Hotel Kabuki, a JdV by Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco [In-Depth Review]

I stayed at Hotel Kabuki, a boutique JdV by Hyatt property in San Francisco, with my family of 5 in June 2024. We needed a place to stay overnight before flying home in the morning, and Hotel Kabuki was an exceptional choice for our final night in town. I enjoyed staying there so much that we were almost late for our flight.

Hotel Kabuki had a great Japantown location, welcoming service, a stylish lobby, an adjacent garden, and much more. Check out the highlights from our stay at this fantastic Hyatt hotel.

Booking Hotel Kabuki

My family wanted to visit Japantown in San Francisco, and staying at Hyatt’s Hotel Kabuki gave us the perfect opportunity.

I booked an accessible room, which was the only basic room left with 2 queen beds. As a Hyatt Category 5 property, Hotel Kabuki is one of the best San Francisco hotels to book with points. However, this time, I decided to book with cash. Somehow, the lowest member rate offered double World of Hyatt points, so I booked at that cash rate.

The nightly rate was $255, but after taxes and fees, including a $35 destination fee, the total was $336. Note that Hyatt waives the destination fee when you book an award stay and for Globalists on a cash or points rate.

I used The World of Hyatt Credit Card to book this stay, so I earned 9x points on my spending, which included 5x points as a World of Hyatt member and another 4x points at Hyatt hotels as a cardholder.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

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The World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Welcome Offer

Earn up to 65,000 Bonus Points. Earn 35,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent

Up to 65,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$975

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.

When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• 2x points per $1 at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, rideshares, and fitness clubs/gym memberships
• 1x point per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $95 annual fee

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Card Highlights

• Earn 35,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
• Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
• Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
• Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
• Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
• Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
• Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

World of Hyatt

Destination Fee

The daily destination fee of $35 included the following benefits:

• 10% off retail offerings and hotel experiences
• 24-hour printing available for small projects 
• Complimentary Walking Tour with SF City Guides
• Discounts at Asian Art Museum, Big Bus Sightseeing Tour Tickets, CITY Bike Rentals, Edible Excursions, Kabuki Spa, Kyte Rental Car, and Macy’s Union Square
• Oculus VR Rental
• Unlimited espresso drinks, tea, and filtered water (sparkling, still, hot); morning coffee in the lobby

It also covers some benefits you would have already expected your stay to include, such as the fitness center and scheduled fitness classes, in-room coffee and tea, streaming from your personal device, and unlimited local in-room calls.

Location of Hotel Kabuki

Hotel Kabuki is in San Francisco’s Japantown neighborhood next to the Japantown Peace Plaza and connected to Japan Center Malls.

Although the hotel was technically connected to the mall, the hotel’s mall entrance wasn’t open. Still, we only had to take a few steps from the hotel’s front door to reach the Japan Center East Mall entrance.

The mall had major stores, including the Daiso discount general store and Kinokuniya Japanese bookstore. Numerous small stores and restaurants offered bubble tea, jewelry, toys, baked goods, and more.

Across the street was an outdoor shopping center featuring Origami Fountains, restaurants, a used bookstore, and a view of the Japantown Peace Plaza. We visited Ramen Yamadaya in this center for dinner.

In the morning, we walked on a Japanese bridge over Geary Boulevard to get a last-minute Starbucks San Francisco mug.

Getting There

We drove into San Francisco from Sonoma County, which took us about an hour and a half and brought us through the Robin Williams Tunnel and over the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you’re flying into San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the hotel is about 13 miles away. Oakland International Airport (OAK) is about 21 miles away and around a 30-minute drive.

You can get to downtown San Francisco from SFO and OAK via Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains.

Checking In

We arrived early at 2 p.m. I wasn’t sure where to park, so I sent my husband in. The hotel wasn’t able to grant us an early check-in. However, they gave him information about parking, encouraged him to grab a coffee or water from the lobby’s drink station, and took his number so they could text him when our room was ready. He got a text a little before the hotel’s 4 p.m. check-in time.

