ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

This hotel will easily fool you. My travel group and I booked this hotel with high expectations. The photos associated with the hotel is not what you get. The building is currently under renovations from the top floor down. Any rooms on any other floor other than the 8th floor are the worst. The suite is also not worth it save your money and a headache. When we arrived at the hotel the lobby was nice and dennis the bell captain was AMAZING he was the best part of the experience. This is where they fool you though. As soon as the elevator opened to the floor our room was on (third floor) we were OVERWHELMED by the smell of cigarette smoke and dingy old musty smell. Dennis even sounded shocked that we were staying on the “smoking floor”. He showed us to the room and upon entry it smelt like mold, mildew and cigarette smoke. This was SO unappealing especially after traveling all day! We sat in the room for a few minutes and investigated. We found black mold all through the bathroom and on the AC vent. We found a dead mosquito on the bed as well. After talking to the others in our travel group one of their rooms was exactly like ours. Old dated dingy and absolutely disgusting. The third couple in our party had a room on the 8th which was NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE compared to what we got. Even though we all booked the same room and paid the same pricing 2 out of 3 rooms were terrible. After talking to the front desk they gave us a new room 3 rooms down from our current room. We appreciated that but didnt take the room considering it was down the hall and on the same floor. Whats the difference right. We were then told we could get upgraded to the 8th floor with one of the renovated rooms but there was only one room and we would get it for free. The other room was a suite and we were asked to pay an additional $650 on top of the almost $1300 we already paid. This was apparently a discounted rate because of the inconvenience. We were also given free drink vouchers which was nice but seeing the mold in the rooms made me not want to consume anything from that hotel not knowing the quality of the rest of the place. After some thought we decided to cancel our reservation and stay at another hotel located down the street which is 10 times better than this one and CHEAPER! Please for the love of god avoid this place if you are under the age of 50 and dont smoke and care about your health. I attached photos so everyone who considers this hotel can see what we dealt with. While complaining about the room quality and cleanliness to the front desk we were asked to take a seat because we were making the concierge at the desk “uncomfortable” imagine how we feel as guests who just paid $1300 for a room that has mold in it and...

It pains me to write this review as my experience so far to Japan has been great, especially when the hotels have been great. But this one I was really disappointed with.

First, if you are NOT an IHG member, please skip this part and move on to the next paragraph. If you are, I need you to bite your tongue and clench your butt cheeks if you are going to stay here. Someone in a previous review said it's comparable to an old hotel on the Las Vegas strip or 80s vibe and they are right. But if you don't mind that and want to earn status, then go ahead. You have been warned. It is not the greatest hotel, when comparing it to other hotels in Japan. I am a Diamond member and still did not get the renovated rooms. Given the HUGE amounts of tourist in Kyoto, I would think IHG would own another hotel, but nope.

Room: So why the negative review, it's mainly for the room. I booked the 2 Single Beds junior Suite with a castle view. The layout is interesting as its is like a mini apartment where you have a mud room, leading to a family room, then the bedroom, and then the closet and bathroom. The carpet is dirty and stained, bulbs on the light fixtures are blown, and a lot of wear and tear. The atmosphere of the room and even the hotel is 80s vibe. The bedding was okay but there's a thick layer of old memory foam on the bed which is noticeable.

Location: I thought that the location would be great because it's in the center of everything. Well, it depends on what you plan on doing. If you are in Kyoto for attractions you've seen on social media, then you better do some walking and taking multiple trains and buses. Yes there is the T Line that is outside of the hotel but it only goes so far until you switch to another line or bus. The Nijo castle is across the street which is nice. Other than that, it's best to stay somewhere else for the main attractions.

Side Bar: The hotel does have shuttle service to and from the hotel and Kyoto Station so that helps save a taxi ride.

Service: Service is like everywhere else in Japan; professional and friendly. However, when I tried to explain my situation about the room to the girl in the front desk there was a slight language barrier. Also if you are going to do the luggage service, you can ship it the next day before 2pm and PAY CASH! They cannot charge it to the room, sadly.

Travel Tip: If you are going to eat around Kyoto, make sure you do research before hand because A LOT of the restaurants require reservation. If you need help, ask the hotel staff and they can call for you!

In closing, I might stay here again if I can get the room that was listed upon booking, which is misleading because I did not get...

It pains me to write this review as my experience so far to Japan has been great, especially when the hotels have been great. But this one I was really disappointed with.

First, if you are NOT an IHG member, please skip this part and move on to the next paragraph. If you are, I need you to bite your tongue and clench your butt cheeks if you are going to stay here. Someone in a previous review said it's comparable to an old hotel on the Las Vegas strip or 80s vibe and they are right. But if you don't mind that and want to earn status, then go ahead. You have been warned. It is not the greatest hotel, when comparing it to other hotels in Japan. I am a Diamond member and still did not get the renovated rooms. Given the HUGE amounts of tourist in Kyoto, I would think IHG would own another hotel, but nope.

Room: So why the negative review, it's mainly for the room. I booked the 2 Single Beds junior Suite with a castle view. The layout is interesting as its is like a mini apartment where you have a mud room, leading to a family room, then the bedroom, and then the closet and bathroom. The carpet is dirty and stained, bulbs on the light fixtures are blown, and a lot of wear and tear. The atmosphere of the room and even the hotel is 80s vibe. The bedding was okay but there's a thick layer of old memory foam on the bed which is noticeable.

Location: I thought that the location would be great because it's in the center of everything. Well, it depends on what you plan on doing. If you are in Kyoto for attractions you've seen on social media, then you better do some walking and taking multiple trains and buses. Yes there is the T Line that is outside of the hotel but it only goes so far until you switch to another line or bus. The Nijo castle is across the street which is nice. Other than that, it's best to stay somewhere else for the main attractions.

Side Bar: The hotel does have shuttle service to and from the hotel and Kyoto Station so that helps save a taxi ride.

Service: Service is like everywhere else in Japan; professional and friendly. However, when I tried to explain my situation about the room to the girl in the front desk there was a slight language barrier. Also if you are going to do the luggage service, you can ship it the next day before 2pm and PAY CASH! They cannot charge it to the room, sadly.

Travel Tip: If you are going to eat around Kyoto, make sure you do research before hand because A LOT of the restaurants require reservation. If you need help, ask the hotel staff and they can call for you!

In closing, I might stay here again if I can get the room that was listed upon booking, which is misleading because I did not get...