The OneFive Osaka Namba Dotonbori

This is probably my last stay here. I’ve visited four times over the past few years and watched the service and amenities get worse each time. The 7-11 next door used to connect to the hotel, and there used to be someone watching the luggage area. The lobby had more seating before, but now there isn’t a single chair. Laundry machines used to be on every floor, and now there are only two. There’s also a cheese smell by the lift lobby. The reception staff’s attitude has gone downhill too. They threaten to charge you if you don’t check out on the exact minute. They could just say it nicely.

We’ve been here for three days. We knew when booking that the hotel was in the red light district, which was our mistake, but we still expected a decent room. The longer we looked around, the more problems we found: a hole in the wall left by someone before us, a fridge with a rotten cheesy smell, and no ventilation. The window handle is broken, and when we open it, loud club music pours into the room. There’s black mold in the toilet, too. The rooms are very outdated, and for what we paid, it wasn’t worth it. Maybe it’s all right for a night or two, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here when there are probably much better options.

I picked this hotel near Dotonburi for my first trip without a guide. The lobby was decent, with extra amenities guests can take up to their rooms. There’s a corner where non-residents can leave luggage, but I couldn’t tell if there was CCTV, and there didn’t seem to be any security. The staff spoke English well, so I had no issues communicating. I was charged 1,200¥ in tourist tax for my three-day stay. I booked the 24 square meter room, which had enough space for three people and to open all three suitcases at once. The amenities were decent, and you can take more from the lobby. There’s a 711 just outside, which was handy for late-night snacks. The area left me feeling both somewhat safe and unsafe. We got back very late, around 1 or 2 AM, on all three days, but thankfully nothing strange happened to our group. The hotel is close to central Dotonburi, and there’s a lot to explore in the alleys nearby. Three days wasn’t enough. The station is quite far, so you’ll want to be in good shape if you have large luggage, but I had no complaint about that. I really liked staying here. I’d come back with a group of young people, but wouldn’t recommend it for elderly guests or a family trip. Whether I return depends on who I bring to Japan.

We won’t be returning after this stay. Although the hotel says there’s no room cleaning, just towel replacement and trash collection, we didn’t feel housekeeping needed to come in. We asked for fresh towels when we saw staff outside. Even so, the toilet clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly. When we first arrived, there was used tissue still unflushed inside. We were rushing off somewhere, so my husband asked me not to complain then, thinking it would take too long. That night, he lifted the seat before I used it and found human waste stuck underneath. We’d barely used the toilet since checking in. The room was tiny. With two small cabin suitcases, we could only open one at a time. The furniture arrangement was odd, with the air conditioner directly above our heads and the TV on the wall to the left of the bed. The sink was too low even for us, who are of average height for people in Asia. We could also hear nearly every sound from the street because the room wasn’t soundproof. There was nowhere proper to leave baggage if you arrived before check-in. They provide an empty corner and a sign saying the hotel isn’t responsible for loss or damage, which doesn’t seem normal for a three-star hotel. Most of the staff were foreigners. Not to be racist, but I’m unsure whether that explains why the standards I usually experience in Japanese hotels weren’t met here. The hotel is near several bars, so it’s not a quiet place. One night, while my husband went out alone to buy something, a Japanese woman offered him girls for company. Even after he said no, she kept trying to persuade him in different languages.