We went back to the front desk and got checked in quickly. The front desk agent told us about the hotel’s amenities, including the fitness center, garden, and lobby bar with a breakfast buffet.

Right next to the front desk was an information station with an area map and flyers for nearby attractions.

A lobby market was across from the front desk, but unlike a typical lobby market with food and necessities, this shop sold jewelry, painted coasters, t-shirts, and more.

Elite Benefits

With World of Hyatt Discoverist status by way of my World of Hyatt card, my benefits included:

• Premium internet
• Bottled water
• Available room upgrade to a preferred room within the type booked
• Elite check-in
• Late checkout as available, up to 2 p.m.

We received water bottles at check-in. The front desk didn’t mention an upgrade, but we had a nice view. Since we were flying out the next day, we weren’t able to take advantage of the late checkout benefit.

Lobby

We enjoyed hanging out in the lobby. This space was warm, casual, and stylish, featuring wood beams in the ceilings, leather couches and chairs, and subtly divided spaces to gather in.

By day, the lobby was filled with natural light from the numerous windows.

By night, the lobby became an extension of the bar, with groups sitting among the various lounge sections. I appreciated the variety of seating options, including a fun dome chair, wicker chair, and comfy leather couch.

Numerous plants, books, records, and a record player made this space feel like home.

The space also had bar seating, with spaces at the bar and another long table behind it. The long table doubled as a workstation with pop-up outlets.

Chilled ice water was available at the bar.

Near the front desk, the lobby hallway had a bold look, with black wooden walls on the right and a white wall lined with art on the left, both lit dramatically.

Everywhere we looked, we saw interesting art or design features, like the stairs that led up to guest rooms near the bar.

Turning a corner in the lobby revealed an unexpected taxidermied bear.

Downstairs, the meeting room lobby had restrooms and more seating areas, including a spot with a green wall that looked a lot like the green plant walls at American Express Centurion Lounges.

The meeting room floor also had an atrium, which featured a beehive. The bartender told us a beekeeper visits regularly to care for the bees and harvest honey that the hotel uses for drinks and food.

The main elevators were behind the front desk and near the bar. Next to the elevators was a free photo booth! It was a classic photo booth, taking 4 photos and printing out 2 small strips for us to take as mementos.

Another accessible elevator was at the far side of the lobby. It wasn’t clear what this elevator was for, as the main elevators went to all floors, but I think this one was for getting down to the meeting room level.

Next to the accessible elevator was the entrance to Japan Center Mall. However, a sign blocked the door and made it unusable, so we had to exit the hotel’s front door and enter the mall from the sidewalk.

I enjoyed looking at the huge old map print of San Francisco that was on the wall opposite the elevators on our guest room floor.

Room

I booked a 2 queen-bed accessible room that had a large bathroom and a balcony. We felt comfortable and had enough room to accommodate our family of 5. The room had so many nice touches, like a solid wood nightstand and dresser, unique art, and a compact nook at the door filled with necessities. I especially enjoyed the view and the scents of the bathroom amenities.

The queen beds had white linens and soft upholstered headboards. Each bed had down pillows of varying softness. Between the beds was a nightstand, which had a circular double lamp, an alarm clock, and shelves with a shallow drawer.

The nightstand drawer wasn’t spacious, but it had enough room for necessities such as charging cords, electronics, and hotel-supplied earplugs.

The alarm clock had a wireless charger and 2 USB charging ports.

Each side of the nightstand had outlets. The left side was partially in use by the alarm clock, but had a USB port available.

The other side was open, with 2 pronged outlets and a USB outlet. In the corner was a small desk with a coffee station, desk lamp, leather writing pad, and a leather chair.

At the foot of the beds was a dresser with 6 deep drawers and a TV.

My husband was impressed by the HDMI cable, as we’ve visited many other hotels where it would have been nice to hook up a laptop to the TV.

Back near the front door was a full-length mirror and a small stool. This spot was a nice drop zone for bags and small items on our way in or out the door.

