Agora Kyoto Karasuma

It’s an okay place — small but nicely arranged. The location is superb and they provide wonderful night dress which is super comfortable! The staff is friendly, though not particularly enthusiastic. Check-in is only after 3 pm, and they don’t seem to bother checking if rooms might already be ready earlier. That said, I found several points that, for a hotel in this price category, make it hard to recommend: 1. Reception area clutter – The lobby and surrounding space are constantly filled with guests’ luggage. At times, bags even spill into the lounge area where people are supposed to relax with drinks. It feels chaotic and takes away from the calming, zen atmosphere the hotel is aiming for. 2. Restrictions on food and drinks – There are tables and chairs provided for resting, but every table has a notice forbidding outside food and drinks. As a tourist, where am I supposed to enjoy a snack? In a small room with no open windows? This felt impractical and unwelcoming. 3. Cleaning policy – Housekeeping is only provided once every three days, which I find too infrequent. As a guest, I expect daily cleaning, especially since drinking water needs to be replenished and towels replaced in humid conditions. On top of that, the cleaning staff were not very attentive, often forgetting small but important details such as refilling tea bags, properly cleaning the shower, or washing the cups. This was disappointing for a hotel of this type and price.

The most basic 4-star hotel. Frontage is deceiving as the rooms (we had the deluxe twin room) was rather basic. Cleaning of the rooms is only once every 3 days as their standard, or you would have to put the sign out daily. The air con is difficult to navigate with no instructions, room ended up being boiling hot for the first night. The towels that they supplied also smelt, even on the fresh ones. Service was terrible with everyone having limited to no English. Would not recommend for English travellers. Facilities were basic too - they only have 2 washing machines on floor 2, with one being out of order. There are 10 floors in this hotel, and the staff were unhelpful in getting laundry out of the machine if it’s finished and the clothes were not retrieved yet. This means you would have to wait for the customers to get it out. The only positive is the location, but there are plenty of other options at this price range and location to choose from than Agora.

The hotel is nice they have welcome drinks and tea. A big space you can eat and drink at breakfast. Or just sit and plan your day too. My wife didn't like breakfast much as it had a lot of meat in it and they didn't ask if we had any dietary requirements so we assumed it was buffet style. They had an area where you could make your own coffee and get toast but they bring out your main meal when you arrive. So make sure you tell them if you have requirements at check-in. The room is a good size and there's an area for your room and an area for the bathroom split by a sliding door. However the floor looked so dirty it was a carpet all over even the toilet. Only bit that wasn't, was the shower. So we wore slippers the whole time. We slept well it got very dark and it was quiet.

Good location, great shower, and the room is an okay size. But the bed and pillows were extremely uncomfortable - you may as well be sleeping on the floor it was that hard. The bed was two singles pushed together (great bed size!) but nothing keeping them together so the mattresses kept coming apart. Each time we went out for the day, there were rubbish bags and old laundry all throughout the floor’s hallways, along with trays of food and drink. Wouldn’t recommend.

Great hotel. This is our third in Japan with Tokyo and Osaka previously. The rooms here are the biggest we have had so far. Very comfortable beds and good little freebies in the lobby. The hotel has aged a little bit with some wear and tear but overall a great stay.

I stayed here for a month back in 2022 and they upgraded my room to the suites on the top floor. The staff were always helpful and kind. My room was so beautiful, sometimes I preferred to just stay inside, especially when it rained. The room came with a little alcove facing a tree inside the room! The alcove had a Nespresso machine and tea. It was the perfect place to sip tea and watch the rain fall into the tree. The location is perfect for sightseeing, near so many buses and train stations. It was a transportation hub without feeling like one.

Perfect location! This hotel offered a very tranquil and relaxing stay. I really loved the welcome drinks and the breakfast that was included with our stay.

Really positive experience at Agora Hotel. Rooms were clean and upgraded. Hotel staff was kind and helpful. They have great amenities (robes, free coffee & free bread/waffles in the morning). Good location - easy to walk to major subway stations / bus stops or into main town areas. My only caveat is the room is a little small - especially with big luggage. But I would stay here again!