I stayed at a hotel called TUNE STAY KYOTO, using a discount for Kyoto residents only. I made a reservation through the hotel’s official website. Normally, the room rate is 6,000 yen per night, but with the discount, you can stay for only 3,000 yen, half the price. Moreover, in addition to that, it comes with a 2,000 yen coupon that can be used at restaurants and retail stores.
Why did I choose TUNE STAY KYOTO this time? The reason is because it is a book hotel. The hotel has about 2,500 books about Kyoto. If you are a guest, you can read these books freely. If you find a book you like, you can also purchase it. Book lovers often talk about book hotels all over the country, but until now there has not been a book hotel in Kyoto. In that sense, this hotel will give book lovers a new reason to visit Kyoto.
Another reason is that this hotel has a craft gin bar. You can choose three of the approximately 20 domestic and international craft gins for tasting. In addition to gin, you can also choose from a variety of tonics and garnishes (fruits and herbs). The combinations are so diverse that you can order as many as you want without getting bored. In fact, I had two tastings, plus a gin and tonic made with the gin I liked from the tasting.
Hotels that make it easy for long-term guests to stay.
One thing I noticed when I stayed at this hotel is that it has an environment for long-term guests. To be honest, the rooms are not that comfortable. The rooms are equipped with the minimum necessary facilities, so there is no waste, but the rooms themselves are compact and I don’t think they are designed for long hours in the room. So where do guests spend their time? It’s the common space in the basement. The shared space includes a lounge that is open 24 hours a day, a shared kitchen, and a shared bathroom (each room only has a shower).
During the day, most of the guests spend their time in these common spaces. Most of them have their computers open, so I guess they’re using these spaces for telework or vacation. The seating arrangements seemed to be set as if they were long-term residents, and each person seemed to be finding their own space to relax and spend time.
In addition, the woman sitting beside me at the craft gin bar said she was using the hotel to stay in Kyoto for a week for work. The hotel is within a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station, so it’s very convenient, and there are many restaurants around the hotel, so you won’t have any trouble eating. The Lido Shokudo Street, where Kyoto’s drinking enthusiasts gather, is only a 3-minute walk away.
Things to be improved
The thing that bothered me the most was the air conditioning. The temperature in the room is just too high. This hotel uses central heating, so you can’t switch between heating and cooling in the room. So the heating was on all the time this time and the air was dry. Fortunately, there was a humidifier in the room, so I used that, but I still couldn’t sleep because I was worried about the heat, so I ended up opening the window to adjust the temperature. I wish they would do something about this air conditioning environment.
Another thing is where to hang the hangers. In most hotels, hangers are placed in a closet, but in this hotel, hangers are not placed in the closet, but on the luggage rack next to the desk. So if you hang a tall piece of clothing like a coat, the bottom part of the coat will touch the luggage rack. This time I hung my coat on it, and I felt that it would be better if there was more room underneath.
Considering the price of the room, there is nothing to worry about other than these two things. The staff is very friendly and the longer you stay here, the more you will get to know them and the more comfortable you will feel. If you are planning a trip to Kyoto in the future, please consider Tune Stay Kyoto as an option.
