Rakuro Kyoto

The bathroom arrangement was inconvenient and made me uneasy. It isn't inside the room, so you have to take your key card along whenever you leave to use it. The bathroom can't be locked from outside, either, so someone could enter unless you lock it while you're in there. Noise was the other big problem. We could clearly hear other rooms, especially the floor above, and the guests upstairs were loud late into the night. Reception offered to move us, but the staff member said she couldn't promise another room would be quieter, which made it sound like poor soundproofing was a known issue. We asked if someone could request that the guests quiet down, but the noise went on into the early hours, and we don't know if anyone spoke to them. The previous day, another receptionist had told us the hotel didn't provide earplugs. The rooms look appealing in the photos, but our experience was very different. We can't recommend staying here.

I still have three more nights here, and I'm really sad about it. We expected much more for what we paid, based on the positive reviews, and I'm starting to wonder if those reviews are misleading. The room looks good in photos, but it's small in person, the bathroom is odd, and the bed is very uncomfortable. The ceiling is dirty, there are strange corridor noises, and cleanliness overall is only average. The service also feels very low quality. Unlike most hotels in Japan, there are no pajamas or skincare sets in the room, so you have to collect those yourself. We arrived exhausted at 13:45, an hour and fifteen minutes before check-in. The room was already ready, but the receptionist said we'd have to pay extra to get in early. I don't understand why they couldn't let us in a little sooner without a charge if it was ready. For the money, we could have picked somewhere completely different in Kyoto. That was our mistake.

The rooms were clean, laundry was easy to access, and the staff were very helpful. The location is great too, right by the Imperial Palace and just a three-minute walk from the subway. I enjoyed breakfast, but there was only one option with three variations. It was fine for four days, then on the fifth I went to 7 eleven for a change.

The hotel and its location are lovely, and the staff were friendly. I'd give it five stars, except that you need your card to get to the toilet, which can be annoying at night. Checkout at 10 AM is too early for me.