Hotel Chatelet Inn Kyoto

Our group of nine fit in one of the hotel’s big rooms, so it’s a great setup for traveling together. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and they stored our luggage while we explored the city without charging us extra.

The hotel is fairly close to Kyoto’s tourist sights, and the service was okay. They don’t speak English, though. Rooms vary a lot in size: mine was tiny, and the bed was too soft for my back. There are bigger rooms too, which I assume are more comfortable.

There are two 7/11s nearby for hungry travelers, and the hotel is very close to Nijo Castle. We booked one of the large Japanese-style premium rooms. It really was huge, and the listing for five or six people was accurate. The price seemed very reasonable for that much space. We couldn’t reach the hotel on our booking date because of a typhoon, but the staff were kind and didn’t charge a cancellation fee. Someone was still at reception late at night. The main downside is the many stairs up to the lobby, though you can press a button to ask for help. The rooms also looked a little worn.

The room was old, damaged, and dirty. They first gave us the wrong room, then asked us to move. The supposed non-smoking room smelled strongly of smoke, the shower curtain was moldy, and there were dead bugs on the bed. They offered a bottle of water if we chose not to ask for the room to be cleaned. At the same price as other four-star hotels, the Wi-Fi kept disconnecting and the walls were so thin we could hear a couple having sex down the corridor. There was no elevator. As we slowly carried our luggage down, the staff acted like they didn’t see us and gave no help.