The room didn’t have a closet, but it had a small nook with a hanging rack near the front door. This space packed in a lot of functional items without feeling too cramped. It had a luggage rack, an iron with an ironing board, an ice bucket, glasses, a safe, a mini fridge, robes, and an extra blanket.

There were 2 waffle-knit hotel robes on a shelf in the nook.

The ice bucket and glasses on top of the safe and minifridge were in a good spot for preparing drinks. Inside the Kabuki Kozy bag was an extra waffle-knit blanket, which we used for extra bedding with our inflatable bed to accommodate a fifth sleeper in the room.

The safe was easy to use and large enough for a laptop. The minifridge was small but large enough for a few drinks and leftovers. The door to the minifridge cabinet opened opposite the minifridge door, which made it a little awkward to access — especially once our kids put their backpacks down in this storage area.

Like the lobby, our room had fantastic natural light with a large glass door leading to the balcony.

The balcony was shallow and didn’t have any seating, but it was nice to step outside to get fresh air and take in the view of the city and the elevation surrounding it. The solid wall ledge felt more secure than the typical railing of hotel balconies.

By day, we could look out over Japantown and beyond while viewing construction underway at the Peace Pagoda.

At night, the fog made the city’s lights look more colorful and diffused.

Bathroom

As we booked an accessible room (one of the only rooms available), our bathroom had accessible features like wide pathways, grab bars at the toilet and shower, a lowered countertop, and a fold-down bench in the shower.

The bathroom counter had a single large sink and a rectangular mirror with rounded edges.

A towel rack with plenty of bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths was next to the counter, right around the corner from the shower. Glasses at the bathroom sink had coasters with motivational messages. The Jonathan Adler Champagne body lotion smelled amazing and the small tube definitely came home with me.

Next to the sink were tissues and a soap dish with Jonathan Adler citrus and sandalwood bar soap, which also smelled fantastic.

A container next to the tissues held cosmetic pads and cotton swabs. A hair dryer was hanging on a hook near the bathroom door.

The shower was fairly large and very open. The lack of a shower door made the whole bathroom, including the mirror, fog up because the shower steam wasn’t contained.

The bathroom had a waterfall showerhead, a detachable wand, and a sturdy fold-down wooden seat. I liked that the seat could be easily folded out of the way.

More Jonathan Adler amenities were in the shower, with shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel in wall-mounted containers. These were highly scented, as I still smelled the sandalwood in my hair after we returned home.

Amenities

Hotel Kabuki’s amenities included a 4,000-square-foot fitness center with Golden Gate Bridge monkey bars, a Japanese garden, and on-site parking.

Parking

The hotel had a small lane in the front for drop-off, arrivals, and departures.

The hotel had parking available in a small lot at the front door for $45 per night plus tax. The lot had just over a dozen spaces available, so it filled up quickly.

When we arrived, spaces were available in the hotel lot, but the front desk advised us that the Japan Center parking garage might be a better option at $29 for 24 hours. The garage was a good choice, as it had a dedicated entrance to the hotel, with elevators to the lobby and guest room floors just inside the door.

Hot Tip:

The hotel parking lot had a security guard posted at all hours, so it’s a more secure option than the garage if you’re concerned about car break-ins. A security guard was usually near the hotel’s garage entrance where we parked, too.

Fitness Center

The fitness center was on the lower level with the meeting rooms, and it was open 24 hours a day.

A sign at the fitness center’s door advertised a weekly group fitness schedule that included yoga at 5 p.m. on Mondays and circuit strength at 8:30 a.m.

At 4,000 square feet, this fitness center was expansive and visually appealing. Throughout the space were motivational quotes and art. A couple of my favorite features were the Golden Gate Bridge monkey bars and the rainbow-painted pipes on the wall.

Numerous treadmills lined a wall, each with its own screen. On the opposite wall, a few elliptical machines and 2 Peloton bikes had a view of the garden atrium.

The atrium was accessible from the fitness center with sliding glass doors.

