Hotel Kabuki, Japantown, San Francisco
In November 2007, the hotel group Joie de Vivre tookover the long running, and rundown, Miyako Hotel in San Francisco’s Japantown area, gave it a makeover and resumed business under the name of the Hotel Kabuki, 1625 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115; (415) 922-3200. Centrally located, with major San Francisco attractions, such as Union Square, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate, Chinatown and the famed cable cars are all nearby.
The 218 guest rooms and suites at the new Kabuki are now stylishly refreshing, with a fusion of Japanese style decor and western modernity. Brightly lit, with Japanese art posters on the walls and a distinct eastern touch and color to everything from the bed to the paint, the rooms at the Kabuki are restful and soothing on the eyes. Room rates start at $129, with amneties including 26-inch flat LCD televisions, on-demand movies, iPod docking stations with radios, bathrobes, desks, ergonomic chairs, complimentary high-speed wired and wireless internet access, hair dryers, iron/ironing board, in-room safes, Asian tea kettles and honor bars and even Japanese style soaking tubs in the bath and a welcome tea service when you check in. That’s like if you want to wear a kimono, squat on the floor and bow and smile as a giesha (kidding….) pours you a cup of tea.
Kabuki also has a dining lounge named the Oizakaya Lounge, which serves cocktails and small plates of Japanese cuisine for breakfast and dinner on weekdays and includes lunch during weekends. The food is better, compared to other in hotel dining lounges. Tastier, greasy and salty, just the way I like it, although priced a bit on the higher side. Breakfast and a drink set me back for about $35.
In addition to rooms and dining, the Kabuki also offers spa treatment at the Kabuki Springs & Spa, located a couple of blocks from the hotel. Great place to stay, if you enjoy the hustle and bustle of Japantown and walking along streets with quaint stores and sushi bars and kimono shops.
Posted on January 19th, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: California, Hotels
This is good to know about . . . Japan Town is much-maligned among San Franciscans, and I’ve never understood why — the Sundance (Kabuki) Theater is great (and has assigned seats!), the profusion of Japanese and Korean restaurants are really good, and now a nice-sounding and affordable hotel. What more could you want in a neighborhood?
Yeah, well…the whole area was rapidly falling apart, to tell you the truth. Rundown buildings, not enough business and patrons not rich enough to spend heavily, thus discouraing businesses from spending money on renovation - A vicious cycle. This renovation of the Miyako is bound to bring in a lot more tourists and visitors to Japantown, besides providing motivation to others to do the same.