Review: The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection [Japan]
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Convenient location | Expensive in cash |
| Modern rooms | Open concept bathroom design is questionable |
| Great breakfast | Limited upgrade opportunities for elites |
| Exclusive access to faciilities for higher level Marriott elites | |
| Good potential for FNC redemption |
A new hotel from the Marriott footprint in Osaka was just added with the recent opening of The Osaka Station Hotel with the Autograph Collection brand.
Luxury hotels within Marriott portfolio in Osaka like St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton seem outdated, even with the recent renovation in Ritz-Carlton’s rooms. Since I value the more modern hard product more than service, I was excited to try out the new Osaka Station Hotel. Also, the train theme of this hotel fascinates me since repeated travels to Japan makes me appreciate train travel a lot more!
Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Booking
I booked a 6-night stay in the first week of January with a combination of:
- 2x 50K Free Night Certificates with topups
- 1x 40K Free Night Certificates with topups
- 2x 35K Free Night Certificates with topups
- 40K Marriott Bonvoy points
January is in a low-season for travels in Japan, so the rates on points are more generous as a result. The Osaka Station Hotel is also a Category 6 hotel which is why I managed to get 35K-50K FNC’s redemptions during low seasons. For high season travel, the 85K FNC can guarantee you a night of stay here.
Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Location
As the hotel’s name suggests, it’s located right next to the Osaka Station which mainly serve JR Lines that can help you get to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, or Himeji for day trips. Local subway lines are somewhat connected, but require longer walks through the underground malls within Osaka Station or through KITTE Osaka mall’s basement floor.
The hotel is inside JP Tower Osaka which houses the KITTE Osaka, a very new mall that’s opened along with the hotel’s opening as well. The hotel’s entrance has a bright orange wall on top of the door.
Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Check-in
I arrived to the hotel at around 10am after checking out of a cheap hotel in New Years’ Eve to store my belongings. After the main door from the mall, I was greeted by sets of elevators that will take me to the hotel lobby on the 29th floor.
The hotel has a somewhat rustic feel to it with the brick pillars and heavy use of brown colors.
The view is quite beautiful, filled with Osaka’s skyscrapers. There are Hilton properties in each of the two pictures below. Can you guess them all?
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Scenic King Room
I was assigned to the Scenic King Room on the 34th floor. The room type distinctions are pretty straightforward for this hotel:
- Signature- 30th-33rd floor
- Scenic- 34-37th floor
- Specialty- 38th floor (also comes with Specialty Salon and Ofuro; upgrades don’t count)
Allure King vs. King
There’s a weird categorization this hotel size when it comes to the base King Bed rooms. There’s Allure King and a regular King. Contrary to common beliefs, having an adjective does not seem to give the impression of a better room.
In fact, Allure King rooms are smaller than just King (~37sqm vs. 40sqm), and they are missing a sofa by the window and a somewhat different bathroom setup. Since award booking allows you to book King at the same price, then there’s no reason to book Allure King when King is available.
After opening the room’s door, the first thing you’d see is the open concept bathroom. There’s a solid slider by the bedroom, but there’s none covering from the entrance side. So, beware if you plan to stay with someone you’re not that close with in the same room.
I’ll start covering the bathroom since it’s the first thing seen after entering the room. There’s a standalone marble counter for the bathroom sink with a big mirror with lights on the side attached.
It comes with complete toiletries like dental kits, bath salts, and skincare products (cleanser, toner, moisturizers, and face masks). The way the toiletries are set up like puzzle pieces are adorable. They’re just like the ones from Mesm Tokyo, a favorite Tokyo Marriott property of mine.
The wet room behind the glass has separate tub and shower with a handy stool. Shower pressure was decent, and the Hahonico toiletries smell quite nice as well.
Right to the bathroom counter is a separate toilet room with a modern toilet with motion sensor that opens by itself when you approach it. New hotels in Japan tend to come with them!
Finally moving to the bedroom section. There’s a King Bed that’s on the harder side that’s common with hotels in Japan. There’s a sofa bed by the floor-to-ceiling window to let you enjoy the city view.
USB-C sockets are available by the bedside along with two-prong sockets and a Bluetooth player.
Across the bed is the TV, pantry, and minibar. Though it’s somewhat annoying that the TV will turn on automatically whenever you enter the room.
Pantry includes Nespresso and tea bags.
Then, the complimentary minibar includes:
- 2 bottles of sparkling water
- 2 bottles of orange juice
- 2 cans of beer
- 1 bottle of sake
However, the minibar is only complimentary once per stay. So if you clear them up before check-out, the next replenished round will be charged if you consume further. I feel that’s already very generous and is a lot better than what most hotels would offer anyway.
Boxed still water will be replenished daily for free… still.
On the round table, and I was presented a Welcome Gift in a red box and a big black box with a Happy New Years note.
With the big black box, there are a pack of candies, rice crackers, and assorted tea and dashi bags. Housekeeping will replenish these daily which is awesome!
The real Welcome Gift is assorted cookies and cakes from the bakery (La Patisserie TEISHABA) next to the hotel’s entrance on the first floor of KITTE Osaka.
