GLANSIT KYOTO KAWARAMACHI — Hotel in Kyoto

I almost wanted to give this place 5* for the cleanliness, location, etc…but unfortunately, the customer service from one of the staff and other issue turned me right off after, it ruined my trip and more. My feedback is based on observations, on more than one incident, and discussion with other roommates. It is NOT my personal issue. So 4 nights here: 2 sleepless nights and 1 night i had to book somewhere else just to sleep:

(1) Female cabin was HOT / STUFFY and didn’t have air ventilation properly:

Kyoto was hot when i visited, but the AC still stayed at 24.5 C. As a consequence, in a dorm room of a dozen people + thick blinds/cover, our cabin could reach 26-27 degrees or even more, and it was unbearable. Despite the exhaustion of all day travel, i couldn’t sleep and came to the reception desk at 3am, a staff there told me “oh, the temperature is normal”, i was like what is normal? And asked her if the fan button actually worked because no ventilation, she didn’t answer but simply told me “oh maybe you are someone who prefers cold weather” , i was like “?!”

i didn’t bother responding to her cause i had to use google translate with her, then i asked her if i could upgrade to a better room/cabin, and i would pay of course. She did not even check and promptly said “no no no, if the cabin is hot for you then a room will be hotter”, i was so confused?! And she let me go with a mini fan which didn’t help. Why she didn’t come to the room to check?

• the next morning i met another staff and asked about the room upgrade, this lady helped me check and there was available room and showed me options, which means the staff i met earlier did not want to help or even check the upgrade option for me. She simply turned me away!

now coming back to the night i made the complaint, i went back and saw another girl awake and sitting around, she also couldn’t sleep because it was too hot, she told them but nothing changed. I was not the only one!

so the staff said that i just “personally” prefer cold weather and that was just me? NOPE, the next night was hot too and i even saw the girl under my cabin slept with her cabin blind wide open, and pushed her blanket away, also struggling and i understand that feeling, all day long travel and you couldn’t sleep! The next day i saw literally every girl checked out with a mini fan, which means it was hot for real, for almost EVERYONE. So why don’t they adjust the temperature, most importantly, make efforts to check the room for us? Do something? other than simply denying the responsibility and turn the guests away so they don’t have to do the job?

= cabin/capsule hotels need to ensure the ventilation and good temperature, it should be top priority even more than cleanliness, otherwise it would be staying in A COFFIN and you would struggle a lot with no sleep = i had to book another place to sleep for 1 night, and that place has great customer service than this one

(2) BITES from bugs/bed bug/ unknown bugs:

I stayed at this place for 4 days and i started to see more bites all over my body (only happened during my stay at Glansit). I came to the reception and unfortunately, I MET THE SAME PERSON again- the unhelpful staff i met earlier. And she simply stared at me and said “this is the 1st complaint about this” and didn’t offer any help or say anything else! So, this is the 2nd time this staff didn’t want to help, or care, she’s set up to say NO to any inquiries.

These two issues are very common at issue at hostels but their staff couldn’t handle, and staff can easily double check things for guests (it’s their duties) not simply say No and turn them away, which obviously isn’t helpful.

Unfortunately, i have to make a direct complaint to this staff as it is unfair to other staff members cause they were nice to me. This staff doesn’t look like Japanese and has very long hair.

I will not come back or recommend unless they fix...

Highly don't recommend staying here. There's no sense of customer service or welcome from the staff here.

You have to put your suitcase in a locker and can't keep your stuff near your bed. The lockers are TINY and cannot fit any suitcases past the size of a tiny carry-on. Otherwise you're forced to leave your suitcase in the first floor. Each time you need to get/put something in you have to leave your bed, swap your slippers with shoes in the locker, take the elevator to the first floor, and vice versa to get back.

Horribly overpriced for a capsule hotel, just rides on the fact that the location is touristy. Stated outside, they charge 2800 yen for a night stay from 5 pm to 10 am, meanwhile they charge 3 times that on booking.com for a day stay.

The air inside the capsule area is horrible stuffy, hot, and dry. It's claustrophobic. Good luck breathing and relaxing inside your capsule. It's especially bad in spring with pollen, dust, and the lack of ventilation.

There is no common space. They advertise a lounge, magazines, drink bar, and a rooftop lounge. This is deceiving. The lounge is only accessible from the 1st floor, which is women only. The rooftop lounge is also only accessible from the 4th floor, so if you aren't staying on that floor you are not allowed to access it.

The wifi sucks. They advertise it as "high-speed" wifi but it's horribly spotty and unreliable.

The walls of the capsule are gross and dirty, and had yellow stains that made me queasy. I'm sure that they don't actually clean the walls, so I would avoid touching them.

The bed and pillows suck. The pillow gives absolutely no support at all, and I woke up with neck cramps.

If you have any problems at all, good luck talking to them. It's like talking to a brick wall; no one will have any leeway to help you past what they are trained to do. I had a bad vibe from the place after the first night and wanted to cancel the rest of my stay early, but you can't cancel any part of your reservation for a refund after checking in. Just don't book this place in the first place and save yourself...

SATO - a man with glasses, gave me the WORST experience I've ever had in Japan when I arrived at this hotel on March 14, 2024, between 2pm - 5pm.

I really try not to leave any negative reviews, or even specifically call out anyone. However, this experience made me feel so disgusted and seething with anger.

I've been to Japan several times, to several cities, and Japanese people are normally polite, respectful and helpful. This one bad experience at Glansit Kyoto Kawaramachi with Mr. SATO literally is the FIRST TIME in Japan that has made me furious.

I arrived at the hotel at 2pm, and he told me the check-in time is 5pm. I sat at the round chairs in front of reception to find a place to go until 5pm. Within 10 minutes of sitting in the lobby, he asks me to leave the hotel!?!?!?

He says the cleaners need to clean the lobby and I am in the way. I did not see any cleaners in the lobby. IF I did see the cleaners, I would move for them to do their work. I never want to be an obstacle for other people. Especially for cleaners who have a hard job.

I told him I understand. I am looking for a place to go. 20 minutes later, He tells me I need to leave. There is still no cleaners in the lobby!?!?

I am a guest at this hotel, I paid to be here. I am not a free loiter at your hotel. I haven't checked in yet, but that doesn't mean you can treat me like some garbage to take out of the hotel. Even if I wasn't a guest, I would never treat another person like that sitting in the lobby.

After being so infuriated of Sato speaking to me in such a condescending tone, and being harassed to leave the hotel, I asked to speak with his superior/boss. He says he is the boss of this hotel and handles all matters. I do not believe it. I would have preferred to handle this matter privately than having to post this...