Nikko Princess Kyoto Hotel

The location is great, and the rooms are nice, with good amenities and a really lovely bathroom. The style is old fashioned. We didn’t try breakfast. As for service, we’re almost used to providers in Japan treating us oddly, and this was similar. Even a straightforward request for extra towels seemed to be frowned on.

Kyoto was cold, so coming back to this cozy, comfortable hotel felt good. It has a homey feel, with lots of wood and wall-to-wall carpeting, and an old-fashioned interior rather than the modern look of a Western chain. The location is very central, with two nearby train stations connected to each other. The Japanese breakfast is nice, so I’d choose the rate that includes it. A great place to stay.

The rooms were roomy, spotless, and well cared for, and housekeeping did an immaculate job. Staff were extremely welcoming and friendly. The central location also made it easy to get around Kyoto.

This is only night one of our four-night stay, and I may update this later. We asked for extra pillows because one guest has neck problems and I’m six months pregnant. After they didn’t arrive, we asked again before going out. My husband and toddler returned early and found no pillows, either. Five hours later, when we got back, we asked at the desk again. Instead of apologizing and sending them up, staff escorted us to the room to check whether they were there, as if they didn’t believe us. There were none. Someone then looked for extras and returned with pillows that felt like they were filled with beans, saying there were no others. Being walked up just to prove the delivery hadn’t happened was a bizarre experience. The advertised gym access is a ten-minute walk to another gym, and you still have to pay a fee. I’ve never encountered that before, and it’s misleading to describe it as gym access. By day two, service felt even worse. We tried repeatedly to arrange laundry by calling housekeeping, the front desk, guest relations, and the other phone options, but nobody answered. To get any service, we’ve had to go to the front desk, and keep going back.