Apa Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent

The location was nice and the staff were pleasant, but the rooms were in really bad shape. There was mold in them, stains on the carpets, mold on the bathroom walls, and no soundproofing at all. I asked to change rooms, but the replacement was still really bad. There were actual holes in the wall next to the bed and in the ceiling, along with food smears by the trash cans.

We were first put in a smoking room, but they managed to move us to a non-smoking one. We were very pleased with the rest of our stay. This was one of the better APA hotels we've stayed at, with a great location close to everything in the area.

There are lots of good places to eat and shop nearby, and the hotel is right by the Gion bus stop, just steps from Yasaka Shrine and other landmarks. I liked the little extras, including a foldable comb and a nice wash towel, which I haven't received at other hotels. There's a press for pants on every floor, water is replenished daily, and the coffee is Starbucks Dolce pods. The beds were comfy and the pillows nice. The head pillow has an unusual shape, but it worked well and I slept well. There's a Starbucks on the ground floor too. The only downside was the tight space, which is common in Japan.

I've stayed at this hotel many times and really liked it. Whenever family or friends visit Japan, we usually choose it. But my family recently had a terrible check-in experience. They made us stand separately and fill in our information, and required every person to have their own email address and phone number. I live in Japan and gave them my number for the whole family, but they refused and said they would deny our stay if each person didn't have an email or phone number. I asked for a written explanation of the refusal, but they wouldn't provide one. I pointed out that elderly people and small children may not have email or mobile numbers, and overseas numbers can't be used in Japan. When I asked why they needed everyone's details, they said it was for emergency contact. Even so, they wouldn't accept my Japanese number as the emergency contact for the family, though I was staying at the hotel with them. When I tried to discuss it, they called the police. Several police cars came with sirens, and six officers surrounded me in the lobby. It was shocking and terrifying, and my whole family was surprised and frightened. They said they called because I was talking loudly. Isn't a passport usually enough for foreign guests to register at a hotel?