htb

Are we talking about the CP in Kyoto that's located at the other end of the city when viewed from the JR station?

That hotel is geared towards Japanese tourists arriving in tour busses. I think they must lough at every foreign tourists who books them just because they are a CP...

HTB.

IMH

Yes (although it's not hard to reach using public transport and also has a free shuttle bus service to the station).

htb

It's a great location if you want to go hiking in the mountains. For everything else there are much better options.

"not hard to reach" is not the same as "convenient".

HTB.

IMH

I'm not going to disagree loudly, because I also think that there are far better options -- we won't be returning to the property (unless we read that it's been completely modernised) because we found the rooms dated, dark and reminiscent of a 1970s motel. But... the location worked for us (and made a nice change from skyscraper hotels attached to mega-malls).

saaveraward

Any recent stays here and if the rooms have been updated? Per TA in April "Our hotel is in middle of redecorating the rooms interiors."

Booked an executive king and the photos appear to be more modern. Recent reviews are all over the place.

Raynyan

I have stayed Renewal Deluxe Room.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27981213-post42.html

Renovation is still on the way. (50% done) It will be finished at the end of this Aug.
All of the rooms except Suite will be refreshed included castle view room.

Pid

We stayed four nights in August 17 and booked standard room with breakfast. We were provided one of the refurbished rooms which was very nice. I would agree with the review linked in the post above and would stay there again. However, they have now opened a small lounge called the "Top Floor Salon" with opening hours from 1500-2000 hrs. It served soft drinks, beer, wine and snacks (nuts etc) throughout its opening hours. We were proved free access with Spire Ambassador status. They also provided an excellent shuttle bus to and from the station.

shonanroger

saaveraward

I'm booked in to a king executive. Would that qualify?

josmon10

Thanks for the update.

I'll be staying there again, with the family in August. Reward nights, so I wonder if I'll be getting any upgrades as a Spire Elite (not too optimistic about it). Do you now if swimming-pool access would be one of them?

4 of us, so I've booked 2 rooms because they don't seem to accept more than 2 people in the room. Let's see if that will be help me or prevent me from getting upgraded...

Pid

We were upgraded to a room on the top floor on the same corridor as the Salon due to my Spire Ambassador status so I suspect that is why we were granted access.

Ours was a paid stay when we were upgraded due to our status so hopefully you will be lucky! We were granted swimming pool access for free as well.

saaveraward

Just finished a paid stay. The shuttle from Kyoto station was very convenient. Location isn't great unless you want to be next to the castle. Did the walk from Gion and it's a hike. Booked an "executive king" and "upgraded" to some "refurbished" room on the 7th floor, so don't know if that's a downgrade by looking at the pictures on the website. Did not receive 8th floor "lounge" access and got weighed down with tons of coupons at check in for breakfast in 2 spots and also a dinner coupon. Took the free drink as Spire member and wish I had changed my mind. The offerings are 1 choice of beer, 1 spirit, 1 choice of wine and a moscow mule, gin and tonic or soda and casis. The bar off the lobby gets filled with smoke and there's no posted signs so beware.

The room itself if tech heavy with unnecessary junk and a sharper image catalog that threw up from 1998...like a pants presser (actually made my pants more wrinkled), an air purifier, a shoe dryer, an entire sleep kit with masks and the list goes on.

Still, it's a clean, functional room and serves its purpose.

If you can get a rate for JPY 9000 and get upgraded, go for it. However, it was the busy season and I had to force a room open as Spire and paid JPY 28000 which is too much for this property.

Also, most staff is not proficient in English but you can manage.

Score may seem low, but it is a 3* property at the end of the day. Do not regret staying there at all, but would have no reason to go back based on location alone.

Score: 6.5/10

FFlash

@saaveraward
Your review is not far from mine. As Spire, on award stay during cherry blossom time (so hotel was sold out all days and I followed booking and saw that sometimes a room opened up at 300€ price level and went again), I was upgraded to 8th floow exec sort of standard type of room, based on pictures and size (not that big), facing town and not castle view. We got lounge access too but it was completely useless: you could get a fresh orange juice, coffee, tea and some peanuts, meeh, open only afternoon hours. Got many stickers also for discounts in breakfast and dinner, used only once the breakfast buffet with discounted price but it was pretty lame and skipped other days. Location is great for the Nijo castle but not much else. I found also the shuttle to kyoto station convenient but not very practical for shutteling multiple times.
I don't think I go back, unless with good points burning ratio when cash price is high. Nothing wrong with the property per se, but the overall value perception was rather low. Well a cash stay might be justified too when cash price is low, at least the property is much more stylish than a regular HI or HIX

SkyTeam777

Have all the rooms been renovated?

est-gratuite

I have visited this hotel a few times over the past few years and really enjoy it for a number of different reasons.

I like the decent sized rooms (for Japanese standards anyway), the recent rennovations they've done to the hotel, the friendly staff, the quiet location, the nearby metro station, the free shuttle to and from the main train station, the possibility of having a private breakfast in a traditional japanese room (extra price for this), the pink kimono uniforms the female staff wear, the bamboo fountain/waterfall view through the large lobby windows, and the relaxing views to the castle from the rooms.

However, I have been to the new "salon" or "lounge" on the top floor. I'm not sure what they were thinking when they made this. It's literally just 1 semi large room with 4 or 5 small square tables very close to one another for only 2 people each where they serve you a drink and some small snacks like peanuts/crackers. There are no couches/sofas, no space to walk around, no window views, and no warm food or buffet. There would not even be any space to put a buffet table if they wanted to. Expect to be sitting real close to the tables next to you and hear their whole conversation even if whispered. So, if you are visiting this hotel, you are not missing anything if you don't get access to this "perk".

Apart from this strange salon/lounge on the top floor, I would highly reccomend this hotel anytime.