The hotel is whimsical and wonderful, albeit very small. Be ready to have a small/cramped room. The bathroom is very nice and clean. The staff is friendly and helpful. We asked for extra blankets, and one of us needed an extra pillow, and we were granted these easily. We were also freely able to borrow umbrellas from the lobby staff for the outside weather. The hotel is right next to a bus stop that is easily accessible from Kyoto Station, which makes it very accessible. There is a laundry room. The location is perfect if you're visiting Kyoto. What you see in the booking.com pictures is very accurate to what you get.

This is just me nitpicking: -The mattress felt a little thin, unfortunately. -A lot of condensation would accumulate on the window overnight. - The rooms are very cramped/narrow, so it's not recommended if you have large luggage.

Our favourite thing about Hotel Tavinos was the communal lounge. There was a microwave, hot water, miso available all day, coffee machine, cold water and ice machine. Breakfast was included daily and was usually small individually packaged croissants and pastries. Great for families and travellers. There is also a tatami mat area with traditional japanese toys. The kids loved these before and after a big day. Our other favourite thing was the 7/11 on the ground floor. There's a door direct from the hotel entrance to 7/11, super convenient for those late night snack attacks. We had barely any interactions with the staff, and there's a machine to check out. The other surprise a few claw machines in the lounge. The location was a good walking distance to Pontocho. And we discovered a couple of train exits close by (across the road) at the end of our stay. There's also a large supermarket across the street for supplies.

My only reason for marking lower, the carpets and walls are quite stained and the blanket made us extremely itchy, so we opted not to use it for our entire stay.

Very funky hotel with unique design! Rooms were bigger than expected. We stayed in a room with bunk beds and there is a large entryway that you can use to store luggage. Reception floor has plenty of space to sit and eat/drink. There is a free coffee machine and also a microwave, toaster and boiling and cold water taps. In the mornings there are pastries free of charge. There are 3 x washing and 3 x dryer machines. Sometimes there was a wait for these in the evenings. Staff all very friendly. Easy check in and check out. Lots of things available to hire for free during your stay including iron, cool box and bottle opener. Great location within short walk from many train stations and bus stops. 7 Eleven on the ground floor.

Waiting for the laundry but that's to be expected. Staff were helpful removing people's laundry if they didn't pick it up when it finished.

We were looking for a place to call a base in Kyoto during our stay and we decided to select this place as we really like the style of the rooms. So, we arrived to Kyoto station and 20 minutes later we arrived to the hotel. The location of the hotel is really nice as you are close for most of the Kyoto options and famous locations. We arrived about 20 minutes before the check in and we ask if we can proceed now or we can wait in the lounge until the check in time. 10 minutes later one of the staff told us that we can proceed with the check in. He checked the passports and after that showed us to the screen to complete the check in and received the cards for our room. Nice touch that you can select which room and floor you want to stay. We arrived to the room and first thought was that it was too dark. But we rise the curtain and there was more light inside. The room may seems small but there are a lot of good idea of hiding places (such as fridge under the bed) so it wasn't so bad. All the room was clean and taken care by the hotel team. During our stay, there was a complimentary breakfast such as a pastry sweet, coffee, tea and miso. Also one of the biggest pluses was that the hotel, on the ground floor you had a 7/11 and at the other side of the street a big supermarket.

We had an expectation after staying in the Tokyo branch of Tavinos but Kyoto was even better. Same high standards of staff interaction, amenities, facilities, cleanliness and hygiene. But what made this one better was the layout of our room it worked better for us in Kyoto than Tokyo (was still comfortable there) Top tip You can check the status of the washing machines and dryers on the tv in the room which is handy. If you are wanting to do washing maybe start a day a bit later or come back around lunch time for a couple of hours as it gets very busy (someone waiting had 3 large bin sacks full of washing, there was a laundrette not too far away if you have loads though)

I don't mind a dark aesthetic at all but i can imagine for some it might be too dark even with the lamp as there are no overhead lights.

The hotel has a great location and extra amenities such as free coffee/tea throughout the day, free toiletries. There is a 7eleven downstairs just outside of it. They also serve some pastry every morning which was a nice surprise :) The staff doesn't speak English very well but at least they try to help you. The only thing we did not like are the lighting in the room (the walls are black so they soak the little light you have, despite the big window with blinds), and the matress which was too firm for our taste. They also give you one small pillow per person so I was waking up with neck pain every morning.

We had a great stay at HOTEL TAVINOS Kyoto! While the rooms are on the smaller side, this was expected and totally manageable for a short stay—especially if you're spending most of your time out exploring the city. One of the coolest features is that you actually get to choose your own room at check-in, which adds a fun and personal touch. Definitely try to arrive at 3pm sharp to get the best selection! The location is excellent—right near plenty of shops, restaurants, and very convenient access to buses, making it easy to get around Kyoto. Whether you're sightseeing or just out for a bite, you're right in the heart of it all. Another plus was the baggage storage option, which was super helpful for managing check-in/check-out times. Just a heads-up: the storage space can fill up quickly, so it's worth getting there early if you plan to use it. All in all, HOTEL TAVINOS offers solid value, a fun and modern vibe, and a great base for exploring Kyoto.

Not a fan of the all black decor, and lift a little slow for so many people.

Hotel Tavinos was a cool and fun hotel. The vibe of the lobby sets you up for the themed rooms whilst providing everything you need in a hotel. There was open and closed suitcase storage if you arrived early! It had perfect under-bed storage for suitcases to give you walking space, and we couldn't fault the bathroom. They had complimentary breakfast of different savoury/ sweet breads and coffee machines with condiments in the lobby. We were able to relax in the lobby at the funky tables and an outdoor area, too. The lobby had a couple of washing/ drying machines that were pretty occupied and required coins. It also had toilets and a vending machine for a quick and easy drink. You could buy cool Japanese slippers for only ¥500. It was situated in a good location to many bus services and a short distance from the train station. Only 10-15 minutes of walking to markets and shops.

It's not that I didn't like it, but if you want to have fun wasting money on the claw machine, go ahead, because we did 😂

The location is very convenient, next to a major bus stop and train station, and the hotel is also connected to a convenience store. It also is only a 10 minute walk to the Shijo Kawaramachi area that has tons of shopping and restaurants.

I booked the 2 twin bed room, but the beds are just mattresses laid on top of a wooden platform and they slide around constantly, which was very inconvenient. The sheets also moved around a lot and came off the beds too. I'd imagine it'd be less of a problem in a room with one larger mattress.

The best part of this hotel is its very central location. The rooms are well soundproofed, and the mattress is very comfortable. The shampoo, shower gel, and other toiletries feel high-quality and silky. The staff is nice and friendly. The rooms are nicely decorated and have air conditioning. The bed area is very practical, with storage space for luggage underneath, much appreciated.

The black painted walls make the room look smaller, colder, and not relaxing. The lights in the room are ok, but not in the bathroom or entry corridor where the mirrors are...