Eslead Hotel Namba Ebisu West

The room itself was clean and spacious, but getting checked in was extremely inconvenient, and I can’t easily recommend this hotel. We had no check-in email the night before, and I expected the instructions to arrive closer to check-in. Instead, we reached the hotel and had to wait in the entryway. We couldn’t even leave our luggage on the storage rack, and we couldn’t come back later once the instructions arrived. I had no Japan cell service to call the posted number. My email got no reply for 30 minutes, and even after my sister bought a Japan e-sim, she couldn’t reach that number. She eventually tried WhatsApp. After sitting there for an hour trying to contact someone, I finally got the instructions and code by email. I’ve used self check-in at other hotels and expected a smooth process based on the reviews, so this was regrettable. The location was also tiring for my older parents. Each train station was about a 10-minute walk, which was a lot at the start of the day and again on the way back at night. This is also one of the more run-down parts of Osaka. The room was fine, but the check-in and location made the stay hard to recommend.