IMPERIAL HOTEL OSAKA Luxe

This hotel was by far the nicest we stayed in during our trip to Japan. The rooms were beautiful and very spacious. Nice touches such as bathrobes (that were changed daily) blinds/curtains that operated by using buttons at the side of the bed, the radio that played through speakers in the room on command and the free daily newspapers that were delivered were very nice. The bathroom was great and the beds were huge and comfortable and cleanliness around the entire hotel was impeccable. The hotel also provide a free, regular shuttle bus to the train station which was ideal for us when we were moving on to Tokyo. There is a smaller train station nearby the hotel, however it is easy enough to travel around Osaka and further afield from - we used this hotel as a base to travel throughout Osaka and Kyoto. The hotel also connects into a small shopping mall which meant shops and restaurants were nearby - we actually ate in two restaurants in the mall next to the restaurant and they were excellent on both occasions serving great and authentic cuisine. The hotel also has spectacular views across Osaka which we enjoyed both in our room and in public areas in the hotel. The overall hotel aesthetic is stunning, right down to the fresh flowers placed in each of the elevators, they have fine tuned even the smallest details. Staff in the hotel were always incredibly friendly and aiming to please - in fact, there was always a few waiting in the lobby area simply to greet guests with a big smile no matter what time of the day or night which was always welcoming and the level of English spoken by staff was the best we encountered in any establishment in Japan which was helpful for us (our Japanese was limited to basic conversation!) The hotel also felt very secure with ample staff working, even throughout the night. There are a few cons; access to the pool and spa facilities was not included and came at an extra charge which wasn't exactly cheap. There are several restaurants and bars in the hotel, mostly located in the upper levels and therefore providing the very best views across Osaka, however they were absolutely extortionate to dine in so we were not able to, even the room service menu was incredibly expensive. It is perhaps to be expected with this standard of hotel, however offering at least one affordable option would have been nice and we would have certainly dined in had this been available. To be honest, I think we got a pretty good deal booking through Expedia and others may have paid considerably more than us to be there - maybe we were out of place a little bit. The location isn't the best in Osaka in terms of being central to attractions and the main transport hubs, however it is certainly easily accessed and a nice area nonetheless and was useful for us a hub to travel from. There isn't a lot to do around the hotel, except the small shopping mall, and is mostly a residential area nearby, but again getting around Osaka from the hotel is easy enough. I would certainly say it is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in and would absolutely recommend it to anyone travelling to the area.

Staying at the Imperial Hotel , Osaka in April 2017. We had 2 rooms with river views. the Views were great , we could see the Cherry Blossoms on the river bank , and we could also watch planes coming in at low level over the river. The rooms were a good size and well appointed. the ensuite was modern and a good size. Overall I would definetly recommend the hotel. We chose to have our breakfast at the small cafe- Bakery & Chapel Cafe near the hotel as $40 AUD fed the 4 of us. We used the free Hotel shuttle bus from Osaka station on a few occasions which was excellent. all the staff were warm and friendly.

A comfortable hotel with good amenities, clean and well appointed spacious rooms. Located on the river this was a great place to see all the locals out celebrating the cherry blossom along the river banks. This hotel is conveniently located to explore the city and surrounding area. Concierge keen to be helpful but seemed to be lacking in local knowledge.

We booked a 3-night family stay but fortunately for us and by sheer luck we discovered upon check-in that the pool was off-limits to anyone under 20 years of age. Nothing was mentioned on the hotel website about this and it was a big showstopper for us as we always book hotels with swimmingpools so the kids can enjoy a nice swim after a day of sightseeing. The hotel was not willing to bend the rules for one hour each day, so we decided to change hotel. We spent a couple of hours in the hotel lobby with our kids waiting for the front desk to contact Expedia to get our money back while we were trying to book another hotel. Not once were we offered something to drink. Afterwards we spent time relocating to another hotel so our programme for the day was pretty much distroyed after that. During our communication with the front desk we also checked their website to see if it said anything about age limits at the pool (which it didn't) and were shocked to find that the pool area could only be accessed by hotel guests upon paying a whopping fee of 5400 yen (app. 47 USD) pr. person pr. day. This is our first bad experience in Japan.

My son and I have just spent 6 nights in this hotel on our Osaka, Nara and Kyoto leg of our Japanese adventure. We chose it for it's location by the river (very run down on the hotel side) / sights, supposed comfort and leisure centre. We have spent many nights in a broad range of hotels and found this one to be not only the most expensive but also the least welcoming, relaxing and helpful. It wasn't until we checked in that we were made aware of the fact that the leisure facilities were only available for those 20 years or older (unfortunately this was not stated on Trip Advisor as we would not have stayed here). The breakfast buffet had a very limited choice and was of mediocre quality - the general prices for food was very expensive (although expected in a high end hotel). On departure the hotel shuttle bus refused to put bags into the hold so we had to struggle onto the bus unassisted and then the driver dumped us at Osaka train station instead of Shin-Osaka station meaning we had to make a connecting rail journey. We had cleared with the reception and driver 2-3 times that we needed Shin-Osaka. The driver was very abrupt and unhelpful and turned his back on us instead of giving further assistance. I would not recommend this hotel for families or for travellers wanting to relax as it did not provide for either. A vey disappointing hotel stay although the general visit to these areas and transport was outstanding and I highly recommend a visit. If we come over again I would book accommodation in Kyoto because of the friendliness of the people and it's vast range of beautiful areas.