Hotel Keihan Namba Grande

We used the concierge’s luggage forwarding service to send our large bags back to Tokyo while we spent a night in Kyoto. It made the trip much easier. We also tried the on-site Thai restaurant and rooftop bar, where we had tasty mocktails at good prices. The rooms were very clean and the beds comfortable. The accommodations and service were the best I could have hoped for, and both the location and value were amazing. I’d highly recommend staying here in Osaka.

Breakfast was excellent, with plenty of choices and some of the best coffee we had on our trip. Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi are both an easy walk, and there are lots of great restaurants and cafés nearby. My wife and I were here for two nights for our anniversary, and our room was upgraded to the 27th floor. The Osaka views up there are amazing, and I’d say the upgrade is a must if you want to enjoy them. The rooms were spotless, comfortable, and beautifully maintained. Staff were friendly and professional throughout, and clearly cared about making the stay good. As international travelers, we also appreciated that the TV menu could be switched to English and came with an English remote control guide. Little things like that made the stay easy and stress-free. Centre Grand Hotel Osaka exceeded our expectations. We’d happily return and recommend it to anyone visiting Osaka.

The only real highlight for me was the lovely view from the room. The rest of our three-night stay felt average, and in my opinion this didn’t feel like a five-star hotel. Cleaning and maintenance fell short, and the breakfast buffet was disappointing for what it cost, both in quality and choice. We paid for breakfast but only went once. Service was noticeably worse than at the other four-star hotels we stayed at in Japan. There also wasn’t any meaningful entertainment or common area to spend time in. I wouldn’t stay here again or recommend it to someone expecting a five-star experience.

The rooms were roomier than I expected and impeccably clean, and the buffet was huge. It was handy to have the allergens listed, though there were very few vegan choices. The hotel is close to Dotonbori and the trains, but it’s a large place, so check-in took about 25 minutes. I also didn’t like that the handheld shower head angle couldn’t be adjusted.