Hotel Gimmond Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

Wasn't very happy with the Hotel.

Has a lovely entrance and two options of restaurants to eat at if you like, the staff are super friendly but there is a section in the reception area for smoking, which made us feel sick every time we wanted to go up to our room.

Every time you leave the hotel, you have to give your key to reception and receive it again when you come back.

The hotel room was ridiculously small. My partner and I struggled to stay there for the whole seven nights as cramped as we were. Our suitcases barely fit anywhere and there isn't much space for storage at all. Would be more practical to not have the tea table to have more space in the room.

Every single room has its own Wifi so as soon as you leave your room there no wifi at all. The elevators stink of cigarette smoke. Hotel room was super dated and bathroom really needs a renovation! The cleanliness of the room is okay, this wouldn't be on the cleaning staff but that the hotel is so outdated it's hard to keep the old stuff looking clean all the time! Walls have a lot of scratch and marks, as well as the furniture.

Their laundry service were out of service this week? So the hotel staff directed us to the nearest coin laundry, which was tiny and had only three washing machines, of course all full at the time we arrived. At least it's 24 hour.

The hotel beds were very uncomfortable. My partner and I are only 23 and 24 and woke up every morning super sore from the poor quality mattress. We eventually had to ask for another set of pillows.

The actual location of the hotel is fine, the street it's on isn't very exciting but it's about a 10 min walk from all the fun locations to go.

The good stuff with the hotel? The air con works fine, they have a international plug you can rent for 500 yen.

Don't think we will stay...

We went by car. It was very helpful that in front of the hotel there is a small drive so we could stop out of the flow of the traffic and unload people and bags there, as well as go inside and get directions to the closest cheapest parking place (which was closer than what I had originally found on google maps).

If price is the same between this and another hotel nearby, and i am going by car, I would choose Gimmond simply for that.

Only issue with room was because we went in early spring. The temperature controls were set that it still only used heater, but no air conditioner available at that time of year. However, it is rather warm. The only way to keep the room cool was to open the window, which being directly facing a large street was loud.

Also the room is incredibly dark. There are only bed stand light and a very soft dim lamp on the desk. It is not a problem if all your reading is being done in devices, but when I wanted to read some paper map, I had to use phone flashlight.

Those were only minor inconveniences, as the room is only for a place to sleep.

Other than that, room was clean, bathroom was like new. The shower head was nice. An incredibly normal acceptable hotel and what is standard for the price range.

Service was normal. When I called front desk to ask about the heating situation they proactively answered the phone in English and were able to convey everything competently.

Location is good. It is rIght next to the parking spot and a convenience store. On the major road so easy to navigate...

Gimmond has an amazing location being close to Nishiki market, the main shopping street in Kyoto and Kurasma Oike metro stop, as well as being close to several restaurants, 7/11 and a Lawson's. The only downside to the hotel, and it's a big one, is the lack of comfortable beds. My mother and I stayed here last week for 4 days and it was honestly one of the most uncomfortable stretches of time I have ever had in my life. The beds genuinely were hard to the point where we could feel the metal springs in our legs and backs as we slept. It got to the point where my mother had to ask the front desk to have some pads put on our beds. This helped a little bit, but they were still very uncomfortable. The beds are also quite low, my mother has mobility issues, so this presented an issue. ||||Despite those issues, the customer service of the staff at the hotel was exceptional. They were always very accommodating and helpful and I really appreciate that. They ended up compensating us by taking a night off the bill. I hope they get those beds fixed, but in the meantime, if you just need a good location and bed to stay at in Kyoto, this is your place. Great...