Malaysia’s Berjaya to Build $318 Million Four Seasons Hotel in Kyoto

Artist rendering of Four Seasons Kyoto: biz.thestar.com.my

Malaysia’s Berjaya Corp. is building a $318 million Four Seasons Hotel in Japan’s ancient city of Kyoto, which will include 186 rooms.

The new Four Seasons Hotel will be the third five-star hotel in Kyoto, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations receiving approximately 40 million tourists every year. Making it difficult for upscale hotels, which are typically high-rise, to build large structures, the city imposes height restrictions on buildings to protect city views from the surroundings mountains.

However, Tomohiko Sawayanagi, managing director for hotels advisory firm Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, is positive about the outlook for the Four Seasons in Kyoto, saying, “I see a big potential for those five-star hotels to succeed in Kyoto because there is a steady leisure demand for high-class accommodation. Kyoto already has some high grade Japanese style inns called ryokan, so the market for luxury accommodation already exists.”

The hotel will be built on a five-acre site in the historical core of Higashiyama-ku amid the temples and heritage sites of Kyoto. The property will have an estimated built-up area of 87,250 square feet, consisting of 186 keys and be built with a fusion of modern luxuries and traditional Japanese design. The interiors of the hotel will be richly decorated with local artwork with the understated elegance of Japanese tradition.

Hotel facilities will include a banquet hall, restaurants, bar, swimming pool, fitness gym, spa, sundries shop and ample parking bays. It will be nearby local tourist sites such as Kyoto National Museum, Kiyomizu Temple and more.

Overseas business visitors also often visit Kyoto since global companies like Nintendo and Wacoal Holding are there.