Hotel Excellence Kyoto Station Nishi

I was on the 9th floor, and the room smelled strongly of damp. Opening the window and door didn’t help. Trains could also be heard throughout the night. The charging plugs worked very slowly, so don’t count on your phone being fully charged by morning. Checkout is at 10 a.m., and they don’t store luggage afterward, so you’ll need a locker. They’re often full, so reserve one ahead of time. I got lucky and a staff member helped me with my bags. The hotel is near Kyoto Station.

Staff were friendly and helpful, though most spoke little or no English. The room was a letdown: it smelled strongly musty, and the fridge didn’t work at all. There was no kettle, so I asked for one. The first one they gave me was faulty and leaked onto the floor. Staff also didn’t explain the room-cleaning hours clearly, and I didn’t have a door tag. I noticed some train noise nearby, but it didn’t bother me much. It’s affordable, but not so cheap that I’d recommend it when there may be much better choices nearby. I wouldn’t suggest staying here unless you really have no other option.

Trains run right beside the hotel, and you’ll hear them from time to time overnight. I was given just one pillow, which felt cheap. Toiletries aren’t kept in the room, so you have to collect the comb, razor, and cotton pads from the lobby. They’re lacking a lot here. There’s also a 200-yen-per-person charge if they catch you bringing someone in.

The staff were very nice, and the location is amazing, but the room was a major disappointment. A strong mold smell lingered the whole time. The bathroom extractor fan offered a little relief, while the provided air freshener only covered it for about 30 seconds. The window was locked, so we couldn’t air out the room. We managed to sleep only by wearing masks. I stayed two nights, and on the second day I tried to arrive as late as possible to spend less time there. The odor got into all my clothes, even the ones inside my suitcase. At the next hotel, we had to wash everything to finally get rid of it. This taught me to check Google reviews and stigmatized props maps as well as booking site ratings. It might look like a good deal compared with other places nearby, but I think that comes at the expense of your well-being.