EARTHMANS Osaka-Jo

Clean place, and the staff were friendly.

The hotel was in a good location and looked nice, which makes what happened even more disappointing. On the morning of my second night, around 9:55 AM and just before the 10 AM checkout, I was still in my room when someone outside opened the auto-lock without knocking or speaking. The door lock stopped the person from getting in. I was near the front door and managed to lock it again from inside. Through the doorscope I saw an unknown man, who stayed there for a while; later I saw the same man in the hallway near the stairs. I wondered if he was a cleaner, but checkout hadn’t happened yet, and he didn’t explain or confirm anything beforehand. It left me very uneasy. I contacted the accommodation and management company. They apologized and said I’d receive a refund, but more than a month later it still hadn’t arrived. My bank’s investigation suggested the booking site I used had made an error. I tried calling the accommodation several times because I wanted to report it promptly, but couldn’t get through. If you really need help, I recommend contacting the management company. What should have been a fun trip turned into a frightening experience, followed by a very slow response. Since it’s an unmanned facility, I’d like clearer information and better entry controls and troubleshooting. With more unmanned hotels opening, I think this is a wider social issue too. It’s a shame, given the location and how nice the hotel looked.

2020/10 The Sweet Room is worth looking for if you want space. If it’s available, I’d pick it over a business hotel. Even alone, you can stay in a striking 75-square-meter room, about the size of three standard apartments. They charge by the number of people rather than renting out the room as a whole, so a little over ¥6,000 for one person was incredible value. I heard the usual pre-COVID price was around ¥10,000 per person. It was so huge I got bored, but it was amazing. The room has a kitchen, fridge, microwave, and lots of things you don’t get in a regular hotel, and the Nishikawa bed was comfortable enough to make the stay really nice. The bathroom was clean but average. Hotel basics were a bit sparse by comparison: just towels, a brush, and toothpaste. There were surprisingly few power outlets too, so an extension cord would be useful.

The room had a stylish feel, and I was glad to find a foldable table attached to the desk. The website photos made me think there wouldn't be a table. I stayed in a standard twin room, which was quite spacious, and the kitchen had plenty of cooking utensils. Plates and cutlery were supplied, though some were dirty and it seemed a few corners hadn't been checked. It's a shame the place is closing at the end of the year.