Kyoto Guesthouse — Hotel in Kyoto

The service in the place we stayed for the price was astonishingly poor. We never met the owner, two tiny towels were provided for a three night stay. They also do not provide luggage assistance services and have ridiculous rules in place, such as being back in the guesthouse by 11:30pm so not to "disturb other neighbours". While we can appreciate that given the tatami floors and floorboards provide poor soundproofing, the obligation should not be placed on guests, but the host provider to improve these conditions. No luggage assistance was provided which meant we were unable to collect our luggage from Yamato until the last night of our trip, and the owner was extremely unhelpful in this regard. If we could've booked another hotel earlier, we would have. The one positive I'll say is that the bedding is...

The people staying on site are foreigners who work in exchange for lodging only, without ANY salary. They are really friendly and attentive, and try their best to provide top notch assistance. More credit and understanding need to be given to them for their dedication to the tasks at hand. They should be applauded for their eagerness to provide the best possible customer service experience.

However, the opposite could be said of the owner of the establishment, which is the person in charge of accepting online reservations. It was difficult to communicate with the owner as they were rather inflexible and long winded. We had spent over an hour trying to discuss payment. Really ended up feeling frustrated and filled with...

Traditional Japanese style with modern facilities! This hostel has the wonderful feel of a ryokan, but with comfortable, modern bathrooms and amenities. Located really close to a train and bus station, but there's not many good food places nearby. Staff were only on-site for check in and check out, but were really friendly and responsive by email. The only downside is that there is no elevator, so luggage has to be carried up narrow and steep stairs. Well...