I picked this hotel because I found a great price for it on-line. I think its a real bargain with some nice touches -- free internet, an empty fridge (rather than an over-priced minibar), and coin laundry.

The hotel is right at the intersection of the city's two subway lines. This makes travel both convenient and more expensive -- there aren't many buses on these streets, and the subway/bus pass is twice the price of the bus only pass.

Also, everything to do is one subway stop away -- shopping on Shijo to the South, going to Nijo castle to the West, visiting the Imperial palace to the North, or dining along the river to the East. The hotel is both convenient and ironically inconvenient.

The staff was generally friendly and proficient, and we enjoyed our buffet breakfasts in the morning quite a bit. Kyoto was a wonderful experience, and our stay at the Hearton Hotel contributed greatly to our overall enjoyment.

The hotel overall isn't too bad. It was a little hard to find when I first got there. Stupid me wanted to save a few $$$ and walked to the hotel all the way from the Kyoto JR station, boy was I stupid. It took me a good 45-50 mins to walk there. Get a taxi!! When I got close to there, I wasn't able to find it because it was sorta tucked in one of the side streets, not really on a big street. So, location-wise, I would say it was not to good. And also there aren't any of the local buses that run along the big streets that the hotel is close to. There are local subway stations that are close to there though and the bus stop is a good 10 mins walk.
The rooms were pretty good. They are classified as a Business Hotel, so don't expect the rooms to be big. Rooms were very clean. There are also free internet computers located on the second floor.
The staff were very helpful. English is limited.

Horrible hotel...mostly down to the dreadful staff on the front desk. At one point I was ORDERED literally to eat in the restaurant. I had requested if I could have western food from the downstairs cafe delivered to my room. I was told no and when I offered to carry it myself to my room, The unbelievable response was to be shouted at. I appreciate the Japanese like to stick to the rules but this was outrageous. Luckliy the Hotel Manager sorted it all out but the damage was done.

The rooms are grotty and there is no TV except for Japanese porn which maybe appealing to some of you but not me.

A dreadful grotty and unwelcoming hotel.

Hearton Hotel, Kyoto.
My son and I visited Kyoto in September. We found the Hearton Hotel to be very central. It was spotless and the staff were more than helpful. We wanted to visit the world expo and a member of staff at the hotel helped us to book tickets on line and also to find accommodation for our next destination. I would recommend this hotel and a visit to Kyoto is well worth while if you are planning a trip to Japan.