Price is just above ¥3,200 per person if buffet is paid for rather than included in the room rate.

lol...sorry I haven't the foggiest - but I guess there are certain advantages to being a budget traveler and staying at Toyoko or Comfort Inn hotels where a nice little breakfast is included in the rate....lol...couldn't resist!

Sorry, mara, I don't get it. Is there something wrong with staying at the Hyatt?

In what was either our good luck or a very clever marketing plan, there seemed to be a Royal Host restaurant located near every hotel we stayed at in Japan including one across the street from the Kyoto Tokyu Hotel. For $7-$9 USD, we had a choice of several options on breakfast including juice, coffee, eggs or omelet, bacon or sausage and toast. And the Kyoto location even had a self serve specialty coffee bar with free refills. It only took us till our 3rd morning there to figure out which button to push for the coffee we wanted but we weren’t alone. We noticed the Japanese restaurant guests couldn’t figure it out either.

it's only $35-45 for breakfast.. just like LA

If you go the no-brekkie route and are looking to save money, there is a convenience store just a few steps down the hill. (And remember that the quality of what you'll find in convenience stores is about 1000x better than in No America.)

Billy,

If you book through Kiwicollection and use a Visa Platinum card then breakfast (continental) is free as well as internet etc. No need to make advance payment either.

http://www.kiwicollection.com/hotel-detail/hyatt-regency-kyoto

Unfortunately I don't have a Platinum card, Pook.

Book through a Virtuoso agent and breakfast, a ¥3,500? credit for f & b or spa and upgrade upon arrival if available. Usually their rate is good. There are plenty in LA.

The difference you are quoting would be from the advance purchase rate to the b & b rate, right? This may also answer your other posted question but I never use the adv purchase rate in Japan until about 4 weeks before we travel. I book the lowest cancelable rate so we don't get sold out and wait until we get close to book the adv purchase rate. It has always been there but you never know.....

There is the full breakfast buffet served in the morning which is pretty decent btw in the lobby restaurant for ¥3100(we were last there 11/11) or you can order off their limited menu which are mostly items off the buffet IIRC. They have a room service menu of course which is not cheap but you can order just continental or the likes.

There is free coffee and tea in the rooms and you can bring back a pastry or something from the 7*11 or combi store(you guys are going to love these) the night before, When we didn't have a breakfast plan(or free with Diamond)or had to be out the door early to sight see the next morning. We would take a bus or taxi down to the station area and forage from there on our way to the train or next venue.

NOTE: If you ever find yourself getting lost, tired and looking for food anywhere in Japan ALWAYS head towards the train station area. From the smallest towns to the largest metropolis the train station areas will always have food.....you have to trust me on this.

Aloha!

I just realized I didn't finish my thought on not doing advance purchase at the Hyatt or in Japan. The Hyatt's in Japan, I have noticed, have various specials yearly. The Park Hyatt Tokyo has just come out with a few pretty good specials for 2013 recently that you may have taken advantage of...."The Suite Life"....."Park 360"...."Weekend Retreat"...."Weekend Oasis" and "Relaxation". Most of the Hyatt's come out with something during the year depending on the tourist levels and I like to keep our options open to these if our stay is later in the year.

In other hotels that we stay in unless its a prestigious ryokan or a venue that sells our consistently yearly I like to make that cancelable reservation and wait for the Japanese websites to load their prices in at 6 months and some 90 days before your times.....honto.

Aloha!

HT. I have booked the PHyatt in Tokyo and the HR in Kyoto both cancelable( HR I have the weekend oasis rate) do you think that a cheaper rate then maybe added nearer the time? And am I right in my understanding of the above that this will be in the Japanese website though?

HT-We will be arriving into Hiroshima station at about 8:30. I noticed that in the station there is a food court in a dept store, but the store closes at 9PM. Do you know if food is available in the station itself after 9PM, or will we have to eat in the Gran Via or Sheraton, which I would like to avoid. A quick snack or lite meal is all we want at that time of night.

Hyatt rates are usually best from the Hyatt dot com site I have found though others have found good rates through a virtuoso agent and through credit card deals. Often American Express will have deals on cheaper Hyatt stays also which would be worth a check.

Yes, Japanese only websites but also on their English versions like Japanican.com
Agoda.com and Kayak.com along with the others should also have more rates available than they do now for late in this year. Check sites I mentioned for availabilities in Tokyo for two months from now then check for 8 months from now and see the if there is a difference in availabilities especially on the japanican and agoda sites.

Most Japanese hotels have not released their fall rates yet and likely will not till after spring. That is how I have seen it over the years at any rate. Some years its really been worth the wait.

Aloha!

shelly, not certain what time the restaurants close but if trains are arriving there should be a combi store in Hiroshima eki open or in the neighborhood just around the station. IThe food court and store you mentioned are on another level IIRC anyway. There are other eating venues in that station just as you exit the gates. IIRC there is also a coffee shop around the back of the station that should be open and there is food on the shinkansen that will be served continuously until you arrive at Hiroshima station. The food on trains are the bento type that will be sold every half hour or so as the food cart will come rumbling through the train cars. Bento box lunches, candy, cookies, various snacks, dried fish, cuttlefish and shrimp, coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer, sake and even ice-cream.

Aloha!

Actually, HT, I don't have the advance purchase rate booked. I have a good rate through my company but it doesn't apply to any packages (free night, free breakfast, etc.) -- so I'm just calculating the difference between my current rate and the B&B rate. And seeing if it makes sense to just buy breakfast on our own. Which, judging from the input so far, seems to indicate that, yes, we should. It's still cheaper at the end of the day.

Thanks, Kim, for the virtuoso suggestion! I'll definitely call the agent I used to work with to see if that ends up being an even better deal.

