Tokyu Stay Osaka Honmachi

The in-room washer and dryer was the best feature by far. Its drying function worked much better than other all-in-one machines I’ve used on trips. The hotel is also conveniently placed, near a station and within walking distance of Osaka’s main sights, in an unexpectedly quiet area. The smell made the stay really difficult, though. The rooms seemed clean, and our two rooms were next to each other, but the room air freshener was repugnant. Since the windows wouldn’t open, we left the doors open to air things out, which let the awful smell of used frying oil from the corridors mix with it. It was especially hard for the people in our group with asthma. The rooms were also quite small compared with the ones we had in Tokyo and Kyoto. The ground floor entrance looked nice, but the check-in floor was dark and unwelcoming. Front desk staff came across as cold and could use more hospitality and customer service training. The oil smell was strong in the hallways, and both the corridors and elevators badly need a deep clean. The elevators felt like they belonged in a cheap motel. It’s a well-located place with excellent laundry, but the combination of hallway odor, strong room fragrance, and no ventilation makes it a hard pass for anyone sensitive to smells or traveling with someone who has asthma.

The room felt cramped, though I liked having a sitting area and a freezer. The washer-dryer combo was useful, but drying took a while. The slippers by the entrance smelled bad, so we left them alone. There were some nice restaurants nearby, which we appreciated. It’s an okay location, though getting to the tourist spots takes a bit of walking, especially in cold weather. Having a crib provided was a big plus.

The room was clean and a decent size, bigger than the rooms we’ve had in Japan so far. Some rooms have their own laundry machines, which is handy. There’s also a great view from the top floor, where reception is located. That setup can be a little confusing at first.

The room was much bigger than at most Japanese hotels, and I liked the huge fridge and gooseneck kettle. I was sick during the stay and kept making hot tea. The pillows were great too, probably the first Japanese hotel I’ve stayed at with an option that wasn’t just feathers or feathers and shells, so it worked well for someone allergic to down. The bathroom impressed me as well: a refa shower head and hair dryer, plus refa bath products, left my hair super soft. Best of all, there’s a washing machine right in the room, so you can do laundry without going anywhere. There’s no regular room cleaning, not even every third day like at some other hotels, and you have to request and pay extra for it. They do take the garbage and replace towels daily if you put the right request on the door. We also got fresh pajamas on the second night. The free coffee, umbrellas, and luggage storage are all on 18F, where check-in is too. I guess they don’t want to see guests coming and going all day. I took off a star for service. We arrived around 2:30pm and were told check-in wasn’t until 3pm, which was fine, but less than five minutes later a group of white tourists came in and were checked in right away. Then staff came over to invite us to check in. I don’t know, that whole thing made me feel discriminated against.