Rinn Shirakawa South

Nice clean hotel

Great location in a quiet and peaceful neighbourhood. It was easy to navigate from the nearest metro station to the hotel, and taking a leisurely stroll around the surrounding area was a relaxing and enjoyable experience. The hotel exceeded our expectations. The room was spacious, spotlessly clean, and well-equipped, even featuring a Nespresso machine. We especially loved the tatami area, which was clean, roomy, and came with a low table. It was the perfect spot for our family to enjoy snacks and supper together in the evenings. Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would highly recommend this hotel. We will definitely return on our next visit.

We stayed at the Rinn Shirakawa for one week. Our room has two single beds, a traditional Japanese seating area with a futon that for my other child. The rooms were spotless, quiet, designed thoughtfully (e.g. lighting options for each part of the room). While not large, it was enough space for our two large pieces of luggage, two smaller luggage, and our backpacks. The location is next to the subway station but we chose to walk most days. We could walk to the heart of Kyoto - temples, shopping area, geisha districts. We even got to see several geisha! The disappointing part was the staff. Except for one man, the rest of the staff was not the most welcoming - it felt like we were a burden. I thought maybe this was a cultural thing, but we've since stayed at three other places in Japan and the difference in service couldn't be more different. We also arrived at 10:10 pm and the front door to the hotel was locked. It said to use your room key to enter the hotel, but we hadn't checked in yet There was a phone number you could call but the person who answered barely spoke any English. While I recognize I am in Japan, I do think hospitality staff should be able to speak enough English to communicate with guests. I was told to get the key from the lock box which would allow me to enter .... but I couldn't find a lock box. A guest luckily left then and we got into the lobby where I found the lock box. I couldn't believe the key, which we needed to enter the hotel, was in the lobby which cannot be accessed without a key. Also, the laundry is very easy to use, and you don't add any detergent as it's just part of the cycle, but 5 pieces of my clothing came out with detergent stains so don't wash anything you like too much.

Probably need to give better or thicken futons bed. The tatami mats are very tough and gives you body aches after a night sleep with those thin mattress