We had a pleasant stay for 3 nights. The hotel itself is not a fancy one, with few frills, but overall quiet and located in a fairly central area of Kyoto. The most troublesome issue has already been commented by others, which is the key drop-off rule—if you happen to forget something in your room, you’ll have to go back to reception to get the key, go back to your room, and then drop off the key again. I am pretty sure the staff knows it is an annoying rule, which is why they try to station themselves right outside the elevator doors so you can make a quick dash back into the elevator since the reception is on the 2nd floor and the entrance/exit is on the 1st. It is rather a joke that they are selling the tasseled key chain as a souvenir, since after your stay, you’ll never want to look at one of those again, let alone bring one home as a keepsake. The bed is firm and the pillows are not, so be prepared for some soreness. The free bottled water is replenished daily with housekeeping. Even though they can provide breakfast for 1000 yen if you pre-order it the night before, save yourself the dough and head across the street to Takagi for excellent morning sets. The hotel is close to Shijo and Gojo subway stations and the Hankyu line which can be accessed via a short walk to Shijo/Karasuma which is where all the action is. The reception has maps and good directions to all the sights, so make use of their expertise. The complimentary drink is NON-ALCOHOLIC only, but they will honour the value of the drink towards an alcoholic drink if you are willing to pay the difference, which is around 300 yen.
