Hyatt to launch luxury ryokan brand Atona in Japan, mixing beds and futons, burgers and kaiseki, modern and traditional

Luxury inns in Japan, called ryokans, are usually family-run, and offer traditional experiences: hot spring baths, kaiseki meals with sake, and futons

Hotel chain Hyatt plans to open ryokans under the luxury Atona brand to cater to Western tourists – with beds, à la carte menus and private hot baths

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Korakukan Ryokan near Snow Monkey Park, Yamanouchi, Japan. Hyatt is taking the traditional ryokan inn mainstream, introducing Western features including beds as well as futons, à la carte menu options, and private hot baths as well as communal ones. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Published: 4:15pm, 28 May 2024

It takes a particular kind of traveller to experience Japan’s most traditional hotel: the ryokan.

Luxurious as these small, typically family-run inns can be, they are often tucked away in secluded mountainous areas with natural hot springs (and communal baths), without many English-speaking staff, and with futons rather than beds to sleep on.

Hyatt Hotels hopes to take the ryokan concept mainstream with Atona – a luxury boutique brand it is launching with Kyoto-based developer Kiraku.

The first three locations, scheduled to start opening in 2026, include the well-trodden town of Hakone (two hours southwest of Tokyo by train), the hot springs valley area of Yufu, in southwestern Japan, and Yakushima – a remote and mountainous island near Okinawa.

The starting nightly rates are likely to range from US$800 to around US$1,300.

Onsen, or hot springs, are popular in Japan. Hot spring baths are often a feature of a ryokan. Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images

“We were very curious about how to create more opportunities for customers to engage with Japan,” David Udell, group president of Asia-Pacific for Hyatt, said ahead of the announcement of Atona’s first locations. Working with Kiraku helps the United States-based company fill the gaps in its knowledge base, especially with regard to development in rural areas and creating an authentic experience.