We moved from a relatively laid back Fukuoka city to a lifeless one in Matsue, and finally to the crowded and noisy Osaka. The hotels I stayed in each city pretty much reflected that general character too. For Osaka, I stayed at the Hotel Hankyu Respire Osaka – a hotel situated about opposite Osaka Station. My comments after the 5D4N stay!
The hotel is centrally located, with easy access to the Umeda and Osaka Stations. The hotels on top of the Links Umeda shopping mall, and is reached via the reception at level 9. The mall itself has a number of retail options, but the principal tenant seems to be Yodobashi Store – which occupies a significant side and spans multiple floors. Level 8 hosts a large number of restaurants too, though as there were substantial crowds during weekend peak hours.
The room I stayed in was a Double Room with a Queen Sized bed, and located at level 24. The room is about the same size as the two hotels I stayed at earlier this trip, and is also as modern as The Blossom Hakata Premier, with similar finishing and overall styling. There is also a room at level 24 with coin-operated laundry facilities.
Unlike the Blossom Hakata Premier though, the Respire Osaka felt very mass-market. The lobby was very crowded at check-in time at 3PM, and I imagine there might had been almost a hundred guests milling about in the lobby! There is thankfully plenty of comfortable seating, and also an room amenities and complimentary beverage corner. There was a fair number of international guests, and especially from that country up north with very obvious mannerisms and loud voices. Morning breakfasts were similarly busy affairs, and as soon as the level 9 restaurant was opened, it would take just minutes before buffet queue lines started forming.
Thankfully, the hotel facilities seem capable of hosting a high guest volume: there were four large lifts that moved guests quickly from level 9 to level 25 and upwards: and aside from the busy common areas (lobby and restaurant), the hotel room floors themselves were often quiet. The room itself had great sound-proofing, and I rarely heard guests along the corridor.
Amenities-wise: the room had separate toilet, shower, and bathroom facilities. There was also a very welcome iron and board for me to tidy up my business wear every night before the work day meetings. Two bottles of mineral water were supplied each day as part of room cleaning, and there is also a mini-fridge (no complimentary beverages inside the fridge), and a relatively large security box that’s inside the bedside drawer.
The in-room WIFI was a mixed bag though. While I had no difficulties connecting my usual four devices (two phones, one laptop, and one tablet), speeds were pedestrian. And on one evening, I experienced so many disconnections I ended up just using my phone to hotspot the laptop just so that I could get some work done.
In all, this was a comfortable stay. I appreciated the fact that the hotel was right where the train stations are, and the shopping mall and Yodobashi meant that, unlike my stay in Matsue, there was always plenty of things to do and visit… if the humidity wasn’t so awful to inhibit me from getting out of the comfortable room! Of the three hotels I’ve stayed at this work trip though, I enjoyed the stay at The Blossom Hakata Premier the most, on account that it was a much quieter property and well away from noisy crowds. Still, the Respire Osaka is a decent place to stay if you can live with the busy-ness of the place. So, recommended still!