Rinn Gion Shirakawa — Hotel in Kyoto

I was a bit nervous about this hotel because i have not really stayed in a local chain hotel and i thought there were going to be many house rules. i worried too much! We arrived around 2pm and were told check in was at 4pm (check out at 10am). We thought a 3pm check-in would be better. The receptionist mentioned it is chargeable if we wanted earlier check-in. So we roamed around and returned at 3.45pm and the same staff had to call and check if the room was ready. luckily it was and we headed for our room without additional charges. I booked a Twin Room 35sqm for two and the space was more than enough. I enjoyed the tatami sitting area.||The bed has to be my favorite and i like their bedsheet. The bath room is very spacious too and the shower room is so well thought of as there is even a stool in the shower area. Bathtub was luxurious. This happens to be my favourite hotel throughout my trip.||There is no english channels on the tv but you can log in to netflix. Hotel does not provide bottled water and feel free to use their carafe to top up water the laundry room. We enjoyed our stay and if im coming back to kyoto, i will explore the rest of the hotels under this group. ||Do note that housekeeping is not daily. The hotel will schedule the housekeeping depending on the length of your stay. we stayed 4 nights and had one complimentary housekeeping on the 3rd day. If you need housekeeping on non-scheduled days, it is chargeable. The good note is, one non-housekeeping days, if you need a change of towels and clear the thrash in your room, just put a tag on your door before 12 noon and it will be done for free. ||Only 2 negative experience:|1. there is only one washing machine/dryer in the entire hotel. This is clearly insufficient if there is full occupancy and during summer. And the drying mode of the machine is not optimal. the clothes were still damp when the cycled ended and i felt like they have been steamed instead of dried.|2. the air con in my room kept turning off on its own at night. we reckoned that the timer was activiated by previous guests. It is our fault for not seeking help from the hotel staff throughout our stay.|3. We were hoping to watch some english channels be with BBC or CNN or CNA, but there was just no english channel. My partner remarked that given the rate per night, it is interesting that there is no english channels for international guests. ||Overall, we had a great time exploring the city, Gion and staying...

What a fun place to stay at! We booked through booking.com and stayed one night. Had a great experience. ||We were picked up at the train station and brought back to the ryokan where our entrance was announced with a big crash of a gong. How fun!||Staff was super friendly, food was excellent and the room was comfortable and quiet. We slept on extremely comfortable futons on the floor. ||Went to both dinner and breakfast in the Yukatas they supplied. Really enjoyed that experience. ||I tried out the onsen, which was very well appointed but I didn’t stay long as I overheated. I believe the onsen to be less appealing in the summer when you’re over heated all day. But I did want to give it a go. ||The ryokan is super close (walking distance ) to the main shopping areas. ||They gave me a lift in the morning to pick up my rental car. They provided umbrellas when we were going out and they thought it might rain. Just extremely thoughtful service here. ||My only regret is that we didn’t stay longer. Highly recommended and would...

Check-in was easy and clear instructions were given by the friendly lady receptionist. Old fashioned keys for entry, not only to one's room but also for access into the main living quarters. Great security! Washer/dryer was a much needed necessity but sadly the dryer didn't quite do it's job well! There was a genkan to out spacious room and the bathroom lived up to the well renowned Japanese experience. Free bath salts were provided on request which meant indulgent soaks for our duration of stay!! Sadly, we were told during check-in that housekeeping would be done 'only once' during our entire 5 nights stay :( Which meant we came back to our room, most nights, to unmade beds and a messy room. No point in staying at a hotel that doesn't tidy your room everyday! Location was great with the main shopping hub, train station, China Town just a stone's throw away. All the staffs at the reception were very courteous, helpful and spoke English. Check-out was smooth and the entire experience much...