Konnichiwa: Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma Queen Family Room Review

This is one of the newest hotels in Kyoto! It adds much-needed capacity to this city. Hilton expanded well in recent times with the addition of the DoubleTree too. This is very welcoming for Hilton members in Kyoto. This is a very popular city and the demand simply drives up the prices here. I am happy to see that there is something on the lower tier right now. I do not want to spend so much money given that I will be in and out of the hotel. The property rate is as good as it gets over here. The hotel has a very good location since it is only a 15-minute walk or just one station away from Kyoto Station. It is very walkable without luggage. It is also less than a 1000 yen taxi ride. 

Booking Process & Pre Arrival 

I reached out ahead to get some information from the hotel. I booked directly with Hilton for this stay and got the base-level room for around 220 SGD including tax. It is slightly more expensive than expected given how late I booked the stay. I was extended an upgrade to one of the Queen Family Rooms ahead of the stay. This would usually go for around 250 bucks! Excellent value and elite recognition for being a Diamond member since an upgrade is not usually applicable to the HGI brand. Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma features 250 guest rooms spread across 8 categories. You can find the breakdown below.

Rooms	Bathtub	Room Size	No. of Villas
Accessible	No	24 Sqm	2
Accessible Deluxe	Yes	24 Sqm	1
Guest	No	20 – 23 Sqm	32
Superior	No	22 – 24 Sqm	129
Family	No	24 – 28 Sqm	67
Deluxe	Yes	24 Sqm	5
Superior Family	Yes	30 Sqm	8
Deluxe Family	Yes	45 – 46 Sqm	5
Premium Family	Yes	57 Sqm	1

Checking In

As mentioned earlier the hotel location is very good with it being just one stop away from Kyoto station. So that is easy enough or you can also take a taxi from the station for around 1000 yen or less. I would recommend this if you have bags. It is worth it. I arrived at the hotel rather early since I wanted to maximise my time in Kyoto and we got it at around 10.30am. Upon arrival, I was helped at the reception by a rather nonchalant lady. I did not feel welcomed and I was not even thanked for being a Diamond member. My room wasn’t ready even when they were not a capacity. They stuck strictly to the 3pm check-in time. I went out to explore the city and came back at around 5pm instead. I was helped by a much more friendly guy who completed the check-in process. I was also given two welcome drink vouchers. By the lobby, you can find some seating and there is even a little mart by the side to grab some stuff. The hotel is gorgeous and here are some pictures of the common public areas.

While I don’t expect this at a HGI, this is the first time I used a luggage cart. I had 5 pieces of luggage with me and some shopping bags. At no point did the staff offer me any help but rather just told me to use the luggage cart. This must be a first for me and I ended up pushing the luggage cart like a bellboy. It ain’t exact hospitality over here. 

Queen Family Room

I was assigned a Queen Family Room located on the 5th floor. Room 502 to be exact. The room measures around 24 to 28 Sqm. Mine was rather spacious. I love the look of the place and the decor. Upon entering, there is a small entranceway with the bathroom to the left. The bathroom is nicely decorated. It only comes with a single sink but they have plenty of counter space. All sorts of amenities are provided and they offer these toothbrush sets that you can just change the top portion. In the cabinet below, you can also find a high-quality hair dryer. 

As per the norm over here, there is a Japanese bidet toilet. The standing shower comes with a handheld showerhead and a rainforest one. The water pressure is decent but can be improved. Temperature control is good. Surprising, bath amenities are from Peter Thomas Roth. I have not seen this brand for a long time.

On the other side of the entranceway is an open-concept wardrobe and the mini bar area. The place is well set up. It comes well stocked with a luggage rack, ironing kit and plenty of hangers. Bath slippers are provided too and they even had pajamas on offer. The luggage storage area is very small and could only fit a cabin-size suitcase. The mini fridge is left empty for your use. There is a kettle, packaged tea and coffee provided. There are also two bottles of water. 

The main bedroom area is in a rectangular configuration. To the right is a seating area with a small table and two chairs. Then you also have a working desk in the corner. This is nicely set up with power outlets. The room’s wifi connection is strong and stable. It makes a great working spot if you need to get some work done. The chair offers decent back support. 

The bedding area is located to the side. This can be a little junior suite in my opinion. The room comes with a queen size bed. Night stands are located on both sides and they are equipped with lighting controls and power outlets. You can also find some USB ports. The bed was plush and one of the comfiest that I lay on. It is always nice staying in a new property. 

Facing the bed is a high-tech smart-screen TV. It comes with a good number of channels. A majority of them are only in the local language. 

Fitness Centre

The hotel has a fitness centre and they are open 24 hours. It is quite a good size and well-equipped. The place looks well-maintained.

Laundry Room

The laundry room is also located on the basement level. It is open 24 hours. This will be a useful amenity to have if you are on a long stay and want to take the opportunity to do some laundry. There are 4 washer dryers here. Instructions are clear-cut. There are various combinations and options that you can choose. It ranges from ¥100 to ¥600. 

Together & Co

This is the hotel’s main restaurant. It is located on the side of the lobby. I came here to enjoy the welcome drink vouchers which you can use anytime till 8.30pm. You have your option of draft beer, red wine and white wine. Free-flow self-service coffee and tea is also available from 11.30am to 6pm. This is a nice touch from the hotel.

Breakfast at Together & Co

Breakfast is served at Together & Co from 7am to 10am. That is rather early. Breakfast costs 2400 yen per person if not included in your elite benefits or rate. This is pretty good value. I love the restaurant decor and vibe. It has warm lighting and soft mellow wood finishes. I went down to have breakfast at about 8am. The place is pretty crowded and the hotel seems to deal with a huge number of tour groups. Breakfast is served buffet style and you can sit anywhere you like. 

Here are some pictures of the buffet line. The selections ain’t huge but the food is delicious. Although they don’t have an egg station, you can order eggs to your liking from the staff. I would make the effort to have breakfast if I had access. For elite members, this is more worth it than the 750 points. 

Conclusion

This property is a step above your usual HGI. It is something like a Hilton Garden Inn Plus! A great addition to the portfolio in Kyoto and decently priced in this city. With that being said this place cost close to 200 SGD. It is in no way cheap too. I generally enjoyed my stay although the staff service and hospitality needs to be polished. The staff can be quite rigid at times. The same staff that kept my bag 5 minutes ago wanted the tag when I just wanted to grab an additional item from my bag! The hard product is solid and in fact, could classify above a HGI. I love the location. There is also a new DoubleTree which I would love to try out someday. Kyoto could certainly do with more hotels and I would love to see a couple more options from Hilton.