The Millennials Kyoto

Best hostel I’ve ever stayed in! Clean, quiet and the capsules were amazing ! The beds were comfortable and the fact that everything was controlled by an I pod was awesome. The lounge was great and the happy hour is a great way to meet people. It’s also in a perfect location. I would 100% stay here again.

Check out is kind of early but honestly no complaints.

Great location and comfortable pods. The free beer hour was very social and a good way to meet others. The female only floor was quiet and respectful.

The staff weren’t as friendly as the Tokyo Millennials.

The staff at the reception was extremely helpful during my stay, assisting me with luggage storage before check-in time, helping me with finding out information about the ongoing Gion Matsuri, as well as with general questions & minor requests I have throughout the days. For a capsule room, the width & height is unique, wide enough for a whole twin bed, and ceiling high enough for a 5-foot tall individual such as myself to stand on the bed with room to spare. The control device, though a little wonky at times with the connection, offers a range of functions and customization for your comfort, such as adjusting the brightness of the light, switching the AC vent on / off, reclining the bed into sitting / sleeping mode, setting an alarm for the next day, etc. The device also allows for guests' convenience to contact hotel staff, which I did use to report an issue with a bathroom stall, which they promptly responded to after investigating. The kitchen facilities are decent, with dinnerware, kitchenware, sinks, microwave, coffee machine, etc, as well as a refrigerator (with provided sticker labels) so that guests may store their food & drinks, if required. I initially had concerns about the effectiveness of the washing machine due to guest reviews citing problems with getting their clothes to dry, but I have done multiple loads of laundry throughout my stay and have absolutely no issues with it. My clothes always come out clean and completely dry. The shower stalls are bright, clean, & spacious. Imagine my surprise to discover that the last stall even included a bathtub, which is somewhat of a luxury whilst staying at a capsule hotel. The main selling point, I believe, is its location in the heart of downtown Kyoto.

The open lounge / kitchen area though an interesting concept, has fairly limited seats suitable for having a meal at, not unless you resort to a lounge sofa + low coffee table situation, especially more so considering that it also doubles as a co-working space and many of the tables are usually taken up by people on their laptops. Being in the tourist-heavy downtown Kyoto area, the guest demographic are to be expected, but that also means that the vibe in the lounge is a bit odd, and could vary greatly depending on the hour of the day, going from warm / social, to downright awkward / heavy / unwelcoming at times. As for the capsule room itself, it doesn't quite live up to the state-of-the-art / comfortable impression I had when booking the accommodation. Having stayed at other capsule hotels prior, it feels like I have even less privacy here, and feel less safe / secure. I can hear everything going on outside the capsule, and it doesn't help that there's a 1-inch gap at the bottom of the blinds partition, which doesn't even have a lock mechanism and is prone to automatically open up completely even with just an accidental tug. Once the blinds are down, there is hardly any space to stand between the foot of the bed and the partition, making tasks like changing clothes / wearing shoes a bit of a challenge unless you are petite, so some guests even resort to changing clothes out in the open. The storage space is extremely limited, hardly any space to lock up your belongings, and the only option for luggage bag storage is under the bed which requires you to keep your bag open and lay it flat, just so that it will fit. Many guests with bigger luggages had to resort to leaving them in corners of the hallway, adding to the noise whenever they sort out their luggage contents in the hallways.

The 8th floor, the size of the beds, the breakfast and the friendly staff.

There was a specific smell on the 7th floor as if humid cloth had been hanged there for too long.