hotel kanra kyoto

The location was right next 2 a huge shrine and was also 2 minutes walk to the subway and bus stops that took us everywhere we needed to go. The hotel and foyer is stunning and we particularly loved the free drinks offered in the lounge area. Rooms are a very modern take on the Japanese Ryokan style. Staff were so helpful and kind. Would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Kyoto

I loved the design sense they had that was continuous throughout the hotel. Everything was this beautiful modern take on Japanese design. I also enjoyed the size and comfort of the room and the staff was very helpful.

I was very sad to find there was no onsen and that the spa was quite expensive. I found the pictures of tubs on the website to be misleading. We had stayed at onsens for a lot of our trip and had gotten so used to bathing and relaxing when we got back to the hotel room after a days adventure. The traditional Japanese tub in our room was well crafted and beautiful and not very easy to relax on because it is a box shape.

Nice, calm and classic. Staff was very kind, room was big, nice and very clean

The breakfast was a bit small - good, but small

This was by far the priciest hotel we stayed at during our 3 week trip to Japan so we had really high expectations with this being our 4th location. unfortunately, it was the most disappointing. The building looked nice from the outside, it’s on a main road. But somehow it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere as the immediate surroundings are not very buzzy. In reality, you’re only 10-15 min walk from more interesting parts of Kyoto - cafes and restaurants, shops are a bit further as well as the old town. The entrance is impressive with a huge reception area and the staff are very welcoming. The rooms are clean and the beds are comfortable, you get lovely face products too.

The lounge area was usually empty and the wooden chairs made it feel more like a cafe or casual lunch place. Only two small (not very comfy) sofas and a shop. There’s no bar but you can self-serve decent coffee, tea, juice as well as bottled beer, wine and sake. There is nothing else interesting about the place just a spa at the back which you don’t see if you don’t book a treatment, and the restaurants are in the basement so you don’t see them unless you book. The whole place had no vibe, felt a bit cold, like everyone is just in transit through the lobby. We had one large room for 4 people which looked like a dorm - with 2 beds on the floor there is not much space to sit or move around. Also we had to ask for one of the largest wardrobes to be unlocked because the space is reserved for futons only. The bathroom is beautiful and large but oddly the double basin was placed outside, in the main room. There are only 2 clothes hooks. My 17-year old son said it’s a lovely hotel but it like it was designed by someone who never designed a hotel before.