Closet next to the bed includes bath robes, pajamas, and slippers. The slider will either close off the closet or the bathroom view from the bedroom side.
The view is stellar. I was directly above train tracks that run through Osaka Station! Trains can be heard somewhat, but some people may find that to be bothersome. I personally did not find any issue with it.
On the city side, I can see the river, Umeda Sky Building, and the upcoming Waldorf Astoria across!
Overall, the room is nicely sized for a Japanese hotel, and the hard products are modern. Though I’m a bit iffy on the open-concept bathroom design. I didn’t mind it too much as a solo traveler, however.
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Breakfast
Breakfast takes place at The Moment Grill & Dining restaurant at the 29th floor next to the lobby, and to extent the Lobby Lounge just in front of it, where afternoon tea takes place, if it gets too crowded for more space. The staff mentions that around 8am will get the most traffic, especially on weekends.
A neat process the hotel has for breakfast check-in is the color-coded keycards guests have. By just seeing your keycard, the staff will know if you have free breakfast or not, and is much faster than checking all guests one by one on a piece of paper like many other hotels do. During my 6-night stay, I observed 3 different colors on the keycards:
- Black: Ambassador Elites and Specialty Room/Suites guests
- Red: Platinum and Titanium Elites
- White: Non-elite members on non-Specialty rooms
Since I’m a Titanium Elite, staff will just notice my red keycard and let me in when there’s a seat available. How cool!
The restaurant’s theme is neat and goes with the train theme. The ceiling shape makes it feel like you’re dining onboard a train car.
The breakfast spread is huge and impressive. Tons of options including Japanese dishes, Western dishes, sushi, roast beef, fruits, pastries, and desserts.
I was particularly impressed with the pastries here. So fresh and flaky!
The corner seats offer amazing views of the city and train tracks. There was evaporation in the window due to winter, but is still amazing nonetheless. If you can get corner seats, then you’ll have the best seats in the house!
They also have strawberry mont blancs that are nice to finish breakfast with.
Great breakfast experience overall, outside of the congested hours.
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Ofuro
The hotel has a public bath Ofuro on the 30th floor. However, only Titanium and Ambassador Elites get to access it, or if you book a Specialty Room or Suite outright.
Because it’s a public bath, I could not get any pictures. But, the facility comes with 2 big tubs filled with hot water, a cold plunge pool, a sauna room, and shower rooms and sit-down stalls. The official picture very closely resemble what the facility actually looks like.
Due to limited access based on status and room types booked, I found that the ofuro were rarely filled unlike breakfast! It makes for a more relaxing space to wind down. What can be better than dipping yourself in hot water after a day of exploring, especially in winter? I ended up using this facility every day of my stay!
While there’s no swimming pool at this hotel, I personally find the ofuro to be a better substitute.
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Gym
The gym is also next to the Ofuro facility on the 30th floor. It opens 24/7 and is equipped with multiple strength training and cardio machines. There’s also yoga mats available.
I took the pictures at dawn when nobody’s around so the window shades are brought down. During the day, you’d be able to enjoy your cardio workouts with a beautiful view of the city.
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Water Station
Next to the lobby is the Water Station where there’s a big amount of space to sit on, and is occasionally used for guests to wait around while in queue for breakfast.
There are taps and paper cups where you can freely drink water with some unique water bottle designs on display.
There’s gashapons where you can buy a random flavored water drops or pin badges. They cost 500 yen per play, and they only accept 1 singular 500 yen coin.
The water drops may be interesting to try, but I didn’t have a big water bottle with me.
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Restaurants
The hotel has other restaurants like Mizuki that serves teppanyaki. Though the prices are very steep.
There’s also a hidden bar behind the door pictured below. It’s located along the narrow hallway by the Lobby Lounge.
The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection- Specialty Salon
The hotel has a lounge called Specialty Salon on the highest floor (38th). Unfortunately, only Ambassador Elites and those who book a Specialty Room or Suite outright get access.
The lounge has 5 food and beverage services throughout the day including breakfast, snacks, afternoon tea, evening cocktail, and nightcap from 7am to 9pm. One advantage I can see is that breakfast won’t be as crowded as the main restaurant. Still, I don’t value lounge access whenever I’m in a big city with tons of food options.
This is not an Executive Lounge, so Platinum & Titanium Elites get free breakfast in lieu of a lack of an Executive Lounge based on the Autograph Collection lounge policy.
Conclusion
I had a great time staying at the new Osaka Station Hotel! Admittedly, I still find Conrad Osaka to be a slightly better hotel overall when it comes to the rooms, but I find the breakfast and ofuro facilities at the Osaka Station Hotel to be better.
I would happily return here some time assuming I can redeem Free Night Certificates on it, but would stay at the Conrad Osaka if I couldn’t due to how much easier it is to earn Hilton points compared to Marriott points.
I may also be interested in trying out other Marriott properties for comparison like the W and the Marriott, which are also Category 6 hotels in Osaka though I’ll hold my breath on that since Osaka Station is the newest hotel of the three.