Kyoto Tokyu Hotel

Michael Rischer (PhD MS)

Overall great experience. A bit far from happening spots. But close the train station. Also has a big temple / shrine in walking distance. I wish the restaurant of the hotel would have had better food. While atmosphere is amazing, the food in hotel could have more options.

Tanya Kostochka

The hotel rooms are ok. The staff I spoke with for check in/check out were ok. Not great but ok. However, there were a number of issues which left me deeply disappointed. First, the hotel claims to run a convenient shuttle between the hotel and Kyoto station. The management of this shuttle is terrible. We once tried to take the shuttle from the station. As we were walking up, the shuttle started pulling away even though it was several minutes before scheduled departure time. I ran to catch up with the shuttle and get the driver’s attention. He saw me, waved me off, and drove away. Maybe the shuttle was full? We will never know because the driver didn’t bother to roll down the window and tell us. Just waved his hand dismissively and drove away. On another day, we tried to take the shuttle from the hotel to the station. Because it was raining, the shuttle filled as soon as it arrived and we weren’t able to get a spot. Instead of providing a second shuttle, they just told us to get a taxi. They clearly care about being able to say they run a shuttle but not about actually making things convenient. I would have ignored both of these issues, however, if it wasn’t for what happened after. (Please bear with me. Part of this story is not about the hotel, but it is relevant.) The hotel set us up with a taxi to the station. We asked to be taken to the front of the station. The driver asked if we were taking the Shinkansen. I said yes. At this point, the driver decided to NOT take us to the front of the station but, instead, take us to the back because the Shinkansen is closer to the back. We EXPLICITLY asked to be taken to the front. When I noticed that he was taking us to the back entrance, I told him we asked to go to the front. He said: no, there’s no Shinkansen entrance at the front. I have lived in Kyoto for 2 years. I know how to get to the Shinkansen. It is not hard from the front of the station. I said there IS a way to go from the front but he kept driving to the back. This caused the fare to be 300 yen higher than it should have been. Further, when we stopped, the driver conveniently forgot to turn off the meter as we unloaded. So far, this is not on the hotel. This is on the scammy driver. Here is where the hotel comes in. I figured that the hotel might work with some specific drivers. So, I wrote to the hotel with the full name of the scammy driver and a description of what happened. They could’ve just said that there’s nothing they can do because he is not their official employee. INSTEAD, they responded saying the driver was right to ignore our request about where we wanted to go and take us to the back entrance. They said it was reasonable of him to assume we didn’t know what we wanted. This is dismissive, gross, and infantilizing. If you want to be treated with basic respect, this is not the hotel for you.

S Yesilay

The hotel offers excellent comfort and design. You can reach Kyoto Station via the hotel’s shuttle service, though it’s a bit far from popular spots like Gion and Nishiki Market. Breakfast is superb—especially thanks to the gentleman in the dining room who greets everyone with a warm smile. The rooms are spacious and beautifully designed. Note that the clientele is mostly older women, so you may want to consider that when booking. When I asked if I could check in an hour early because my stomach was hurting, the receptionist said yes—but that I’d have to pay an extra fee; aside from her, there were no other issues.

Carly Kosonovich

I had a great experience at the Kyoto Tokyu Hotel. The hotel is very nice looking on the inside and the staff were friendly and helpful. The room I had was a nice size and had tons of great amenities. The hotel shuttle to Kyoto Station was very helpful and runs all day. The location of the hotel isn't in a touristy area, so you will likely need to take the shuttle or a taxi to get around. There were taxis waiting outside of the hotel for convenience. I would highly recommend the Western breakfast. The buffet is excellent with lots of tasty food to choose from. Overall, I had a really great experience at this hotel and would return next time I'm in Kyoto.

Amanda T

LOVED this hotel! I literally spent a day researching places to stay for our trip, and for Kyoto I settled on this one and glad I did. It was really nice from the rooms to the hotel staff to the complimentary sake in the evenings. It was also in a great location, right off of the shopping alley and close to everything. Walking distance without a doubt and the subway was right there. I would go back if I get the chance to get back to Japan.