Ace Hotel Kyoto

Kengo Kuma's renovation of a 1920s telephone exchange gives this hotel a backbone most new builds can't fake. The Ace's first Asia outpost holds a Michelin Key and reads exactly like its siblings, meaning rooms with turntables and modernist furniture rather than marble excess, and lobby spaces that function as actual gathering spots. Stumptown Coffee, a taco bar, and a rooftop cocktail perch round out the floor plan for the Kyoto-curious creative who finds ryokans a little too quiet.