WAYFARER Kyoto Shijo — Hotel in Kyoto

I recently stayed in Room 702 with two sisters, and unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. While the room was advertised as suitable for three people, it was far too cramped to be comfortable.

However, the lack of space was not the worst part of our stay. Upon entering the room, we turned on the heater, only for a foul odor to emanate from the air-conditioning unit. It was clear that the unit had not been properly maintained. We went down to the front desk for assistance, but there was no phone in the room, so we had to speak to the receptionist in person. Unfortunately, the staff member at the desk on the evening of November 26th was unhelpful and seemed more interested in chatting with a friend than addressing our issue. She instructed us to wait in the room, and eventually, she came up with another staff member to clean the air-conditioning unit with a spray—right above my mattress.

Despite their efforts, the smell remained, and when we expressed our concerns, she explained that the unit hadn’t been used in a while and suggested we keep the temperature below 24°C with the cooler on. This recommendation seemed odd given that it was winter, and nighttime temperatures outside were as low as 4°C.

Overall, the service at the front desk was subpar, and the experience was not worth the price we paid. I will not be booking this hotel again and would not recommend...

This was probably one of the worse experiences in Japan. The price stated was not fully transparent . There was an additional ¥200 per person per night . With a family of 4 ( 2 adults + 1 teenager + a 4 year old) for 3 nights that amounted to -¥2400 . ). So we ended up paying ¥102,000 which would have gotten us a better hotel elsewhere.

The main issue : Upon check in, it was late and I saw that the bedsheets and duvet were not clean. There were hairs from the precious occupant . The hotel has no services and front desk could only apologise and give me clean sheets . My husband and I ended up cleaning the room and changing all the bedsheets

Hotel has very little amenities , there isn’t even a phone in the room to call front desk ( which is not 24hours ). They only clean the room every 4 days . The laundry service is about ¥100 more expensive that other hotels . The tatami room which I booked just consist of flat mattress ( wasn’t the Japanese experience I was looking for ). Hotel is about 900m to 1km from the train station so a bit of a walk if it’s raining or very cold .

All in all, I would never recommend anyone with family staying here . There are other hotels with similar pricing at better location and better service...

The reason why we booked the Kyoto Shijo was because we saw bikes for rent near the hotel. However, when we got to the hotel, the bikes that are available for rent in front of the hotel cannot be rented by people who do not have a Japanese phone number. We ended up renting bikes from a shop nearby, however, the Wayfarer does not allow guests to park their bikes on property and there is no other bike parking nearby that is not a 10 minute walk. The bus can get very crowded and the subway system is not suited for getting around Kyoto so you need to stay in a place that is close to where you will visit or walk a lot. Also it seems like the bus line that GoogleMaps often suggested us to use was further away than the stop in front of the hotel.

Otherwise, if location is not a factor for you, the Wayfarer Kyoto Shijo was great for us.

We opted for a larger, studio room. The bathrooms were a bit small but functional. The hotel was very clean and modern. The staff is also very nice.

It you are hoping for a traditional japanese hotel, this is not it. It feels more like a foreign friendly, hip hotel. For the price, it was a great value. I would stay here again if it allowed...