Aloft Osaka Dojima — Hotel in Osaka

You may get accused of stealing cutleries at this hotel even you're a titanium member!

My husband and I recently stayed at your hotel for 4 days 3 nights. On July 23, 2024, unfortunately, we had two rather unpleasant encounters with a staff member, who we believe is named Roberta, (short curly hair, non asian)

The first incident occurred when myself approached the refuel station to request two metal forks. A Japanese staff member kindly handed them over, but Roberta intervened and curtly refused, citing concerns about the misplacement of cutlery. Despite my wife's polite reassurance that we would return the forks promptly, Roberta expressed skepticism and went on to make dismissive comments about the issue along the lines " we have lost too many cutleries and people takes it and say to return but they never return them"

Furthermore, when we finished our meal and sought to dispose of the trash at the refuel station, we were met with yet another discourteous response from Roberta. He commented that "Japan has no trash cans everywhere". which is DUH, that's why we brought it to where you guys were at, The refuel. Thank goodness, his colleague's subsequent offer to assist us with the disposal was greatly appreciated.

These encounters left us quite disappointed and puzzled. We couldn't help but question the inconsistencies in the hotel's approach. If there are genuine concerns about cutlery going missing, why are metal spoons readily available in the rooms and at the breakfast buffet? Additionally, the comment about the lack of trash cans in Japan instead of giving us help is contradictory to our experiences in other establishments.

While we understand the importance of preserving hotel resources, the manner in which these concerns were communicated to us by Roberta was particularly off-putting. It's crucial for staff members to convey such issues with diplomacy and respect for the guests.

We sincerely hope that the management of Aloft Dojima will address these matters constructively and ensure that similar encounters are avoided in the future. We believe that the professionalism and service quality of your hotel can be better upheld, and we look forward to a positive and constructive resolution.

The saving grace was William, who has been helpful throughout our last day of breakfast!...

We stayed 3 nights. Our room was excellent albeit a bit tight by American standards but spacious by Japanese standards. The location is a quick walk from train station so easy to wheel your luggage here after flight/train. The walk to Dotonboro for restaurants and shopping districts is easy and under 2 miles. The staff is my sticking point on the rating. They charged us extra for 2 people in the room, even though the reservation was for a king room and clearly included 2 for breakfast. We expressed dissatisfaction with this. I now understand after research that certain cities in Japan charge a per person tax, which should have been explained. The staff did not explain the tax to us. Update: After leaving Osaka we stayed in 2 additional hotels in Japan (one Marriott in Tokyo and one Hilton in Kyoto) we did not experience the same issue with same error on each reservation for 1 person king room, 2 for breakfast. Neither charged extra for second person on king room reservation. The check in staff we dealt with at Osaka Aloft had an abrupt manner that came off as arrogant and rare in Marriott properties. They did not care about Titanium level Marriott status at all which is very atypical for Marriott properties. Breakfast is good but waiting in very long line a for 2 coffee machines is a big turnoff. Left after breakfast, then came back to grab a to-go coffee a few minutes later and they would not allow it (even tho to-go cups were out during breakfast and I had forgotten to get one.) Heard one man during breakfast get reprimanded for pulling up a chair at a table of his friends. Also saw a man at hotel desk reprimanded for standing too close to screen when asking staff for help and all he was doing was trying to see. They have a strange service climate for an American brand hotel and this leaves a bad taste. We stay at Marriott properties whenever possible. It’s a trusted name and price point and the extra service quality we receive as Titanium members is what keeps us coming back. Overall, this hotel would receive a 5 star rating except for staff demeanor and a long line for coffee. It is a reasonable price point and terrific room and...

We are Marriott Gold and stayed at this Aloft during our 5-night stay in Osaka. Overall, our stay was very enjoyable.

Rooms: American-size hotel rooms which is a huge plus for Japan. Plenty of room for your luggage and to move around. Nice table to sit and eat at. Pajamas and slippers were also provided. The bathroom was also large, however storage options were not the best. Not many drawers to put your clothes in so we were living out of our suitcase.

Location: This hotel is located right across the street from Family Mart and McDonald’s. Having a konbini so close was very convenient. Also, the underground entrance to the Osaka Metro for Umeda station is right outside. You will still walk a good 5-8 minutes underground to get to the actual train station, but the area is lined with shops as well so it’s nice to explore. Higobashi station is a 3-5 minute walk in the opposite direction. We enjoyed this hotels proximity to Umeda and liked how the hotel is still located in the city but not the tourist trap of Dotombori.

Amenities: This hotel does have a laundry ro but you do have to reserve it. The reservations are PACKED at night so good luck trying to get one. The gym is a good size, and we also liked the breakfast buffet. The bar was also nice and it has a happy hour from 5-7.

Service: The only reason I deducted one star was the service. We stayed at 5 different hotels during our Japan stay and the service here was not the Japanese service we were used to. Every other hotel we stayed at filled out our luggage transfer forms for us, but this one made me fill out my own. What I didn’t like was my sister-in-law also stayed at the same hotel as us, but the staff filled out her luggage transfer form for her but not for me. So why is it that they filled out the form for her but not for me? While the employees were nice, I did not appreciate that small part. They should treat all their guests the same.

Overall, if we have points we will stay here again. Otherwise, we will be staying at the Hyatt for...