Marufukuro is a genuinely special boutique hotel — a lovingly restored Nintendo headquarters with a free bar, thoughtful snacks, spacious rooms, and staff that guests rave about across dozens of reviews. The single flagged 'bed bugs' review is a textbook false positive: the word 'bites' referred to a food menu, not insects. This place earns its 9/10 rating.
🚩 Red Flags
“The old building has no elevator, so luggage must be carried up three flights of stairs. Since it's a renovated historic building, all floors are carpeted which makes dust unavoidable.”
“I didn't like that it didn't have an elevator.”
“You paid extra for the old building balcony room — no elevator, guests carry their own luggage up and down the stairs.”
“Despite having a Japanese address and staying with my Japanese wife and child, I was asked for ID solely based on my appearance. For a hotel of this class, this was the first time I experienced such treatment. Very disappointing.”
“The location was a little bit of a walk from the train — about 20 minutes.”
“Not ideally located, but not too bad either.”
“A little further away from the hustle and bustle of Kyoto, which we didn't mind as we prefer that.”
“The food in the lounge during the evening was also more limited than last time with there seemingly being no light bites menu. The minibars in the rooms used to have more drinks like a small bottle of sake which is no longer included.”
“Night snack menu and breakfast menu (Japanese) need to be changed daily. Same menu and meals while staying.”
“The breakfast was a bit repetitive after 4 days but that was a small price to pay.”
“Breakfast should be included, especially given how the bar is unlimited.”
“Only minus — for the price, breakfast should be included.”
“Breakfast at 4500 yen is not worth adding on. Better to stay in the room until 11am checkout.”
“Our request for a reservation at a local restaurant over a month ahead was acknowledged but never followed through. Staff said it was difficult and never reverted to us.”
“Some staff members were less passionate than others, although all were very polite and accommodating.”
“On my second stay, we were flagged within 5 minutes of sitting in the lounge with a friend. On returning to the hotel, staff stared at the entrance — I felt surveilled and uncomfortable.”