HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO Earns
“VERIFIEDTM Responsible Hospitality,” the International Sustainability Certification Established by Forbes Travel Guide

June 3, 2026
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan, June 3, 2026 - Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, and Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management Co., Ltd., also headquartered in Tokyo, announced today that HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO (https://www.hotelthemitsui.com/en/kyoto/), located in the heart of Kyoto in front of the Nijo Castle World Heritage Site, has earned VERIFIEDTM Responsible Hospitality, a sustainability certification awarded by Forbes Travel Guide, the world-renowned hospitality rating organization.

Following the hotel’s five-star ratings in both the Hotel and Spa categories announced by the guide this past February, the certification recognizes that the hotel’s environmental and community initiatives meet the highest international standards.

HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO has pursued a wide range of sustainable initiatives that honor Japan’s natural and cultural heritage. At a partner farm in Kyotango, used coffee grounds from the hotel are dried and turned into fertilizer, and the vegetables grown there are then served back at the hotel as part of its circular farming initiative. The hotel has also reduced its environmental footprint by removing plastic from its amenities and by sourcing ingredients locally to shorten the distance its food travels. Step by step, it continues to work toward a more sustainable society.

This certification marks a new step forward. Guided by its brand concept, “Embracing Japan’s Beauty,” the hotel will continue to honor both the environment and the distinctly Japanese beauty expressed in traditional culture, architecture, crafts, and cuisine, while pursuing hotel operations that help build a sustainable future.

Examples of Our Sustainable Initiatives

• A Food Cycle with Partner Farms
  Working with a partner farm in Kyotango, the hotel dries its used coffee grounds and turns them into fertilizer. The pesticide-free vegetables grown with it are then brought back to the hotel and served in the breakfast menu and in dishes throughout our restaurants.
• Going Plastic-Free
  To reduce single-use plastic, the hotel has introduced environmentally conscious amenities, including natural bamboo toothbrushes and mineral water served in aluminum cans.
• Reusing Food Waste and Used Oil
  Food waste from the hotel is composted into fertilizer and put to use in local farming, while used cooking oil is turned into soap, reducing waste and supporting a circular society.
• Tableware Restored with Kintsugi
  When tableware used in our restaurants breaks, Kyoto artisans repair it using kintsugi, the traditional art of golden joinery. By carrying on this time-honored craft, the hotel makes the most of its resources through reuse.
• Embracing Local Ingredients
  To shorten the distance its food travels, the hotel makes active use of ingredients from Kyoto and the surrounding region—reducing its environmental impact while carrying traditional flavors into the future.

About Forbes Travel Guide

Forbes Travel Guide rates the world’s finest hotels, restaurants, and spas using its own proprietary system. Founded in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, Forbes Travel Guide was the first to introduce the Five-Star rating system in the United States. Today, its anonymous inspectors travel the world, evaluating properties against up to 900 rigorous, objective standards. The ratings, reviews, and daily travel stories that Forbes Travel Guide publishes each year help discerning travelers choose the world’s most luxurious experiences. To learn more, visit ForbesTravelGuide.com (in English).

About Responsible Hospitality

Forbes Travel Guide’s Responsible Hospitality was developed in collaboration with Hervé Houdré, a hotelier highly regarded in the field of sustainability. It recognizes luxury hotels, along with their restaurants and spas, that work to protect the environment and contribute to society without compromising the guest experience. The certification establishes a global standard for the world’s finest hotels and provides reliable information for guests and travel advisors.

HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTOについて

HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO opened on November 3, 2020, on the former site of the main Mitsui family residence, which stood near Nijo Castle for more than 250 years. The hotel offers a variety of facilities, including 160 guest rooms crafted from carefully selected natural materials and artisanal techniques, three restaurants and bars that bring together the finest ingredients and the exceptional skill of their chefs, and a spa area where guests can enjoy a natural hot spring that rises on the grounds. In the MICHELIN Guide Hotel Selection announced in October 2025, the hotel was awarded the highest distinction of Three MICHELIN Keys for the second consecutive year. It also ranked 46th in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 and earned the highest Five-Star rating in Forbes Travel Guide 2026 for the fifth consecutive year. Under its brand concept, “Embracing Japan’s Beauty,” the hotel cherishes the uniquely Japanese beauty found in traditional culture, architecture, crafts, and cuisine, offering every guest a special experience and a sense of relaxation. In 2026, a new addition to the HOTEL THE MITSUI brand, HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE, opened in Kowakudani, Hakone. For the latest information on HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, visit https://www.hotelthemitsui.com/en/kyoto/.

Major Awards and Recognition

■ About the Mitsui Fudosan Group’s Hotel and Resort Business

Under the concept “Hospitality and Beyond,” the Mitsui Fudosan Group’s hotel and resort business aims to go beyond being a mere travel destination and create moments that enrich guests’ lives, working to build hotels and resorts where the staff who welcome guests share in that same joy and happiness.

In its accommodation-focused hotel business, the Group operates Mitsui Garden Hotels, The Celestine Hotels, and “sequence” nationwide. Drawing on the wish to offer a stay as rich and refreshing as a garden, Mitsui Garden Hotels has adopted the brand tagline “Stay in the Garden” and runs 34 properties in Japan and abroad. The Celestine Hotels, destination hotels where the stay itself becomes the purpose of the trip, comprises three properties, and “sequence,” a next-generation lifestyle hotel for enjoying free time and a way of spending it on one’s own terms, comprises three properties.

In its resort and luxury business, the Group develops and attracts internationally acclaimed hotels in Japan and abroad, making the most of each location’s natural surroundings and local character. Halekulani Okinawa and HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO have earned Forbes Travel Guide Five Stars for five consecutive years since 2022. In addition, HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, Amanemu, Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, and Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi have also earned Three MICHELIN Keys.

Accommodation-focused hotels

Resort and luxury hotels

■ Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Group

Based on the meaning of its “& mark,” “to generate new value with society through cooperation, coexistence and co-creation, we forge ahead, innovating,” the Mitsui Fudosan Group views the “creation of social value” and the “creation of economic value” as two wheels of a cart. Accordingly, we believe that the creation of social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that this economic value then creates even greater social value.

Moreover, we identified six Group Materiality priority issues when formulating our new management philosophy in April 2024. These Group Materiality priority issues are (1) Contribute to industrial competitiveness, (2) Coexist with the environment, (3) Health and Vitality, (4) Safety and security, (5) Diversity and inclusion, and (6) Compliance and governance. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will work to address each of the materialities through its core business activities and contribute to the promotion of sustainability.

(References)
・ Group Management Philosophy and Long-Term Vision
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/innovation2030/
・ Group Materiality
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/approach/materiality/
・& EARTH for Nature
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/business/development/earth/for-nature/

Furthermore, in April 2025, the Mitsui Fudosan Group formulated “& EARTH for Nature,” its declaration of coexistence with the environment in neighborhood creation. Seeing the environment as a “Holistic Environment” blending nature, people, and community into a cohesive whole, the Group is promoting neighborhood creation that expands prosperous “Holistic Environments” and passes them on to future generations. In the Declaration, five key issues to address have been established: Preserve and nurture greenery, Harness the allure of water, Enrich the ecosystem, Connect the aspirations of the community, and Promote the circulation of natural resources. The initiatives described in this news release contribute to one of the key issues to address in “& EARTH for Nature.”