Hotel Tavinos Kyoto

NR

Neil Roscoe

2/5Google· 3 months ago

Overall, Hotel Tavinos is in a great location and is a convenient base for exploring Kyoto. The complimentary coffee and breakfast buns were a nice touch and much appreciated. However, there were some disappointing aspects to our stay. The bed was uncomfortable, and the nylon duvet cover constantly slipped off the duvet, making it difficult to sleep comfortably. In addition, the air conditioner leaked continuously, leaving a wet patch on the carpet below. Guests should take care not to leave bags or other belongings underneath the unit, as they could become wet. The hotel also offers early check-in from 2:00 pm if you join its membership scheme. While this may appeal to some guests, it was a little frustrating, as it seems reasonable that if a room is already cleaned and available, all guests should be allowed to check in without having to sign up for a membership. Providing the best possible service to all customers, regardless of membership, would create a more welcoming experience. With some attention to the bedding/mattress, maintenance of the air conditioning, and a more flexible approach to early check-in, this could be a much better hotel.

JG

Jessica Geinzer

4/5Google· a week ago

This is a great hotel close enough to Kyoto station that you could easily walk (20 minutes), otherwise several city buses stop right outside the hotel. It’s also in a great location to be able to walk to big attractions like Kiyomizu-dera or Nishiki Market (bonus because you can walk off all the great food!). There is also a metro stop across the street for those places you want to visit a little further out. The room was great for a solo traveler, but without a closet/desk/table, it might get a bit crowded with more than one person and their things. I did feel like the cleaning left something to be desired. The duvet cover was stained on both ends. The bathroom had a lot of soap scum/residue build up that had me thinking maybe I should have brought shower sandals. All that being said, I’d probably stay here again for the ease of location and overall simplicity of the hotel.

IS

Isha Singh

4/5Google· a month ago

We really loved the location of this hotel—it was right in a prime spot, making it super easy to explore everything around. The river nearby was perfect for sitting and relaxing, and the nightlife around the area was really nice too. A big plus was the free luggage storage after checkout, which made things so much more convenient for us. Overall, a great stay and a location we’d happily choose again!

VL

Victoria Lilley

4/5Google· a month ago

We stayed for 4 days and thought the accommodation was good but maybe for 2 days instead. The check in and check out process was very simple, nice to be able to pick our room. Although we must have picked one that was able to hear the sirens outside which wasn't too disruptive but enough to notice. The room is just like advertised but quite dark after 4 days and the window was facing a wall so couldn't get any sunlight the entire time. Like in other reviews, the bedsheets are a pain as they come off the duvet every night. Think it would have been better to do housekeeping halfway through the stay rather than the day before but glad to have had bins emptied and towels changed everyday. Great to have a train station and bus stop nearby and a 7/11 downstairs which is very handy! About 15 minute walk to the main areas of Kyoto. Overall the stay was good for the price paid but would recommend only for a few nights:)

TM

Trip.com Member

5/5Trip.com· 5 months ago

We really enjoyed our 3 night stay here. The decor really added to the atmosphere of the place and there was a lovely communal area for relaxing. This offered different seating areas with access to free tea and coffee, a microwave and mini oven. The hotel is directly above a 7/eleven so it was very convenient for bringing in food to eat. There was a laundry room but it was very busy and the washing machine didn't sound very happy and the drying seemed to take people a long time. We were glad to have done washing before arriving here. The room was quite big and the bed was on a raised platform so cases could be stored underneath. It was very dark in the room because of the decor. We did sleep well. The bathroom was very modern and clean with a wet room style shower. All areas of the hotel were very clean throughout our stay and staff were visibly working to maintain a high standard. Kyoto was extremely busy at the time of our stay (during golden week) so we focused our visits to places that could be walked to or accessed from the Kiyomizu-Gojo Station on the Keihan Line. We did one trip that involved buses and it was horrendously busy with the longest queues at bus stops we've ever seen.

I

I8895GOashleyg

4/5Tripadvisor· a year ago

This funky hotel had a lot of charm and some good amenities. The lobby felt like an elevated hostel where lots of people were hanging out with coffee/tea always available. I appreciated the ice and water machine on those 95 degree days. I knocked it down a star because the laundry situation was a disaster and so disappointing. We booked this hotel because it had a laundry facility and it was a joke. A lot of people were trying to use them, which is fine but a wash takes 35 minutes and a dry takes 2 hours!!!! We ended up taking our WET close to a laundry mat 15 minutes away and drying them there. When we got back to the hotel we told everyone else to do the same. I understand technology is different but clearly something is wrong if it takes 2 hours to dry a medium load. The rooms were small but had enough room to at least put your luggage down or tuck under the bed which was more than some other hotels we stayed at. The location was pretty good, 10 mins to subway and 15 ish minutes to the main food/shopping area.

SP

Sankari Palasenderan

3/5Google· 4 weeks ago

We had a good stay at Hotel Tavinos. The location was nice and convenient, making it easy for us to get around and explore the area. The only small issue was that the hotel did not provide umbrellas for guests. We stayed at a few other hotels during our Japan trip, and they provided umbrellas, which was really helpful, especially on rainy days. Apart from this, everything was good and we had a pleasant stay. Providing umbrellas for guests would be a nice and useful addition.

BB

Bob Bailey

2/5Google· 5 months ago

The QR Code Hotel Room: The room itself was, in a word, odd. They are going for a type of “modern ryokan” that completely missed. Having enough room to open luggage on the floor was the lone bright spot. The bed was elevated, uncomfortable, and, unless you are nimble enough to be climbing around the elevated platform it sits on, somewhat inaccessible. Would not recommend to older travelers who require side access to a bed. The bathroom was larger than other hotels we stayed in in Japan, but still nothing special. The room also has an motion sensor light that takes 2 minutes without motion to turn off, so if you can’t find the switch, that is why. Amenities: This is really where Hotel Tavinos falls flat. There are essentially no amenities. Breakfast is packaged croissants. Coffee machines worked fine but often had a line and there was ana arbitrary rule about not bringing the coffee out of the lobby. Luckily, there is a 7/11 on the ground floor of the hotel, although it seemed like one of the busiest 7/11s in Kyoto. Washing machines worked, dryers do not. Expect at least 3 dry cycles if you use. Overall: If you’re looking for a budget hotel with an excellent location, Hotel Tavinos is a good, not great, option. Situated just west of the Kamo river, the location is central and gives access to most things in Kyoto. We paid about 75/night, and at that price point I think we could have found something better. Everything at Hotel Tavinos Seemed to have been done by QR code. We, along with other guests, were genuinely confused what the front desk staff did all day. QR code to check in, check out, hold baggage, do laundry, etc. Overall, this was the 4th best of 4 places we stayed in Japan Would I stay here again? Nope!