The fitness center had a wide variety of equipment, including an incline treadmill, vibration machine, and boxing tree. The boxing room featured a punching bag and a wall-mounted speed bag.

A studio area separated the main fitness center. Within the fitness center studio were more motivational quotes, various equipment, and a stretching space.

Near the studio was a water and towel station with complimentary earbuds.

Another area of the fitness center had weight equipment, including a weight rack and bench, weight machines, and a rack of free weights.

Garden

A lovely garden was next to the lobby and featured a koi pond, walking paths, and outdoor seating.

The walking paths didn’t go far but offered a nice chance to experience a calm, green space within the city.

Seating areas in the garden extended the bar’s space, but it was too chilly and windy for me to sit there.

Pet-Friendly

Hotel Kabuki is pet-friendly, and 1 dog of 30 pounds or less is welcome in each room. There’s a $100 fee for stays of up to 6 nights. After that, an additional $100 deep cleaning fee applies to stays of up to 30 nights (for a total of $200 for up to 30 nights). Fees for stays of more than 30 nights are at the hotel’s discretion.

Food and Beverage

Hotel Kabuki had 2 dining options: Nari, the hotel restaurant, and Bar Kabuki, the hotel’s bar that doubled as a breakfast buffet in the morning. Complimentary beverages were also available in the lobby.

Lobby Drinks

A lobby drink station was between the bar and elevators. I was delighted to see sparkling water on tap — which I loved at another Hyatt property, Thompson Houston — and the coffee machine was a nice amenity.

The coffee machine had a touch screen that allowed us to select various coffee drinks, including lattes and macchiatos. A water tap had chilled, hot, and sparkling water. I enjoyed a sparkling green tea made with sparkling water and a tea bag.

Bar Kabuki

Bar Kabuki in the hotel lobby served cocktails, beer, and wine. It was open Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The menu featured signature cocktails, Japanese whiskey flights, and sake. It also offered wines, beer, mocktails, and snacks, including Greek olives.

My husband enjoys whiskey and smoked cocktails, so there was no way he’d pass up the Smoke the Hive cocktail, which featured Japanese whiskey, honey syrup from the hive we saw downstairs, and smoked cherry wood. The drink came with a show as the bartender placed a smoker on top of the glass and lit the cherry wood to infuse smoke into the cocktail below.

A thick layer of smoke wafted from the cocktail as the bartender handed it to him. It was visually appealing but also smelled great and added depth to the cocktail’s flavor.

I had one of the other signature cocktails, the Kabuki Old Fashioned, which was made with Japanese whiskey, house-made green tea syrup, and herbal bitters.

Breakfast Buffet

In the morning, Bar Kabuki turned into a breakfast buffet available from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. A full breakfast buffet was $32 for adults and $16 for kids. The continental buffet was $20 for adults and $11 for kids.

The breakfast buffet offered items including quiche, pastries, and parfaits.

Nari

Nari is Hotel Kabuki’s on-site restaurant. This Michelin-starred Thai restaurant features seafood dishes made using traditional Thai recipes. You can order from the menu or try a chef-tasting experience for $125 per person.

Service

We felt so welcomed at Hotel Kabuki and experienced great service. Our interactions with staff were limited to checking in and ordering drinks at the bar, but both were exceptionally friendly and helpful. The front desk helped us save on parking fees and encouraged my husband to get comfortable before checking in.

Our bartender at Bar Kabuki seemed to delight in getting to fire up the smoker for my husband’s drink. The room we stayed in was very clean, as was the rest of the hotel, and I didn’t notice anything in short supply, so I got the impression the housekeeping staff was on top of it.

Final Thoughts

A single night at Hotel Kabuki wasn’t enough for us. We enjoyed the hotel’s garden, stylish lobby, and staying in Japantown. We only needed a place to stay in San Francisco before flying out in the morning, but this hotel added cultural flair, great cocktails, and a wonderful neighborhood to explore on our last night in town. I’d love to stay again the next time I visit San Francisco.