Hotel Seagull Tempozan Osaka

We had a restful stay, and the amenities were all there. Our room was clean, despite what some reviews said. It’s clearly an older hotel, so the sheets and decor felt dated. There was just one pillow per bed, but you could ask the front desk for more. We chose it because it was one of the more affordable options near USJ.

We were told about this place by a local friend, but staying there was a nightmare. The whole floor was pitch black when we came back late, with no corridor lights. The reception was empty, and the emergency number was written in Japanese. With the Wi-Fi not working, translating it was a problem. Check-in took an absurd hour, and the staff barely spoke English. The building felt old and run-down, nowhere near three-star quality. We booked thinking it was close to USJ, but it wasn’t. There were no amenities or bottled water, so we were left with tap water. The AC had been turned off because winter was near, and the room felt humid and suffocating. This was meant to be a perfect end to our trip, but the stay ruined it. Avoid at all cost!

We were there for five nights, and breakfast was the same each day with no variety. The room had a lot of dust, and the bathroom smelled bad and had mold. There were only a few outlets, and some didn’t work. Reception staff didn’t understand Japanese or English very well.

We stumbled on this hotel by chance and found the room much bigger than expected. We got there around 11 a.m. and only asked if we could leave our luggage while we explored nearby and got lunch. Instead, the staff checked us in around then, even though the usual check-in time was about 3 p.m. There was no early check-in fee, which felt like heaven. It seemed almost empty, though we did see a few other guests in the lobby. We also learned by chance that there’s a free ferry to a port near USJ. The staff showed us a timetable, with the first ferry at 9 a.m. Unfortunately, we needed to be at USJ before 7.