Thankst HT. (sorry to jump on your thread FW)

Thanks HT. I did not know know about the snacks and food options on the train. There's so much to learn for a first timer to Japan and this board is/has been so helpful.

Shelley,

Most of the food stores in Hiroshima station are on the opposite side of the station from the Sheraton, which makes them a bit inconvenient to reach. A good bet for you would be to get a bento box at the train station from which you're departing (en route to Hiroshima). If you get hungry on the way, it's perfectly acceptable to eat on the train -- each seat on the Shinkansen has airplane-like drop-down trays. I will say that the restaurant at the Sheraton is not terrible.

When you do have to get from the Sheraton/Granvia side of the station to the other side -- which is to say, just about any time you want to do anything in Hiroshima except take a train -- remember that the easiest way is to show your Japan Rail pass and walk through the station, rather than use the pedestrian tunnel.

There is a place between Hiroshima station and the Sheraton. The taxi stand for the shinkansen side of the station is in front of it. They definitely have booze, maybe food.

On the downtown side of the station, these places should be open:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/restaurant-search/eng/detail.php?rst_code=y144403

http://www.jnto.go.jp/restaurant-search/eng/detail.php?rst_code=y112702

http://www.jnto.go.jp/restaurant-search/eng/detail.php?rst_code=y000800

So with Vituoso, do they just reserve for you or do you need to prepay? There doesn't appear to be any here in the Uk but I will try the generic email I have found and go from there.

Virtuoso you neither prepay for the hotel nor pay the agent a fee in my experience.

Also it makes no difference where you are - you can use an agent anywhere. If you google virtuoso agent you'll find plenty. If one asks for a fee just move on to another.

Thanks Kim, very helpful.

I forgot to follow up on my own post

So I did end up reaching out to a Virtuoso agent and got a GREAT deal. Slightly higher than my corporate rate but it includes (as Kim had suggested) an upgrade at check-in, breakfast for 2, and a $100 F&B credit. That last part alone made the 2000 yen/per night difference alone (even less than the cost of a stand-alone breakfast for just one of us.)

I echo smeagol's praise of Kim for that suggestion.

Unfortunately they have nowhere near as good a deal on the Park Hyatt in Tokyo. Our rate is far, far less than their best rate. Will keep searching for deals in Tokyo -- luckily I have time on my side.

That's great. I've always had great luck with using Virtuoso for their member properties.

Filmwill, I've been off the site for awhile, so don't remember when you plan to travel to Japan, but one of the best deals we've ever gotten is the two free nights offer by the Hyatt credit card for use at any Hyatt property anywhere in the world. No, I don't think it includes breakfast, but it sounds as if good breakfasts are near the Kyoto Hyatt--or you could splurge, if so inclined, on the Hyatt ones. If you and your partner each get a Hyatt credit card you would have four free nights at the Hyatt (or, actually, you'd be paying $150 for four nights as each of you would have to pay the $75.00 annual fee--AND charge $1000 w/i four months, I believe). You need to have enough time to apply, and use it and then make your reservations, so a lot depends on when you're traveling. We used the cards for our stay in Hong Kong, along with points from another card for our fifth night. Given the prices of Hong Kong hotels it was quite a windfall--AND we were upgraded for our entire stay. (It was kind of a hoot when we checked in though, as there were three sets of reservations!)

I know some of our fellow fodorites are planning multiple Hyatt stays in Tokyo and Kyoto. Have you checked to see if the current "Explore Classic Japan" special may work out for you? I know many are getting corporate specials or using points but especially the Kyoto Hyatt is offering bargains with breakfast, ¥3000 dining or shopping credits and a 4th night free. Here are the details:


Four Hyatt hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto are offering a special combination package

for guests to discover two of Japan's favorite cities until December 27, 2013.

We can deliver a variety of real travel experiences full of Japanese beauty. Each itinerary can be customized according to your requests to make your trip very special.

You'll save a 20% on the Hyatt Daily Rate and enjoy the following benefits with a minimum stay at one hotel in each destination;

Stay at Park Hyatt Tokyo includes:

Daily American breakfast for two at Girandole or Room Service
Cocktail at New York Bar per person per stay
Complimentary use of spa and fitness center per person
10% discount on Spa Treatment (specific menu)


Stay at Grand Hyatt Tokyo includes:

Continental breakfast per person at the Grand Club Lounge
Free access to Grand Club Lounge
Complimentary use of spa and fitness centre per person


Stay at Hyatt Regency Tokyo includes:

Complimentary use of fitness centre and swimming pool per person
Late check-out until 3:00 pm, subject to availability
10% discount on Spa Treatment
10% discount in all restaurants and bars


Stay at Hyatt Regency Kyoto includes:

Daily American breakfast at The Grill for two
Complimentary use of spa and fitness centre per person
Guest staying 4 nights or more will receive the 4th night free
Receive a JPY3,000 coupon, redeemable for a set dinner or a la carte menu in any restaurant or a treatment at RIRAKU Spa and Fitness

Full pre-payment must be made at the time of booking. No changes, amendments or cancellations allowed on advance purchase bookings.

For reservations and further information, please contact hotel directly or your nearest Worldwide Reservation Centre and request offer code TOKY01.

Just a thought to those staying five nights or more in Kyoto. You can pay the 20% off for first three nights and get the fourth night free then use points for the fifth or sixth nights and so on. You can pay for one night in Tokyo to qualify for this plan and the rest in Tokyo which ever way you previously planned.

The deal is good till the end of the year so no need to prepay till later date. Just an option in case nothing comes along that we hope will just after the spring rush is over.....kudasai.

Aloha!

Geez - between the credit card deal and everything else, this might be worth considering...

So many decisions, but plenty of time before our October trip...