Welcome to my hotel review at Kyoto!
Introduction
Kyoto and Osaka are not far apart and they are easily accessible thanks to the train system. We could have stayed in Osaka and do a day trip or two to Kyoto but I am glad that I did the trip here and booked the hotel which means we could spend more time over here and get to experience another Japanese hotel's hospitality. For the choices of hotels in this city, I didn't take long deciding on this hotel for the good reviews and the location of the hotel not too far away from Kyoto station. With convenient stores, restaurants and train stations nearby along with the good photos of the hotel rooms, I have set my mind on this hotel. Furthermore the price was reasonable for the two rooms during the peak season. Usually I like to do my booking on a 3rd party app that allows me to pay on the day of check-in, the reason is I can still cancel and choose others if I find a better deal elsewhere.
So without further ado, let's begin this hotel review!
Latest Development of Kyoto's Tourist Hotel Tax (October 2025 update)
To curb down the number of tourist visiting this city, the city government has decided to increase the levy starting from from 1,000 yen to 10,000 yen (maximum cost) depending on the cost of the hotel stay for one person per night. This tax levy will be the highest in Japan and with this move, the ministers hope to reduce the number of tourists in some of the streets and historic sites. According to them, they will use the money from the lodging tax to improve city infrastructure.
This is the latest update to the hotel tax charges to begin from 1st March 2026 (This also includes private stays such as Airbnb and Vrbo).
Price of Hotel Stays under 6,000 yen per night, the tax remains at 200 yen per person.
Price of Hotel Stays ranging from 6,000 yen to less than 20,000 yen per night, the tax will increase to 400 yen per person
Price of Hotel Stays ranging from 20,000 yen to less than 50,000 yen per night, the tax will increase to 1,000 yen per person.
Price of Hotel Stays ranging from 50,000 yen to less than 100,000 yen per night, the tax will increase to 4,000 yen per person.
Price of Hotel Stays ranging from 100,000 or more, the tax will increase to 10,000 yen.
The only exemption to this tax are the school trip students and chaperones.
How did we travel from Osaka to Kyoto?
With 2 luggages, it was manageable taking the train there by the standard trains. You can also travel there by Shinkansen but it is more expensive.
From the hotel in Osaka, we took the train at Ebisucho Station and take the Sakaisuji line train and travelled to Awaji Station and from there, we took the Hankyu-Kyoto line and head for the Kyoto-Kawaramachi direction towards Omiya Station. Once we reached the station, it was a 5-minutes walk to our hotel.
About the hotel
Urban Hotel System Co., Ltd. is the owner of several hotels in Kyoto and Shiga. This company was established in 1992 and currently has 6 hotels in Shiga and Kyoto City. The company has plans to expand it's portfolio in Tokyo.
For this hotel, it was opened in October 2019.
The other hotels under this management are:
Urban Hotel Kyoto (Fushimi-lu, Kyoto City)
Urban Hotel Kusatsu (Kusatsu City, Shiga)
Urban Hotel Minami Kusatsu (Kusatsu City, Shiga)
Urban Hotel Kyoto- Nijo Premium (Nakagyo, Kyoto City)
Urban Hotel Kyoto-Gojo Premium (Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City)
Address of the hotel
272-6, Shijo Horikawacho, Shimogyoku, Kyoto, Japan, 600-8481
Tel: 075-406-1835
Check-in time: 3 pm
Check-out time: 11 am
Location of the hotel
For us, we alighted at Omiya station and exited the station at exit 3 before walking towards the hotel. This took about 5 minutes to get there.
The hotel
Some of the ancillary services offered by the hotel.
Cyclists and pedestrians have their own paths.
The reception area
Complimentary hot and cold beverages are available.
Fitness Centre
Signboard (Cafe, Laundry and Spa)
Vending machines
Men and Female's Spa
Laundry room
Hotel Amenities/Facilities
-Fitness Centre (Additional Charge)
- Restaurant
- Spa and Wellness Centre
- Laundry room
- Complimentary WiFi
- Toiletries
- Electric Kettle
- Fridge
- Wall Sockets
- Flat-Screen TV
- Parking is available (Reservation needed)
- Business Facilities (Fax and photocopying) - Additional Charge
-Wheelchair accessible
- Sitting area with TV
What kind of rooms are offered?
