through the end of the booking calendar in June of 2024.
The Park Hyatt Kyoto is a category 8 property, meaning a standard room will cost 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night. With Hyatt introducing peak and off-peak award pricing in 2021, it's possible to pay as few as 35,000 points per night for an award at this property, or as much as 45,000 during a peak period. At the time of publishing, we're seeing many nights in the standard (40,000 points) and off-peak (35,000 points) categories for stays through September 2023 and then again this winter from mid-December through March 2024 – the start of cherry blossom season in Japan.
If booking a standard night at 40,000 points seems steep, it becomes an absolute bargain when comparing it against cash prices. Most nights at this property start at $1,500 (with taxes and fees) and only go up from there. This makes your World of Hyatt points or Chase Ultimate Rewards – which transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Hyatt – extremely valuable.
Considering the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's current welcome offer of 80,000 points, after spending $4,000 in the first three months, you'd have enough points for a two-night stay at this property that would otherwise cost you north of $3,000. That's a pretty incredible use of points from one of the best overall travel credit cards on the market.
Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card .
While we wish we could give you a first-hand review of this stunning property, no one on the Thrifty Traveler team has stayed here yet. With the hotel opening in late 2019, it was closed off to most foreigners for nearly three years during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. So even though the Park Hyatt Kyoto is nearing its fourth birthday, it should still feel brand new for years to come.
The hotel is said to provide guests with a “one-of-a-kind Kyoto experience by blending modern and traditional aspects of Japanese hospitality with the elegance of the Park Hyatt brand.” This property features 70 luxury guest rooms, including nine suites, five unique dining options, and a retreat from Kyoto's hustle and bustle with a full onsite spa and wellness experience.
Wondering what it's like to visit Japan since reopening? We sent one of our reporters there earlier this year to answer that very question!
How to Book the Park Hyatt Kyoto
There is currently standard room award availability at the Park Hyatt Kyoto on most dates from now through the end of the booking calendar in June 2024 , as of publication.
Most months have at least 20 nights with standard room availability bookable from 35,000 to 45,000 points per night.
Log in to your World of Hyatt account , search the property, add your dates, and make sure you select “Use Points” before clicking “Find Hotels.”
Try searching for one-night reservations at a time to ensure every night of your planned stay is available. If not, Hyatt will show you far more expensive suite availability – or nothing at all.
You should be able to easily find availability to book a standard room with one king bed or two twin beds.
Current Park Hyatt Kyoto Award Availability
Award availability is pretty wide open from now through June of 2024. During this time frame, all months have 20+ nights of award availability with many pricing at an off-peak level of 35,000 points per night.
To start, log into your Hyatt account and search for the property. You can click the “Points Calendar” option, highlighted below. Fair warning: This won't show you actual availability that you can book with your points, but it can help you identify nights that have either off-peak (35,000 points per night) or standard (40,000 points per night) award space.
After clicking on “points calendar” it should open up a calendar view where you can see how much each night will cost in points, depending on whether it is a peak, off-peak, or standard night.
Once you start searching for your actual trip, nailing down a four- to five-night stay or longer may require some trial and error. If just one night of your stay is unavailable, Hyatt will only show you higher-priced suite availability … or perhaps nothing at all. For that reason, it's best to search one day at a time to ensure there's standard room availability for each date of your planned stay.
As of publication, though, the calendar is pretty wide open so you shouldn't have too much trouble stringing together a multi-night stay.
Bottom Line
There is currently excellent standard room award availability at the Park Hyatt Kyoto for 20+ nights each month from now through early June 2024. This property appears to perfectly thread the needle by blending Japanese heritage and hospitality with the modern luxury that guests have come to expect from the Park Hyatt brand. With standard rooms starting as low as 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night, there is insane value to be had by booking an award night at this hotel.
We don't know how long this award space will last, so we would suggest booking quickly if you're interested!
Photos courtesy of Hyatt Hotels
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