SOLARIA HOTEL KYOTO PREMIER — Hotel in Kyoto

I travel to Japan three times a year with experience of different tiers of hotel. I have a mixed feeling about this one so I can only give it a 3. See below:||Pros:|- Good location next to the Kamo River with tons of good restaurants nearby. It is also within walking distance to two train stations. |- We stayed in a triple room with river view. It was clean with nice decor. The size was within normal range in Japan. Not the smallest nor the biggest I had stayed before. ||Cons: |- The hotel communicated with me in advance regarding the parking situation so I was fully aware of it. We had a rental car during this trip as we travelled quite a bit from Hiroshima with multiple suitcases. I was prepared to park our rental car in a nearby parking garage after loading our luggage at the hotel lobby. Upon arriving at the front entrance where I thought was the loading area, a staff came out immediately and said we couldn't park there. We explained the situation to him but he couldn't speak any English at all. We were pressured to leave the area immediately. |- With back and forth google translations, the staff offered three parking options to us so we ended up picking one which was about 10 mins walk to/from the hotel since the closest one was already full. We walked back to the hotel and tried to check in. Unlike many other hotels in Japan with live agents, this hotel relies on check in machines even when the staff were standing behind the counter. They just pointed you to the check in machine. They weren't trying to help you even when you encounter problems with the machine. We did check in successfully after the second attempts. |- When we tried to move multiple suitcases to our room, we just realized they didn't have any luggage carts or trolleys to borrow. Again, the staff refused to help. |- At this point, I was going to rate this hotel 1 star but the check out experience was better than I thought. The staff still pointed you to the machine but at least they were helpful in storing our luggage as our car was 10 mins away. They also helped us to load our suitcases so we could move our car and leave the front entrance faster. ||Overall, my check in experience was not up to par when compare to other hotels in Japan. The location is superb but I would not recommend it to family travelers. Regardless, the parking lot they refer us to was great. It was an outdoor parking lot behind a temple and the parking lot lady was super nice and friendly. Price was also decent (1200 yen for 24 hours). However, I would definitely avoid driving in...

Hotel Name: Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Kyoto Premier Sanjo-Kamogawa (ソラリア西鉄ホテル 京都プレミア 三条鴨川)

Service: The staff provided exceptional service. As a family of five (four adults and a 16-month-old baby), we appreciated their friendliness and willingness to assist—from arranging taxis to recommending nearby restaurants via a curated list.

Rooms: We booked two room types: Executive Twin Room: Spacious and comfortable, featuring two double beds, a relaxing sofa, a separate toilet and bathroom, and a city view. The room included handy amenities like charging cables, a large wardrobe, and a vanity desk. Easily accommodated four people. View Bath Twin Room: Perfect for couples, this cozy room had two twin beds and a stunning bathroom overlooking a lush moss wall. The serene greenery created a romantic ambiance.

Both rooms provided complimentary pajamas and coffee.

Smokers: Each floor has a designated smoking room.

For Families: A dedicated family room on the first floor caters to guests with infants.

Lobby: The elegant lobby boasts a striking moss wall installation, enhanced by simulated rainfall displays in the evenings—a unique touch!

Luggage Service: Convenient storage is available for early arrivals or post-checkout exploration.

Location: Ideal for sightseeing! Within walking distance of Pontocho Alley, Sanjo Keihan Station, Kawaramachi Street, Nishiki Market, and Sanjo Shopping Arcade. Kiyomizu-dera Temple is a quick 15-minute taxi ride away.

Price: Mid-to-high range, but worth the splurge. We paid approximately $400 CAD/night for the Executive Twin and $200 CAD/night for the View Bath Twin. While not budget-friendly, the exceptional service, amenities, and prime location justified the cost for a truly enjoyable stay.

Overall: A fantastic choice for families and couples seeking comfort, convenience, and a touch of...

Impressive stay at this hotel with Solaria Nishitetsu hospitality and amenties.||The location is good, you can walk to many attractions, shops, restaurants, and also famous pontocho alley. The hotel is on the riverside so you can benefit the view there. There is subway station and bus stop around the hotel but for me I use taxi app which is a good choice in rainy day. ||For the room, I stayed in garden twin room which the room size is a bit more space if compare for the normal room size in Japan especially bathroom. At this room type, you will find a small garden space outside the bathroom window which is really relax and chill. Another benefit is that as the room locate on basement floor as same as the public bath so somehow it feels like you may have your own public bath just few steps from your room. No need to change the elevator from your room to the public bath. Also this is the plus point because the elevator for most of guest rooms will be another wing while this wing will use only for the guests who stay on the basement floor and public bath user so no need to take a long wait in rush hour and check out time. For the con side, it happened that there are stains on the window so the garden view may not that clear. Plus it on basement floor so the room may not that bright as in upper floor.||Overall the cleanliness and comfortable of the room are good. I have a nice stay here. ||During stay, I found no porter anyway so I'm not sure if there is or is not. ||For luggage free service, recommend to contact the hotel for the information in advance.||Ps. Double check the open hours of public bath day by day! Don't trust the operating hour listed on the info paper you get upon check-in. I miss the chance to use the bath on my first night because the staff told me the normal open hours but when I arrive the bath already closed...