Kyoto INN Gion the Second — Hotel in Kyoto

I don’t usually write reviews for hotels, but my experience at this hotel motivated me to do so. At first, I was kind of iffy about checking in the hotel because looking at the photos, the rooms looked very small and not as “grand” as other hotel rooms I’ve seen. But after actually going and staying in this hotel myself, I can honestly say that I had a very lovely stay. The staff were extremely accommodating, and even wrote hand written letters to us that was delivered to our hotel room. They gave us extra water, bath towels, and a basket to store our trash. Additionally, the staff would always greet us whenever we walked out or when we were idling around at the lobby. As for the rooms, they were very nice. The beds were very comfortable, it was like sleeping on my own bed at home. The decorations fit the aesthetic of Kyoto very nicely, it felt like you were really in a Japanese hotel. Bathroom was standard. The only negative thing that I will comment on is, however, usb ports. I did not bring a plug for my charger, but instead, I brought a usb, which I was not able to use. As a result, charging my electronics, I found, was difficult. Furthermore, the location of the hotel was very nice. Although it is a bit far from the station, it is near most of the major tourist attractions, such as the Yasaka Pagoda, Kiyomizudera, nishiki market, gion district, and kabuki theater. It is also a short walk to 7/11 and Lawson. Additionally, it is close to many delicious restaurants, especially ramen shops. Coming to this small hotel made me realize how much better a smaller more local hotel is than a large one because in a local hotel here in Japan, I found that staff are much more accommodating whereas in bigger hotels with thousands of guests, hotel staff tend to be… rushed in a way. Overall, i had a very lovely stay and I hope to someday come back again. I highly recommend booking...

Warning: BEDBUGS!

We booked three nights here in May 2025. On our first night we laid down on the bed and saw a bed bug run out from under the pillow and hide. We investigated further and found what appears to be a bed bug molt in the bed as well as other molts where the carpet meets the floor below the bed.

We immediately brought this issue to the attention of the management. They were unable to offer us a different room and suggested they would clean the room the following morning if we removed all our belongings. Due to how late it was, we unfortunately had no other option but to stay the night. In the morning, we packed up our things and left them at the front desk while we explored Kyoto for the day.

When we returned in the afternoon, we informed the management that we did not feel comfortable staying in a room with bedbugs. They assured us at that time that we would be refunded for the two nights we didn’t stay, and advised us to contact Agoda, as we booked through them.

Now that we are back home, the hotel is refusing to honor their promise to refund the two unused nights. Honestly, we should be refunded for all three nights since they couldn't provide us a clean and safe place to stay. They also did not offer any compensation for the laundry we had to spend the next 2 hours doing to make sure we didn't bring any bugs around with us.

Overall this was a truly disappointing experience that significantly affected our time in Kyoto.

TLDR: We had bedbugs in our room and they're refusing to honor a refund for nights we didn't stay at the hotel but prepaid for.

UPDATE 6/5/25: The owners response to my review requested that I reach out to them directly regarding the refund issue. I've had no response to any emails I've sent them (I reached out once the day after the incident and again, 6 days ago, after their response to this review). Not getting...

I booked early on their official website and was able to secure a very attractive price for my trip. This is a great small hotel in the middle of Gion, within walking distance to many popular attractions in Kyoto. It is just down the road from Kennin-ji, Gion Kagai Art Museum and Hanamikoji street. There are 2 coin laundry shops about 10 mins away. ||The hotel facilities are more on the quaint side however the rooms were spacious and beds are comfortable and there was even a proper closet. The amenities like the in-room coffee machine was also much appreciated. The toilet is the usual Japanese style unit bath, which is on the cramped side if you are a tall person but otherwise does the job.||The breakfast was mostly bread but I liked that I could take away some of the prepacked breads, useful snacks for when out and about exploring. ||A few things that could be improved:|1. There was no full-length mirror in each room, would be nice to have one.|2. The bathroom had a weird smell at night, maybe from the pipes. There was also mold in the gap between the bathtub and the wall, would be good if...