Newly opened in April 2018, the Garnet Hotel Kyoto Station is a very reasonably priced mid-range hotel with friendly staff and some standout services and amenities. This hotel is also in a superb location being just a short walk south of Kyoto Station, in an area which is convenient for local shopping and dining facilities, and very close to the departure and arrival point for airport limousine buses.
The Garnet Hotel Kyoto Station
Guest Rooms
This hotel has 81 guest rooms on 8 floors with a choice of single, double or twin beds. Wheelchair accessible guest rooms are also available. All rooms are non-smoking. Guest rooms are clean, comfortable and very well set up. All rooms are equipped with such standard facilities as air conditioning and heating, a flat-screen TV, a mini refrigerator, an electric kettle, a safety deposit box for your valuables, pajamas, slippers, and a hair dryer.
Double room
There are also a range of supplemental appliances such as a facial steamer, hair straightener, hair curler and even a leg massager. Some rooms also have their own massage chair. Two complementary bottles of mineral water are also supplied each day.
Bathroom
Private bathrooms have both a bathtub and shower and a toilet with an electric bidet. Bathroom amenities include shampoo, conditioner, face and hand wash, body wash, tooth brushes, toothpaste, shaving razors, and a full set out towels.
Free Wi-Fi internet access is available in all guest rooms and public areas. In addition, a free Handy 4G smart phone is available in each guest room and can be freely used throughout your stay. The Handy smart phone has unlimited access to the internet both inside and outside the hotel. This is an invaluable tool for finding your way around Kyoto as it has apps for both maps and train times and you can freely download other apps too.
Check Room Rates and Availability
The Garnet Hotel
Kyoto Station
Dining
This hotel has no dining facilities of its own, however there are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the area around the hotel. Just across the road from the hotel is an izakaya style casual restaurant and there two more yakitori or grilled chicken restaurants nearby. More dining options can be found in Kyoto Avanti shopping mall and in the Kyoto Station building which are both less than 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel. There is also a convenience store 1 minute walk south of the hotel where you can buy cheap rice balls, noodles, sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. Hotel staff can advise guests on the best local dining locations to suit every taste.
The reception desk
Other Services & Facilities
The front desk has a 24 hour service. Reception staff speak English as well as Japanese. Some staff also speak Chinese and Korean. They are unfailingly friendly, polite, and will give you a warm welcome. Staff can also offer advice about the local area or arrange special tours and activities.
Luggage can be stored at the front desk before checking in or after checking out. Luggage can also be sent on to your next hotel.
Free amenities such as facial cleansers, cleansing oils and toners are available at the front desk. Some extra items such as a trouser press, iron, and humidifier can be borrowed at no charge from the front desk.
A self-service laundry is available on the premises with two coin-operated washing machines and two dryers.
There is a soft drinks vending machine and an ice-making machine in the laundry area.
One standout service of this hotel is their free sightseeing shuttle bus. This is a complementary one-way service which you can use to access some of Kyoto’s major tourist sites such as Nijo Castle, Arashiyama, Kinkakuji Temple (The Golden Pavilion), the Gion area, and other sights. Other sightseeing locations such as Toji Temple, and Kyoto Tower are within walking distance of the hotel.
Location
The Garnet Hotel Kyoto Station is a 4 minute walk south of Kyoto Station. Toji Temple is a 15 minute walk to the west and Kyoto Tower is a 10 minute walk to the north. The nearest shopping facilities are in the Kyoto Avanti shopping mall which is a 3 minute walk away, Aeon Mall Kyoto which is 7 minutes away, and inside the Kyoto Station building. Kyoto Cycling Tour Project also have a branch 1 minute away from the hotel if you would like to explore the area by bicycle.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