This hotel offers the following rooms:
- Day Use Room (5 hours)
- Triple Room
- Double Bed
- Twin Bed room
(There are Standard, Deluxe and Premium version of these rooms)
I booked the standard double room and standard twin room for us.
Standard Double Room
Room area of 17 square metres.
Maximum 2 persons
Map layout of the room (Hotel's website)
Pros
- Spacious layout
- Comfortable room
- Great view
- Strong Wifi Connection
Cons
- No shelter outside the hotel, an umbrella or rain coat is required.
- Eateries nearby maybe require a bit of walking
Interior of the room
The entrance of the room
The queen size bed
The room offers a small table for you to get some work done and bedside table to charge your devices. There are enough sockets to be able to do so.
The room space is adequate for me.
Overall I am satisfied with the room.
Another angle view of the room
The toilet
The shower room
Towels are provided and a note encouraging the guest to reuse the towels if possible and this only applies to those staying for more than 2 days.
The view of the city
Tsukibokocho
A typical Japanese street in a residential area.
This is the entrance of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.
This is the Torii Gate in vermillion colour. These gates are part of the Japanese shrines that is supposed to symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
Shin-Ike Pond
The road outside the Fushimi-Inari Station.
This is the one of Keihan Main line's trains in Kyoto.
This is how the area of Kyoto Station looks like.
Not far from the Kyoto station is this shopping mall, Aeon Mall. I did quite a bit of shopping over there.
Zenchojicho
Shijoomiyacho
Otabimiyamotocho
This reminds me of the shopping area in Osaka, Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street.
The Kyoto Station featuring the Kyoto tower.
Just a few days in this city should be enough to cover whatever you need to see. Between Kyoto and Osaka, I preferred to stay in this city and travel to Osaka if you intend to stay in one of these two cities, It doesn't take more than an hour to get to the heart of the city in Osaka and for Kansai Airport, it takes about 2 hours to get there. For travel to Tokyo, travelling by Shinkansen or travelling to take the flight out of Osaka (Itami or Kansai) are your economical options. My preference would be to travel by Shinkansen for this case and do remember to give yourself enough time to get to the airport.
My ratings:
Stars:
Hotel Staff: 10/10
Location: 9/10
Hotel room ambiance: 10/10
Hotel Amenities: 9/10
Nearby Convenience (Example: Train Station, Covenient store...etc): 9/10
Hotel Room Size: 9/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Bed comfort: 10/10
Shower: 10/10
Value for $$: 10/10
Overall rating: 96/100
Percentage: 96%
Conclusion
This hotel offers a comfortable stay for my family and I was happy with this hotel for the room size and a strong and smooth wifi connection. I was able to complete my online work and also all my mobile devices were able to connect to the Wifi. What I like about the room is that it offers a good view of the city, clean and comfortable bed and the important amenities provided by the hotel. We were fortunate to be able to get the rooms at the top floor.
For meals, we managed to grab some nice food nearby the hotel. There are shops, restaurants and even a shrine (walking distance) near the hotel location. However, there is no shelter from the train station to the hotel so its advisable to bring an umbrella. For transport, we mainly take the train and we relied on 2 stations to get to where we wanted to go. The 2 stations are Omiya and the other one is Shijo which is about 15 minutes of walk from the hotel. There is also a bus stop near the hotel and you can take either bus service 9 or 28 City Bus to the Kyoto station. Do note that for Japanese bus service, you board the bus from the rear and when you reach your destination, you alight from the front and tap your card.
Overall I am delighted with my stay at this hotel, I would certainly return to this hotel the next time I return.
Now that the city has announced an increase in the lodging tax, the question is how would this affect the accommodation business? For travellers: You can either stay in Osaka and do day trips to Kyoto or stay in Kyoto and opted for the less expensive hotel. Whatever you decide, it is still worth paying a visit to this lovely city.
Stay tuned for my final trip report on my Japanese adventure with my family, coming up next.
Have a good one!
Charles
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