3-Star Hotels in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

I stayed in a room for two people as a solo traveller because there wasn't the option to pay for only one person. The bed was okay and the amenities were basic. The location is excellent but I think there are better and cheaper options available for solo travellers.

I stayed here in a double room and overall had a pretty good experience. The room was clean and comfortable, and both the air conditioning and heater worked very well. One thing that really stood out was the bathroom — the bathtub was much larger than what you usually get in Japan. I’m a tall person, and I could actually sit down and lie back comfortably, which is rare. Most hotel baths feel very small, but this one felt closer to around 1.4m in length, which made having a bath genuinely enjoyable. The bed was comfortable, and housekeeping did a great job — the bed was made every day with fresh sheets. Wi-Fi was also very fast, which was a big plus. Amenities were decent, and you can pick up extra items if you need them. Check-in is a bit late at 3pm, which I didn’t love, but that’s balanced out by an 11am checkout. Having that extra time in the morning made it feel worth it overall. I did have a couple of negatives. The strangest one was finding an old sock behind the TV when I arrived. It was very obvious and not hidden, so I’m not sure how it was missed during cleaning. It was a bit gross, but I just left it. Another downside was the mini fridge — it’s more like a cooler than a real fridge. It keeps drinks from getting warm, but they don’t get properly cold. In summer, this really wouldn’t be good enough. Replacing it with a proper mini fridge would be a big upgrade. The other major issue was the lift. It is painfully slow, and there’s only one lift for the upper floors. On checkout day, I left my room about 10 minutes before checkout time, and I almost didn’t make it downstairs in time because of how slow it was. That part was honestly pretty ridiculous. Location-wise, this hotel is excellent. It’s very easy to get to from Kyoto Station — just head south and you’re there in about 4–5 minutes. It’s also very convenient when leaving Kyoto by train. A tip for using the subway: instead of going back to Kyoto Station, walk right from the hotel to Shijō Station. It’s on the same subway line, you’ll get on before Kyoto Station, and the train is empty — so you’re almost guaranteed a seat and can ride comfortably to your destinations. For food and shopping, there’s a shopping mall just across the road toward the station with a Don Quijote, McDonald’s, and other options. The hotel is also right next to a Coco Ichibanya curry house, which is fantastic and open late. Overall, despite a few odd issues, this was a solid stay with a great location, good comfort, and very easy access to transport. I’d happily consider staying here again.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Value Stay in Kyoto I had a pleasant stay at Kyoto Universal Hotel Karasuma. The location is convenient, with easy access to public transportation, making it simple to explore Kyoto’s major attractions and nearby areas. The room was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained, providing everything needed for a relaxing stay after a day of sightseeing. One of the best features is the excellent value for money, especially considering the facilities and services provided. The staff were friendly and helpful throughout my stay, and the check-in/check-out process was smooth. The complimentary meals were a nice bonus and helped keep travel costs down. Overall, this hotel is a great choice for travelers looking for affordable accommodation in Kyoto without sacrificing comfort and convenience. I would happily stay here again on my next visit to Kyoto.

Very satisfied. The service was warm and attentive, and the staff could speak Chinese, which was very comforting. They provided complimentary bottled water every day, and allowed early check-in or late luggage storage, which was very convenient. All my requests made during booking were fulfilled. The environment was also very quiet.

This is my second time with this hotel. First the place was clean and the break room was very comfortable. I booked a room this time and it was not 100% separated from the others. You can still hear a sound of the people in the room next to you.

The room was a bit small, making it difficult to open two suitcases, which was inconvenient when traveling with a child and needing to access things. However, it was clean. They don't provide complimentary water in the room, but there's a FamilyMart convenience store downstairs. The location is very convenient. The biggest drawback is that it's street-facing, and the soundproofing is terrible. Motorcycles roaring by, cars, and people talking all night really disturbed my sleep. If you're a light sleeper, you should definitely consider this. A great plus was having a bathtub for soaking, even though it wasn't a hot spring; it was very relaxing after a long day of sightseeing.

Room was small, but just right for one person. Bathroom and toilet were well maintained and clean. Restaurant for breakfast is just about 10-second walking distance away from the hotel, where you can choose 1 from 3 choices provided. You can refill the rice and soup as many times as you wish, which is something I find very fascinating! Overall, the experience was good.

Exiting Kyoto Station from the Hachijo-west exit, you can quickly cross through Kyoto Station via the second-floor North-South passage, connecting to the subway, buses, JR, and Shinkansen, and then reach the hotel. Check-in is done via self-service machines. The room size is quite good, clean, and tidy. In the lobby downstairs, you can find toothbrushes, combs, and tea bags. Facial cleanser, lotion, and face masks are available at the front desk. There's a large 7-Eleven downstairs, a daily must-visit, and you can use your hotel room card to re-enter the hotel through a side door. There are 12 washing machines on floors 2, 3, and 4 in total. You can see their usage status on the in-room TV, but they are quite popular. The washing machines now accept electronic payments, so you no longer need to exchange for 100-yen coins.

+ this hotel 01 station only from Kyoto Station, using metro and stop at Koji Station , and then walking about 15minutes to the hotel + The easy way to reach this hotel is using bus, and stop at Kujo Omiya. Many bus have direct route to Gion, and other tourist spot (about 30 minutes riding). Please take a notes, this hotel is not in tourist area, very quiet and you will meet with many local people here. + this hotel have a concierge and standby staff, so you can keep the luggage before checkin. + this hotel is very new, i think maybe open early 2026, when we proceed for the check in, the hotel staff gave us some welcoming gift, and we can saw many flowers buoquet there. And the good news, yes they have an elevator, so no issue for thise who bring big luggage + Room very clean and tidy. We book for 03 persons, and they prepare room with 04 twin beds (separate 02 rooms). Inside room have bathtub, laundry, kitchen + equipment, and 01 dining table. + I think maybe this is the best hotel we stay at Japan. Very modern, all brand new, many USB port inside the room, wifi connection is strong, really quiet and really convenient for stay + around 05 minutes walking, you will find japanese ramen noodle resto, and also local mini market. - a little bit troublesome for communicate with the hotel staff, because when we want to make sure about Yamato Delivery Service to this hotel, it was so hard to reach to hotel staff throung phone / email. When we asking to the hotel staff about this, they said they not receiving any chat from the trip.com / ******* platform. I dont know where is the issue, maybe because this hotel very new or they are not ready yet for the online communication Please take a notes that you have to pay kyoto city tax. We stay for 02 night, and we pay JPY 1.600 total Overall it was a nice stay, and definitely really recomend this hotel for stay at Kyoto.

The best out of the best htl we were at Kyoto. Everything was so good including the front desk. We would like to extend our stay unfortunately rooms were all sold out . Room are quite spacious if compare the rest of the Kyoto hotels. Love to come back here again .