It takes a particular kind of traveler to experience Japan’s most traditional hotel: the ryokan. Luxurious as these small, typically family-run inns can be, they’re often tucked into secluded mountainous areas with natural hot springs (and communal baths), without many English-speaking staff, and with sleeping arrangements on futons rather than beds.
Now, Hyatt Hotels hopes to take the ryokan concept mainstream with Atona — a new luxury boutique brand it is launching with Kyoto-based developer Kiraku. The first three locations, scheduled to start opening in 2026, are the well-trodden town of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, the hot springs valley area of Yufu in Oita Prefecture, and Yakushima — a remote and mountainous island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The starting nightly rates will likely range from $800 (¥125,000) to around $1,300 — and while World of Hyatt members will be able to use points for their bookings, the redemption rates will be equivalent to Hyatt’s most luxurious brands. (For context, a night at Alila Big Sur, one of Hyatt’s most esteemed five-stars in California, runs at around 45,000 points; Park Hyatt Maldives costs about 30,000 points. Atona hotels should fall in between.)
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