Hiyori Hotel Osaka Namba Station

The traditional Japanese breakfast didn’t really work for me. I’m Hindu and don’t eat pork, so I ended up having a roll with butter. There were plenty of food options around the hotel, though, so I didn’t mind. If you’re halal or Hindu, you may want to skip breakfast. Aside from that, my stay was a pleasure. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms had everything I might need, and the front desk staff were very polite and helpful. There’s a huge shopping mall just across the road. I couldn’t fault the hotel.

The staff were nice and the facilities were very good, but I expected more from the hotel. The room was so small that my wife, daughter, and I had nowhere to put our luggage, so we had to stack all the bags on top of each other. The Wi-Fi in our room was also poor. I had Zoom calls and other work to do, and ended up going to a coffee shop to get it done. There are better options around.

I’m staying here now, and the location and shower layout are positives. I also appreciated the staff giving me an honest answer when I asked about the noise. But sound carries between rooms through the thin walls, and I’ve been woken up early during the Friday to Sunday period. I’ve rarely seen this issue mentioned in reviews, and some have even said the soundproofing is good. The hotel staff told me changing rooms wouldn’t help because all the rooms are the same in this regard. Light sleepers should beware.

The room was compact but cleverly laid out, with the toilet and shower in separate rooms. It was quiet, and the blackout shade gave us the dark, peaceful space we needed to recover from jet lag. There was also a safe, kettle, air freshener, foot massager, and full-size amenity bottles. I loved the lobby freebies, including hair treatment, bubble bath, toys, tea, and coffee. We got a warm welcome from Park and enjoyed the evening happy hour, with 1 free drink per person each evening, then free food or 500¥ per drink after that. It’s a great base for day trips around Kansai, right outside Namba station, using exit 5 for the Osaka Metro, and a 10-minute walk to Dotonbori and Kuromon Market. Cleaning is only done on the 3rd day of your stay, though towels and trash are changed daily. That was fine for us since we’re tidy, and it worked out during our 4-night stay. Highly recommended!