Smile Hotel Kyoto Shijo

This was our second time visiting since 2020, and this hotel is still amazing! The locality is great and very convenient with the supermarket across the road.

We had an issue with the aircon not working properly in our room and it felt like we were trying to sleep in a sauna, BUT the staff were AMAZING and helped us out with moving to another room

Very well located close to the heart of kyoto, around a 15 minute walk to the heart of the restaurants and bars, and a 5 minute walk to the main metro station. Room is exactly as required, we had all the facilities we needed. Very polite and helpful staff

Unsure if it was a problem that the hotel was having at the time but the climate control would go into full heat mode every night, with the room temperature approaching 30°C. Asked at the front desk and they gave us a fan, which helped.

The location is excellent - there are many restaurants, convenience stores, and a supermarket nearby. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the bed is comfortable.

The default is not to clean the rooms every day. While new towels are provided, bath mats are not - one has to go all the way to the reception to ask for a bath mat. It is a hotel, so making the beds every day and changing the sheets at least every alternate day will be appreciated. We should not have to pay extra for this. Also, there should be a smoking zone somewhere in or outside the hotel building.

Good location and proximity to a subway line and multiple bus stops; especially close to bus routes taking you to attractions up north towards Nijo & Kinkaku. Staff were incredibly polite and accommodating. I appreciated a lot of the sustainability practices the hotel took such as planned cleaning (I don't trash hotel rooms so I don't understand why anyone needs it cleaned everyday), simple recycling bins in the rooms, and daily garbage pickup if it wasn't your room's cleaning day. There were 2 stores to pick up convenice and grocery items within a crosswalk's distance that were open for 24 hours, a pharmacy open 24 hours within 10 min walk.

There is no room heating/ac element, and central heating system was heating our room to 27 degrees Celsius at one point on a day with high of 18 degrees. There were no other ways to cool the room other than to open windows. Due to the smoke alarm being so close to the bathroom, using the steam from using the shower could not be used to help increase the humidity in the room either (it was very dry in Kyoto in November). Internet connection was sometimes spotty on our phones (Google Pixel 4a and 7).

Great location with a big supermarket and convenience stores across the road and metro stations only a short walk away. The breakfast was very good value and the lady working the restaurant was doing a superb job ensuring everything was topped up fresh and the tables clean. All of the staff here were super helpful with any query we had. Having a mini fridge seems to be a standard in Japan - but I appreciate having one as it makes keeping drinks/food for snacks very convenient.

Only a very minor point but I would like to have had Tea/Coffee and cream available at the self service counter though the green tea they had was perfectly adequate.

All staff were extremely helpful and professional. Breakfast services and offerings were wonderful. The location was perfect for easy access to everything I needed.

The room was not as clean as I would have expected when I first arrived. There was hair on the floor and in the bathtub, and there was what appeared to be a spot of urine on the floor in the bathroom near the toilet.

The location of the hotel is superb, it's just right on Shijo & Karasuma, very easy to get public transportation like buses, subway, and even taxi!!! The room is clean and neat, it surely exceeded my expectation, they provide clean towels everyday, it's a small room, but for a single person is good enough, the room has more than enough power outlets for my things, it also has one big window that can be open to get some fresh air, that's definitely a plus!!! They even provide umbrellas when raining, it's unbelievable, the hotel staff are very helpful and nice, they also have breakfast buffet everyday for only 1000 yen, and self laundry service on the 6th floor, I will definitely stay again when I come to Kyoto!!!

None!!!

Bed was comfortable, though the room was a bit smaller than the other hotel I stayed at in the area but still not bad for the price! There’s a FamilyMart one block down and a large grocery store across the street and a 7/11 two blocks further. There’s also a few restaurants and coffee shops near. Quick bus ride into the more touristy and exciting parts of Kyoto but far enough away to escape the crowds and noise. Staff was nice and helpful! Overall would stay again!

Room felt a bit more cramped than other hotels of similar style and price.

Nice spacious rooms. The rooms were clean and comfortable.

The coin laundry was very small, only 2 washers, 2 dryers and 1 that looked like it did both. The dryer didn't really dry the clothes and the hotel stops the dryers from 8pm. There is a coin laundry around the corner from the hotel was I ended up taking my clothing to fully dry. Overall, it's not the worst thing and I would stay here again

We loved absolutely everything about Kyoto and this hotel was no exception. We stayed in a Deluxe Room, there were 2 adults + 2 children and it was huge. The bath was a very welcome surprise. We travelled all over and found everything to be easily accessible by bus and train. The staff were extremely friendly and everything was spotless. There is a Family Mart next door for everything you need. For the price this hotel