Candeo Hotels Osaka Shinsaibashi

It's hard to beat the location, a short walk from Shinsaibashi station and very close to the heart of Dotonbori. The staff were nice and affable, and service was very good. The hotel is probably the most charming and beautiful-looking one in the Shinsaibashi area, and the temple at the entrance really makes it stand out. A few additions could make the stay better: an on-site vending machine would save guests from having to get dressed and go to 7/11 for drinks. Rubber flooring between the sink and shower could help with a minor slipping hazard. And although the TV services menu lets you request no cleaning, a simple “do not disturb” sign would be much easier for guests who want to sleep in. Even so, I highly recommend the hotel.

The rooms are neat, the onsen is great, and there's even an outdoor bath on the top floor, which is pretty cool. Staff were all friendly and positive. The location is right by the designer brands and just a short walk from great Osaka food. They also let us store our bags after checkout, and lend out umbrellas. No disappointment here.

The only things I liked were the location and the lovely reception staff. The hotel seems optimized to look like a 4-star place on paper, but in reality felt like an average 3-star hotel at best. Our room was filthy, the safe was broken, and the daily cleaning barely counted as cleaning. Dirty mugs and cups weren't taken or replaced, the sink and wet area were left uncleaned, and dust had clogged up the toilet area. The coin laundry was absolutely feral, covered in hair and smelling like spoiled cabbage even after a tub rinse. I wouldn't put my pets' bedding in there. We ended up using a nearby laundromat. The pillows were the most uncomfortable we've had in Japan. We couldn't use the spa or pool because of the male/female split and tattoo rules. I wish we'd known that before booking.

We booked a room for five, but beds four and five used up the seating area, so we wound up reserving another room as well. The street-facing views and location were excellent. Breakfast was a reasonable buffet with a small to medium range of options. As others have mentioned, bikes and powerful vehicles rev along this main Osaka boulevard on weekdays into the early morning, which may bother light sleepers.