A stay at Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo places you in the heart of Kyoto, within a 5-minute drive of Nijō Castle and Gion Corner. .This hotel is 1.4 mi (2.3 km) from Kyoto Tower and 1.9 mi (3.1 km) from To-ji Temple.
What's nearby
Shijo Street - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
Sanjo Street - 7 min walk - 0.7 km
Nishiki Market - 10 min walk - 0.9 km
Nijō Castle - 15 min walk - 1.3 km
Kawaramachi Street - 17 min walk - 1.4 km
Getting around
Karasuma Station - 5 min walk
Nijojo-mae Station - 14 min walk
Kansai Intl. Airport (KIX) - 91 min drive
Restaurants
京都肉食堂 - 2 min walk
ハンバーグラボ - 1 min walk
クロワ ルース - 2 min walk
Charcoal - 2 min walk
赤まる - 3 min walk
About this property
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo
Hotel with a 24-hour front desk, near Nijō Castle
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo offers 140 air-conditioned accommodations with bathrobes and slippers. Beds feature down comforters and premium bedding. 26-inch flat-screen televisions come with digital channels and pay movies. Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations with deep soaking bathtubs and rainfall showerheads. Bathrooms are also outfitted with bidets, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.
This Kyoto hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Housekeeping is offered weekly and irons/ironing boards can be requested. Housekeeping is provided on a limited basis.
Make yourself at home in one of the 140 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Your bed comes with down comforters and premium bedding. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature deep soaking bathtubs and rainfall showerheads.
Make use of convenient amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access, a reception hall, and a vending machine.
Buffet breakfasts are available daily from 7 AM to 10 AM for a fee.
Featured amenities include complimentary newspapers in the lobby, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a 24-hour front desk.
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 7 AM and 10 AM.
Onsite venue - This restaurant specializes in Japanese cuisine and serves breakfast only.
Property amenities
Internet
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Parking and transport
No on-site parking available
Food and drink
Daily buffet breakfast available 7 AM to 10 AM for a fee: JPY 1,500 for adults and JPY 1,500 for children
Family friendly
In-room refrigerator
Laundry facilities
Conveniences
24-hour front desk
Free newspapers in lobby
Laundry facilities
Luggage storage
Vending machine
Guest services
Dry cleaning/laundry service
Housekeeping (on request)
Accessibility
Lift
More
10 buildings
8 floors
Built in 1990
Eco-friendly cleaning products used
Reception hall
Smoke-free property
Room amenities
Bedroom
Blackout drapes
Down comforter
Premium bedding
Bathroom
Bidet
Deep soaking bathtub
Dressing gowns
Free toiletries
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Rainfall showerhead
Shower/bathtub combination
Slippers
Towels provided
Entertainment
26-inch flat-screen TV with digital channels
Pay films
Food and drink
Electric kettle
Refrigerator
More
Air conditioning
Cleaning products are eco-friendly
Desk
Heating
Iron/ironing board on request
Phone
Policies
Check-in
Check-in start time: 3 PM; Check-in end time: midnight
Minimum check-in age: 19
Check-out
Check-out before 11 AM
Special check-in instructions
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
Access methods
Staffed front desk
Pets
Pets not allowed
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
1 child, up to the age of 5 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Payment types
Important information
Fees
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:
A city tax may be collected at the property. The city tax ranges from JPY 100–10,000 per person, per night based on the nightly room rate. Please note that further exemptions may apply. For more details, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
We have included all charges provided to us by the property.
Optional extras
Fee for buffet breakfast: approximately JPY 1500 for adults and JPY 1500 for children
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
This property uses eco-friendly cleaning products
Safety features at this property include a smoke detector
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
Housekeeping service is provided every 4 days.
We should mention
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare requires all international visitors to submit their passport number and nationality when registering at any lodging facility (inns, hotels, motels, etc. ); additionally, lodging proprietors are required to photocopy passports for all registering guests and keep the photocopy on file
In accordance with national/local laws, air conditioning may be restricted to certain hours from 19 October to 08 April
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)
Property is also known as
Hotel Oaks Kyoto
Hotel Oaks Kyoto Shijo
Hotel Oaks Shijo
Oaks Hotel Kyoto
Oaks Kyoto Shijo
Oaks Kyoto Shijo Hotel
Oaks Shijo
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo
Smile Kyoto-shijo
Smile Hotel
Smile Hotel Kyoto shijo
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo Hotel
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo Kyoto
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo Hotel Kyoto
Smile Hotel Kyoto-shijo Reviews
Reviews
8.4
Very good
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Rating 10 - Excellent. 414 out of 1001 reviews
10 - Excellent
414
Rating 8 - Good. 391 out of 1001 reviews
8 - Good
391
Rating 6 - Okay. 150 out of 1001 reviews
6 - Okay
150
Rating 4 - Poor. 32 out of 1001 reviews
4 - Poor
32
Rating 2 - Terrible. 14 out of 1001 reviews
2 - Terrible
14
8.2/10
Cleanliness
8.6/10
Staff & service
8.2/10
Amenities
8.0/10
Property conditions & facilities
8.4/10
Eco-friendliness
Reviews
10/10 Excellent
Efrain
10 Aug 2025
Efrain
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025
6/10 Okay
MARIBEL
Travelled with family
1 Aug 2025
Our first night we were tired and quickly dropped our bags and went to sleep. In the morning my sisters goes to shower and finds bugs. Then she starts to freak out because now she was bit. They were mosquitoes in the room then my daughter wakes up and she has more bites. So, that was our introduction to the Smile hotel. I requested a refund but then I had to retract because we are already there; it’s too late to get another room. So we requested a different room. We had already had the bad experience so it just put a damper on our vacation. In addition the hotel is very dated. The location is great though; very central to and simple to take day trips to Osaka, Narra, Hiroshima and different locations.
Small, but clean and staff were nice and also very fluent in english
Kevin
Stayed 17 nights in Jun 2025
6/10 Okay
Martin
15 July 2025
Liked: Staff & service
Older budget hotel in the central district of Kyoto. Accessable via subway from Kyoto station but could be a problem if you have lots of luggage. Hotel needs renovation as it’s about thirty years old, attententive staff is pleasant and accommodating. As for the room, average old school Japanese. Air con works and has old deep soaking tub. I would not recommend first time foreign tourists to stay here.
Convenient location if you want a place with equal distance to most attraction. Pretty close to a the Kyoto Pokemon Center too. Staff is great and most of the times there's a bilingual staff present.
The staff were accomdating to our questions and needs. The room and bed was much too small for two people. We also booked a small room, and would not make that mistake again.
Reece
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2025
6/10 Okay
Sierra, North Las Vegas
Travelled with partner
19 Apr 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Property was located in a good area. Check in was easy and the staff was nice. Upon checking in we noticed that there was a large area in the shower where the wallpaper or something was coming off. We notified staff and they said they will make note of it. Our only complaint really was that they have 2 washers and 2 dryers and one combined washer dryer unit. When we went to wash our clothes we they came out with a weird smell and no matter how many times we dried it they would never dry so we ended up having to take them to a laundromat to rewash and dry them.
The heating system did not work. The first night the temperature inside the room went down way too low and my wife got actually sick because of this. She is still coughing today. The next morning the staff member has provided us with 2 small portable heating units and an additional small humidifer. We kept them running as the central heating system did not work properly. The central heating system in the building is actully controlled by the front desk and can not be controlled from inside of the room. Very inconvenient. I think we got the biggest 3 bed room but it was still too small for 3 of us, especially with all the extra equipment and cables sitting on the floor.