Oakwood Hotel Oike Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

From February 19th-26th, 2024 [7 nights in total], my wife and I, along with my mom and mother in law, the four of us stayed at the Oakwood Hotel in Kyoto. This is our first trip since the pandemic and my mom's first time in Kyoto so we were excited to say the least.

After thorough comparison with other hotels near by, we chose the Oakwood for its sleek design, spacious bathroom/shower, central location and breakfast buffet.

Our first concern with the Oakwood in Kyoto arose when we asked the hotel to make restaurant reservations for us. In Japan, high end restaurants require reservations via phone/website and most are in Japanese only, as foreigners, they recommend that you make reservations through your hotel. We were told shortly by the hotel staffs after making the request well in advance that the restaurants we wanted were all booked during our stay.

Frustrated yet persistent, my wife, who took Japanese in high school, decided to take matter into her own hands and was able to secure two restaurant reservations on her own while we were told repeatedly by the hotel staffs that they were fully booked.

Our second concern with the Oakwood in Kyoto was its breakfast buffet. Upon check in we were surprised to find that as four guests who were staying seven nights we were provided only with two breakfast vouchers per day and needed to pay for the additional two breakfast vouchers. If we were told in advance that only half of our party would have breakfast included and the other half would have to pay it would have been a deal breaker.

The next morning, after receiving two breakfast vouchers and paying for the other two at the front desk, we entered the breakfast area and was greeted with a minimal offerings of white rice, miso soup, a simple bread station, pre-made coffee and tea in diner pots, some meat and curry dishes, one hot vegetable dish and one salad and fruit dish. The scrambled eggs deserved special mention as it was so runny and watery that it was close to the consistency of soups instead of eggs. We were not the only guests disappointed with the breakfast as I overheard one guest asked the server, "is this all the breads you have?" and witnessed multiple guests turned away because they did not have the vouchers.

One morning while I was woking in the lounge besides the breakfast area which was cordoned off with a rope, I asked the breakfast staff for a cup of coffee. He told me breakfast hadn't started so I had to wait. I didn't think much of it so I waited till the breakfast started and asked again. He told me I couldn't have coffee outside the breakfast area but I told him I am waiting for the rest of my party as they would be joining me shortly for breakfast. He then proceeded to show me a sign that the cost for coffee was 600 ¥. I was confused and thought maybe he had trouble understanding me so I repeated that I was a guest and had been having breakfasts here for three consecutive mornings and just wanted a cup of coffee. He asked me to speak with the front desk and I was told by multiple staffs at the front desk that if I wanted coffee I would have to pay. One female staff in particular even said THERE IS COFFEE MAKER IN YOUR ROOM. YOU CAN HAVE COFFEE IN YOUR ROOM. I was bewildered and surprised by the unified and hostile response over a cup of coffee. I didn't ask for an expensive cocktail or gourmet, made to order coffee, I asked for pre-made, watered down diner coffee in a pot. The situation was finally resolved after my wife came downstairs with my breakfast voucher and I was allowed to have coffee.

After Kyoto, we travelled to Tokyo and unfortunately had to stayed at the Oakwood Tokyo for three nights. Breakfast was slightly better in Tokyo as the area was never cordoned off with a rope and the breakfast and coffee were included for all, no vouchers needed. All in all, we were disappointed by the standard of Oakwood. Japan is renowned for its hospitality and respect culture, needless to say we would not recommend the Oakwood for your next...

Date of visit 2 November 2024 to 5 November 2024

The review reflects my personal experience and honest opinion.

Finding suitable accommodation in an unfamiliar area can be challenging, especially with mixed reviews. Fortunately, this hotel exceeded expectations in many ways.

The staff were professional and welcoming, creating a warm atmosphere right from check-in. The guy clearly explained check in and check out and even showed us a trick to save money on the buffet breakfast (you sign up to the hotel rewards program for free and the buffet breakfast would be half price).

The room was very comfortable, with plenty of room for 2 suitcases and to be able to move around freely. The bed was incredibly comfortable, however, in it own personal opinion, I didn't like the pillows. The bathroom was spacious and the bidet had a privacy function.

I appreciated the simple magnet system for room service: “Do Not Disturb,” “Clean Room,”.

The hotel even offered free unlimited softdrink (and coffee as well I believe) downstairs in the area.

The hotel itself was in a great location, 5 minutes to the train station, 10 minutes to the markets, plenty of food choices around and also family mart and 7/11. Great location.

I would definitely stay again when I return.

P.S. There is a city tax they impose staying here, was only 200 yen per person per night.

P.P.S Loved...

A strong contender for one of the best in 5 hotels I stayed in on my 3 weeks trip to Japan.||As mentioned in other reviews. The room was quite spacious and having two beds for a solo meant I had good access to my suitcase during my 4 nights. Two people, however, may still have little room to move. Such are Japanese hotel rooms.||The easy access to ice, water and soft drinks was a very nice touch after arriving back from a day on your feet with a few snacks to enjoy. It is a pity the lobby is almost always full of luggage though. They need a storage room.||Location was very good. I liked walking over to the food area to the east (sorry I forget, Sanjo area). The little streets filled with restaurants was great. You can walk to Nishiki market in minutes. ||I did miss having a Konbani right under my hotel (all my other hotels did) but it is a minor point.||Everything was well cleaned and supplied.||Why 4 stars. Well...I left a item of some £75 in value in the room. There is no doubt I left it there as it was not something I took out with me and my luggage was well searched at the next hotel room and when I returned. I immediately contacted the hotel to post it on to me but they said it was never found. ||Disappointing. I have warned them I will be mentioning this...