Asai Kyoto Shijo Hotel

Premium prices for a really awful experience. I had written a longer review, but my tab died, so here's the short version. The service setup was frustrating. There isn't a real front desk, and although there are three kiosks, they're not self-service. A lone worker has to do everything on a laptop before operating a kiosk for you. Check-in requires signing up for a membership account, and the buggy process brought lots of marketing spam. Checkout also wasn't a simple give-and-go like at most hotels in this price range. The room did feel new and clean, and it had plenty of power outlets. But it was cramped, with low ceilings, and the bathroom design left nowhere for two sets of towels in a twin room. The shower was tiny and fully enclosed, making me feel suffocated if I spent more than a minute in it. Basic items like cotton swabs and shower caps were missing, and the sound isolation was poor. The TV was practically unwatchable from the beds, one at about a 170-degree angle and the other not much better. There was no phone in the room, so instead of simply calling someone, you had to use an awkward AI assistant. I had more to say before, but I don't feel like spending more time on this.

The team is what made the stay so special. We really loved manager Moon and bartender kudai, and they made our trip memorable. The hotel itself is modern, very clean, and has great facilities. We're extremely pleased and can't wait to come back. Best hotel we stayed at in Japan.

The Thai breakfast was a welcome change, and I recommend trying it, even with plenty of other good breakfast spots nearby in Kyoto. We spent three nights here in October and would happily return. ASAI Kyoto Shijo is in a superb spot for exploring the city. The rooms are compact but cleverly laid out. Everything seemed considered, and we could store our luggage without trouble despite the limited space. It felt cozy and comfortable, and the whole hotel is very well designed.

The staff were good, and there’s a café/bar on the ground floor. The location is decent, and the pillows were good. But I’d say it’s acceptable for one person, definitely not for two or three, and the hotel is terrible for children. There are almost no usable windows. They're covered, so it's hard to tell whether it's day or night, and you can't open one to air out the room. The toilet has no soundproofing at all, so you hear everything and may wake up at night when it flushes. The air conditioner blows straight at your head with no way to redirect it. All of us ended up with runny noses and sore throats. The room is tiny. The listed 15 m² includes the bathroom and toilet, leaving the actual room at no more than about 11-12 m². They gave us two small beds instead of one large bed, and didn't join them properly, so a child would keep falling into the gap. For three people, there were only two small blankets. When we asked for another, it came without a duvet cover, and housekeeping took it away the next day. I didn't want to go back to reception every day to ask for the same thing. This doesn't meet a four-star standard, and I don't understand why it's advertised as suitable for families with children when our experience was so bad. Please remove that option.