This was obviously a great hotel once, it's lobby is fantastic and the service is amazing, the rooms are large and the location is good, however the drab 80s style bathrooms let this place down in a big way, with a new bathrooms this place would be amazing. Don't get me wrong, it's clean and perfectly functional, just such a let down after the great introduction.

The other major downfall was no free internet. Such a shame because I imagine with the location so near the station it could be a great business hotel.

The inclusion of English speaking CNN was also a big plus.

Booked in for 2 nights but had to return to UK after first night - despite having pre-paid via otel.com the hotel did try to refund me the unused night which I thought was outstanding.

The hotel is around 5 minutes walk from the train station and is served by a shuttle bus (outside MacDonalds) every 15 minutes.

Rooms are fine if getting a little tired. Service is excellent as always in Japanese hotels.

I called for room service at 21.02hrs to be told my chinese meal selection had stopped being served at 21.00hrs - a minor annoyance and something I just need to get used to (gladly sacrificed for on time trains / meetings etc...).

I was in Kyoto for a conference and slept in this hotel for business reasons, and that would be the only reason for me to recommend it. It is definitely not a romantic getaway. And f you want to explore Kyoto, you can do easily from this hotel, but you are probably better off when you stay at one in the east part of the city. The hotel is next to Central Station, and in this part of town there is not much to do.
The hotel itself feels like a business hotel, with bright lights everywhere. Rooms are simple and basic. No free wifi. Rooms are adequate, but a bit small. Views out of the rooms are nothing spectacular.
Breakfast is nice.

I usually try to find at least one positive point, but this time it's really hard. Not that there are huge complaints either: it is just unsuitable for business and for leisure/tourism as well. On top of that it is a bit pricey even if I've received the usual upgrade. The exterior is disturbing to say the least, the interior needs a total makeover. The staff at the reception is slow and thus keeps you waiting more than necessary. For breakfast you get a cheap plastic tray for the buffet as in a third-class dormitory and about the quality/choice of the foods I'd like to pass. Frankly speaking, no major problems, but that was my last stay there. Not recommendable for foreign tourists as it is too far from the sites. What you'll spend in taxis ,better invest in a better hotel. Besides you even have to pay for internet access!