The Suiran in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district opens this week and that’s Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ first luxury collection hotel in Japan. Suiran is idyllically situated on the riverside with sweeping views of the Arashiyama hills, a National Historic Site, and Place of Scenic Beauty, which is home to the famed Bamboo Grove. The residential hotel occupies part of the grounds of Tenryuji Temple, a World Heritage site that formerly housed “Rantei,” a well-known traditional Japanese ryokan from the 1960s long used by the Japanese government to entertain honorable guests.
Suiran features 39 luxuriously-appointed guestrooms, inspired by traditional ryokan-style accommodations, ranging from 500 to 1,000 square feet. Each room is designed to feature traditional motifs and culturally significant hues, while offering unparalleled natural vistas each season: from the dramatic cherry blossoms in Spring and the lush verdure in Summer, to Autumn’s bright tapestry of leaves and silvery blankets of snow in Winter.
Suiran also offers two private treatment rooms equipped with a Japanese-style open-air bath as well as the option for in-room treatments. Guests can enjoy traditional Japanese-style treatments, including SEIRAN, a body massage with tea seed oil, scrub with green tea and facial treatment with jade stones and collagen mask.
When it comes to culinary experiences, Suiran offers the hotel’s restaurant, Kyo Suiran, and café, Saryo Hassui. Kyo Suiran offers a traditional yet modern dining experience where guests can enjoy locally inspired flavors in an authentic atmosphere. With its exposed straw-thatched roof, pillars and moon-shaped windows, Saryo Hasui serves exquisite meals centered around Japanese green tea.
