The Westin Osaka

“Comfortable stay in Osaka, 5 min walk to Osaka Station”

The Westin Osaka offers a comfortable and convenient base, especially if you plan to explore beyond the city. It’s about a 10-minute walk from Osaka Station ( there is a shuttle service Pickup/drop from the hotel too), and just one train stop from Shin-Osaka, making access to the Shinkansen quick a… more

The Westin Osaka offers a comfortable and convenient base, especially if you plan to explore beyond the city. It’s about a 10-minute walk from Osaka Station ( there is a shuttle service Pickup/drop from the hotel too), and just one train stop from Shin-Osaka, making access to the Shinkansen quick and easy. You can also hop on trains from Osaka Station to visit Kyoto and Nara without much hassle. Thank you to Morita-san to make the stay comfortable. The rooms have that signature Westin feel. There’s also a laundromat about 300 meters away, which is useful for longer stays. 7-11 is opposite to the hotel with some nice italian and japanese restaurants (reservations needed much in advance). The lounge is a nice space to relax, though the food selection can feel repetitive, as it tends to be the same throughout the week. Vegetarian and vegan options are quite limited here, and the same applies to breakfast, while the spread is decent overall, choices beyond fruits and cereals or some breads are somewhat restricted for plant-based diets. Currency exchange machine is in the hotel. Service is a strong point, with friendly and attentive staff across the hotel. One thing to note for families: the pool isn’t accessible to kids under 16, which may be a downside if you’re traveling with younger children.

less

“The Westin Osaka”

Good location: a short (JPY 2000) cab ride from Shin Osaka/a ten minute walk to Umeda station and the main shopping areas. A lovely garden links the back of the hotel with the path into the city, whilst there is a cab rank at the front entrance. We received a very typical Japanese welcome: enthus… more

Good location: a short (JPY 2000) cab ride from Shin Osaka/a ten minute walk to Umeda station and the main shopping areas. A lovely garden links the back of the hotel with the path into the city, whilst there is a cab rank at the front entrance. We received a very typical Japanese welcome: enthusiastic, generous and kind. It was a pleasure to be back in Japan and surrounded by such lovely people who are so keen to look after their visitors throughout their stay. We used MB credits to upgrade to a suite, which was very spacious and included access to the Executive Lounge. Unfortunately the lounge looks very dated and offers a rather uninspired range of F&B (during the early evening), but it was nice to go to for a drink before dinner. Lovely pool, kept nice and warm, but only 4 loungers ! The hotel generally feels dated and that is sometimes the (traditional) style it adopts and sometimes simply because it is: worn tables in the lounge, ancient showers in the pool area and dark, oppressive lifts. This is something that would not bother many people but it just wasn't to my taste. The breakfast was outstanding, with an extensive range of choice and variety, served in the modern, glass fronted extension that overlooks the rear garden of the hotel. Housekeeping exceptional, everywhere is spotless as you would expect, so always a pleasure to come back to your room. Only one disappointment, but a significant one for us: we tried to order room service one evening around 9.15pm only to find all restaurants in the hotel close at 8.30pm and the room service menu is VERY limited after that time. No burgers or club sandwiches, the mainstays of room service the world over, we had to chose from a plate of charcuterie and olives, a bowl of soup or a pizza. We picked the latter two, which took 45 minutes to reach our room and were portions small enough to leave a child hungry. That's really quite out of keeping from a prestigious hotel in such a wonderful, accommodating country.

less

“In the tranquil lobby lounge❣️”

I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon tea in the tranquil lobby lounge. On this day, I thoroughly enjoyed the last strawberry afternoon tea set of the year.