My husband and I spent 3 nights at this hotel. We were worried about it based on the TripAdvisor reviews we had read but our experience was great. I've stayed at 5-star hotels and this isn't one, but its a solid 3-star.

Its location is incredibly convenient, right above the train station, and adjacent to the bus station.

The room is okay for a 3-star, king bed, decent bathroom, high speed Internet access. If you are looking for a romantic, luxury hotel, this isn't it, but if you are looking for a solid home base from which to explore Kyoto - this is it.

The Cube (shopping mall) is also above the train station, the bottom 2 floors are a grocery store and the 10th - 11th floors are packed with decent little Japanese restaurants (and even an Italian one).

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the buses. I am usually a skeptic when it comes to public transportation (other than subways), but Kyoto's bus system is amazing - you can get anywhere and they run on time. We never waited for more than 10 minutes. They're also very very clean (everything in Japan tends to be very clean) and also safe. 10 year old school kids were riding the bus alone.

Booked via AsiaRoom, 2 nights in double room, double occupancy for £262 on Fri and Sat nights.

Arrived from Tokyo about 9pm, by the time we had checked in, taken a quick shower, we went in search of food. Massive disappointment as all the hotel restaurants barring the "buffet" were shut/shutting and would not accept us.

We found a nice place in the station, but it wasnt a great start. After our meal, we fancied a drink in the bar on the 15th floor. We walked in, sat down, only to be ejected as apparently the table as reserved. On enquiry we were offered a table in 30 minutes...no priority for being a hotel guest. Most folks seemed to be office workers getting hammered before going home. I dont do queues, so we went to bed.

Breakfast...oh another queue! 10 mins wait for a table when there were at least 5 empty at any time.

Breakfast Sunday...you guessed...15 minute wait to sit down. You could understand if it was a place where they waited on you, but as its a buffet, I dont get why they keep tables empty and make guests wait.

Next time I'll ignore the hype and go back to the Miyako

My son (age 10) and I stayed at the Granvia earlier this week -- and can definitely confirm all the other reviews that talk highly of this hotel... beautiful... clean... great location... delicious food (and outstanding coffee)... Only issue was that they don't allow kids in the pool (yes, after I complained we were allowed to swim from 7am - 9am -- $10 per person -- which was better than nothing, but still...). Next time we'll look for a more family-friendly hotel.

The location of the hotel is right in the station, which in itself is worth a look. It is very easy to get to all parts of Kyoto from the station as there is a subway line, JR lines and lots of buses. There are also lots of places to eat there including the 11th floor above the station where there are a number of restaurants and a food court. It is also very easy to reach the main sights from there.
The hotel itself is modern, very clean with excellent decor. The staff are very helpful and welcoming. We just had a standard room but it was really big and also had a seating area. There were robes and slippers to use in the room as well as tea and coffee making facilities. Breakfast was included in our room rate - this is the only thing that wasn't excellent, but they were refurbishing the main restaurant so I think the ones that were available probably don't usually breakfast. There was a buffet style place, the food was ok, but very cafeteria style room, with no place settings at the tables and you had to carry your things on trays. The other place was better, set breakfast that you had options to choose from, though they bought all the food in one go so you were eating cereal whilst your bacon was getting cold in front of you.
Used the swimming pool, which was very clean and big enough to swim lengths in. You had to pay a charge, approx $10, but this is quite usual in Japanese hotels.
We ate one night in the Teppenyaki restaurant, which wasn't cheap, but a real experience if you've never been to one before and the food was delicious.
Overall, I really liked this hotel and would definitely stay there again. It was excellent value for money, great amenities and top location.