Agora Kyoto Karasuma

We had a great stay at this hotel in Kyoto. The rooms were very spacious and extremely comfortable. The staff were incredibly attentive and went out of their way to help us ship our luggage using the Takkyubin service, which was a huge help. The added bonus of being able to log into Netflix on the TV made our stay even more enjoyable.

Beautiful traditional Japanese style hotel with a garden view in the middle of the room. We stayed for 4 people and the room was huge and spacious with 4 very comfortable beds. The staff was incredible, particularly one of the staff who helped me find something I lost. They’re lovely. Please visit!

Honestly was quite disappointed with this stay. We stayed 7 nights. The pro’s would be it is next to a family mart, welcome drinks, location and the shower was nice. The not so good would be the cleaning was not good, failed to restock shower gel and clean properly. Our room was dusty and could tell had not been properly cleaned. Each day we left to go explore the corridor outside our room was full of all the dirty bedding or towels which smelt and kind of not nice experience to have everyday. The staff are not really friendly they just sign you in but nothing else really. The rooms are quite small but we were quite used to this in Japan however this was not a clean room I wish I spoke to the staff about this. Also the seating area by reception has signs saying not to bring food or drink which felt a bit unnecessary. I still enjoyed my stay mostly but I would not return or recommend.

This is my favorite hotel thus far across the 5 hotels I've stayed in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It gives you the "zen" feeling and services are great. We booked the room without breakfast, but the grab and go (bread, waffles, milk, tea, coffee,etc.) they provided are already sufficient for a quick breakfast before travelling around. I personally also like the smell of the shampoo and conditioner they gave (light tea smell).

During our stay several negatives popped up: they do not want to clean rooms every day which is a major red flag, some of the front desk staff barely speaks English so it’s hard to communicate, the laundry room is constantly blocked by other guests, and the breakfast was really not appetizing. Value for what you pay is alright, but it didn’t live up to the expectations. On the positive side: big rooms with plenty of space to open suitcases and nice big showers. The staff helped arrange suitcase transfers to Osaka. The location is quite decent to reach the city center.

Overall, it was a pleasant stay. The room is a bit small but very cozy. They provide 2 complimentary bottles of water every day, which is a nice touch. The lobby also offers free matcha and coffee. Plus, there’s a Family Mart right next door, making everything very convenient. 👍

I lost $715 dollars due to a booking glitch: I booked this hotel on expedia, 4/5 months in advanced. Initially when booking it I saw that it said refundable before a certain date. But long story short, website glitched on my end and i ended up booking a basic room that was non refundable. Knowing me, I always book a refundable room as I am still creating my itinerary and I may need to change my stay. I quickly cancelled it as I thought I saw a better deal and location at another hotel, but it was for the wrong dates. Given the extremely early cancellation and the fact that this was one of the cheapest room types, there was more than enough time for the hotel to resell the room. Despite this, I never received my $715 refund for a 3-night stay. I realized that a month later when I checked my credit card statement. I contacted Expedia and went through a lengthy dispute process, only to be told the hotel refused to approve any refund due to its “strict policy.” I then contacted the hotel directly, explained the situation, and requested at LEAST a partial refund, given the clear booking error and early cancellation. This was denied. Months later, after following up AGAIN, the hotel suddenly stated they could offer a refund only if I booked with them again, information that should have been shared from the beginning, before I had already committed to another hotel which was also non-refundable. This felt less like customer service and more like an attempt to force another booking. To make matters worse, I later checked availability for the same room and same dates, and it was listed as refundable, making the refusal to show any flexibility feel especially unreasonable. It confused me even more as the SAME room I booked was non-refundable randomly but a week later I checked the same dates and the room was refundable… ? This situation caused months of stress and resulted in a complete loss of $715, despite cancelling far in advanced and acting in good faith. While the policy may technically be allowed, the way it was enforced felt greedy, inflexible, and dismissive. I had to deal with losing money and try to forget my loss prior to my first trip to Japan. I would strongly caution future guests to take screenshots of refund terms before booking at ANY hotel and be aware that this hotel shows ZERO flexibility, even when errors occur and cancellations are made months ahead of time.

The room was quite spacious for Kyoto and had a very good shower. We were fine; the only downside was that it was far from everything—central in the city, but away from the main attractions. However, there were several bus stops nearby.