Hotel Iida — Hotel in Kyoto

I booked this hotel for my family (parents, sister, brother, my 2-year old son, and myself) on one Saturday because I couldn't find any other hotel that could accomodate all 6 of us in one room on that day. This hotel is conveniently located, very close to Kyoto station and a number of convenient stores near the hotel, as well as the Yodobash Camera building just a few minutes away on foot that has a huge supermarket in the basement floor. We were also able to drop our luggage before the check-in time (3:30pm), which was nice. When we were dropping of our luggages, the lady at the front desk was acting very nice and told us that we can purchase the 500-yen bus tickets from her, which we did. After touring Kyoto, we arrived a little before the check-in time, but she allowed us to check in, which I thought was nice. So far, our experience at the hotel was great. THEN, she told me that I had to pay the hotel fee upfront, so I took out my credit card. This is when her attitude changed dramatically. Her face expression suddenly changed like if she was very upset that I was paying with my credit card and said that I had to pay the consumption tax in cash. I've been living in Japan for 10+ years and this was the first time that I was asked to do this! I'm actually considering whether I should report this incident and even want to ask around to see if this is legal. I'm still quite upset about it. Not just the incident but at the lady's attitude as she only seems to care about money and not the customers.||||As for the room, it was an ok sized tatami mat room but the bathroom and the toilet were tiny compared to the ones at Kyoto Tower Hotel where we stayed the night before. (Too bad they weren't able to accomodate us on this day..) The room also had a strange smell like if it was never ventilated. (I actually saw fungus growing on the ceiling.) I also saw a lot of dust in the corners of the room. The phone in the room literally looked like it was more than 20 years old and the elevator and the hallway also seemed very old. Some positive things about this hotel was there was a public bath on the ground. The woman's side had extra towels, which I heard that the men's side didn't have. Japanese-style Breakfast was served on the first floor tatami room and you have to decide on a time between three slots (7:00/7:30/8:00) when you check-in. My sister wasn't used to sitting on the ground and felt uncomfortable. The food was very Japanese in small portions and included rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, small salad, Japanese-style pickles, and tofu. They had the tables prepared with our room number before we came in and even had my son's table set up with empty kids' bowls, spoon and fork. Coffee and tea were set up on the side for self-service. ||||If it wasn't for the attitude of the lday at the front desk, my trip to Kyoto would've been perfect (I say 'my trip' because I didn't want to ruin my family's trip by sharing this with them). This hotel seems to be family-run and she seems like a family member. It was very unfortunate experience on my part and would never recommend this hotel to...

Looking for a Ryokan/tatami experience with quality service, strategic location and more economical price - this is the best place!!||The ryokan is only 2 minutes away from the main Kyoto station, conveniently walking distance to the Kyoto station where the local bus station are located as well. Getting around Kyoto is so easy with a daily bus pass of 500 Yen for unlimited ride. The hotel reception sell this passes as well. ||The staff in the hotel speak very well English, knowledgeable and provide good recommendation for sightseeing. The hotel has it's own separate Onsen for shower, separately for male and female. A word of advise, if you are not use to bathing in public with others (completely naked), then select a room with shower and bath facilities instead. As I was travelling with both girls, it is more convenient in a room with these facilities. Internet are not free but it's very reasonable only 100Yen for 10 minutes.||The tatami room are not huge, but it's spacious enough for 2-3 person , there are separate sitting area for nice warm green tea with mochi which was also a compliments from the hotel:). Our room has a separate bathroom and shower room complete with shower gel, shampoo, toothbrush/towels and closet for luggage and clothings. Believe it or not there are even hairdryer, mini bar, TV and bathroom slippers. Hot water available after the room are set-up (turndown service), if you need more, just inform the Reception. One last point, they have curfew by 11pm, which the door will be lock. We didn't ask what will happen if we need to be back later since there's not that much in Kyoto late at night unless you are into Potocho. All in all this is much better...

There are not that many reviews on this hotel out there. I thought of giving a review on this hotel to inform travelers of the real deal on this hotel. We stayed here on the second week of November. We booked the hotel four months prior to our arrival in Kyoto. At that time, hotels were already running out. As we wanted to try a traditional room with futons, we searched for a place that would have this. There were a number of ryokans/hotels to choose from but most had rates that were too expensive. We chose Hotel Iida because of the reasonable price. We did not have to break the bank just to experience a ryokan. When we got there, we were surprised of the proximity of the hotel to the Kyoto Station. It provided us more bang for the buck! The hotel was easy to find. The check in was quick. The staff had sufficient command of English language. When we entered the room, a wash basin greeted us. The shower and the toilet were in separate rooms. We found the set up weird but we soon realized that it was to our advantage. We could use the toilet, wash basin and shower separately and did not have to wait for one another. The bedroom was big for Japanese standards. The bedroom had a low sit-in area where we ate our take-out food and drank tea. The futons were so soft that we did not want to get out of them. The pillows were a bit hard but that was common in Japanese accommodations. Our sleep was comfortable. Oh we just love the tatami floor! The tatami mats looked new. The rooms were clean. The hotel prepared welcome treats (postcards, tea and dessert snacks) for us. After a long day of sightseeing, we could not wait to change into our yukatas and rest...