Conrad Osaka — Hotel in Osaka

Stayed here as I got a great deal through FHR, in the King Executive room (corner room).

Customer service was phenomenal. I've stayed at a handful of different hotels at various price points, but none of the hotels I've ever stayed at came anywhere close to the service received here.

I always think the issue with Japan is the overboard and often overwhelming level of customer service you experience everywhere, but here the customer service was the epitome of subtle elegance.

Check-in was smooth, the young gentleman at the reception initiated a friendly chat while he organized the paperwork and I never felt like I was waiting for even a second.

The hotel being quite new (less than 10 years old), the room felt modern and clean. I was greeted by the welcome bottle of sake specifically made for Conrad Osaka.

After being absent from my room from around 6pm, I've come back late in the evening after a dinner out and I had the TWG tea waiting for me with two small financiers (which were delicious btw), with a greeting card with tomorrow's weather on it. The smallest of the creases on the bed was stretched out (from when I sat on the bed earlier), my phone charging cord which I presume left it dangling, was wrapped neatly beside the bed. Great to see the housekeeping team work well into the night, and still come into the room to clean my small "mess" only hours into me checking into the room, and while I had vacated the room, to not bother me at all, whatsoever. Its like the fairies quietly came in with the magic wand!

Bathroom amenities were Byredo's Mojave Ghost, Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, the water pressure and temp control on both the regular showerhead and the ceiling rain shower was great, the bathtub was spacious to relax in.

Room service for desserts and drinks were ordered well after midnight, and the tray being pushed out of my room well past 1am; and the tray was gone before I even realized it.

The night time view from my room was great; I had the north eastern corner in room 3502, overlooking Dojima River and the right-hand sweeper of the Kanjo-line of Hanshin Expressway; the night view at the lobby/reception is even nicer, as I found out when I walked down the spiral staircase to the designated smoking area.

The couch in the room was comfy, so were the bed.

The check-out was as smooth as the check-in, and they asked if I wanted a taxi called; by the time I took that elevator down from 40th floor to 1st, the taxi was waiting for me already.

Overall, the stay was amazing. And when I say the service was "subtle elegance", not once did it feel overwhelming or intrusive, yet it almost felt as if they anticipated your every move and acted on things preemptively without me having to ask for anything, like as if the service was curated for each individual guest; it felt like that to me, at least.

The service level was above any other hotel I've stayed at, yet it was so very different to the monotonous, robotic, but overwhelming service which is typical of Japan.

The only thing robotic was the Gausium Phantas cleaning robot roaming around the lobby at 1:30am.

Location-wise, the closest station would be Keihan Watanabe-bashi station, though you'd most likely be using Higobashi Station (Metro Yotsubashi line) or Yodoyabashi station (Metro Midosuji line), both of which are a short walk away, if you are here on holidays and you're visiting tourist areas.

Not as convenient public transport wise as other hotels, but plenty convenient enough, and if you want somewhere to really relax and feel comfortable, then its a great...

I had a good fortune to stay at the Conrad Osaka for 3 days in June with my family and it hit the highmark of service and comfort, easily placing it at the top 1 or 2 hotels I've stayed in.

Never mind the breathtaking view from the lobby or the tasteful yet impactful décor of the rooms. Other people reviewed them and I cannot add anything more insightful. What I want to write about is the absolute gem of the service we received while we were staying, at a level that our previous stays at hotels of similar or higher caliber than Conrad Osaka cannot hope to, and indeed did not, match.

Individual instances of superior service would be too numerous to mention. And some of those do not lend itself to a detailed, concrete explanation. Some are feels and impressions, rather than a distinct act, that comfort and reassure, and make the stay more than a simply commercial transaction.

It's when the service is solicitous but not overbearing, attentive but not hovering, and friendly but not familiar that you realize that Conrad Osaka is a different place than what you're used to. This is not to say that you don't notice other touches. Something seemingly small can make an outsized impact. Like the low tables at the check-in where you can set down your briefcase. Is it hard to bend down to put your bag on the floor? No. Is it better if you can rest it on the low table? Yes. And they have 2 steps with fun cartoon characters that your curious toddlers can get on while you're talking with the front staff. Is that necessary? No. Would the kids like it to feel a part of that process? Absolutely yes.

Some service, you find you take some time getting used to. At Conrad Seoul where we stayed before, when we asked the lobby staff to call a taxi for us, they used an app. All very efficient and good. At Conrad Osaka, when we asked the same, a nice lady at the front ran out to the street in the rain and hailed a taxi for us. I was literally in shock.

In this trip, we stayed at Conrad Seoul, Conrad Osaka, and Conrad Tokyo, for 4, 3, and 9 nights respectively, and I couldn't tell you that which Conrad in Japan has a better service. But I can tell you that Conrad Osaka has the better facility, if only because it is newer than Conrad Tokyo. The bathroom in particular is stunning. The water pressure at the shower and the tub can drown an elephant. And the circular bathtub... Luxuriating in that tub is one of the enduring memories of our 14 days in Japan, with all the other attractions, that we took back with us.

As my wife and I have reached a certain age and the stage in our lives, we plan to take more trips like this, and when in Osaka, I don't think we'll book at any other hotel than the Conrad Osaka.

We had stayed 2 nights at Hilton Osaka before checking in, because we had a day at the Universal Studio Japan and at Kyoto, and I thought staying at the Hilton would make the transit easier. While it's certainly more convenient to USJ from the Hilton, Conrad Osaka is no less conveniently connected to other attractions in Osaka and Kyoto. And I'm not sure if I can convey a more powerful compliment to Conrad Osaka than restating what my wife said (with apologies to Hilton Osaka whose service was exemplary but the facilities show age) after experiencing Conrad Osaka for a couple of days:

"I'm angry at the 2 days we spent at...

Conrad Osaka truly stands out within the Hilton portfolio. The highlight was its jaw dropping view from the hotel lobby, through its impressive 3 storey tall windows. Although situated at just level 40 (not among the highest), the lobby offers an obstructed view of a river and Osaka city, that’s particularly stunning at night.

Rooms were stylish and spacious, with even the smallest room generously sized at 50m2, that was rare in Japan. All rooms were designed to be outward facing with great views, which leave us curious about what’s occupying the huge middle area of the square building. All rooms feature a huge circular bathtub that can comfortably fit 2 pax, differing from the typical small Japanese bathtubs.

Breakfast quality was top notch, with all dishes prepared to perfection (except for the Chinese cuisine). Although the selection is fairly standard, it was one of the tastiest hotel breakfast we had experienced. There’s also a kids corner thoughtfully setup to keep the younger guests entertained.

We visited the lounge only once for high tea and found the food to be just average, so there’s not much to miss. However, we did notice that sashimi were served at the lounge during breakfast, that may be appealing for some guests.

The hotel management was attentive to guests. During checkin, all counters were busy, and the frontdesk manager was proactive to keep track who arrived first. During breakfast, a lady manager will regularly checks on the guests, to ensure the stay was going well. All staff were friendly and professional, although we felt that some staff were following standard procedures rather than going beyond.

One minor observation we had was that many guests seemed to forget that the lobby was at the top floor. Upon exiting from the room, it’s natural to press the down button for the lift, so a clearer reminder next to the buttons would be helpful.

We found little information about subway before our arrive. The property was linked directly to 2 subway stations. The further Higobashi station was more convenient for getting around Osaka. Higobashi connects to the building basement 3 (while Watanabebashi is accessible via basement 1). There’s a lift along the building exterior, next to a bakery. Basement access was stroller friendly, we made the mistake of crossing the bridge under hot sun on our first day.

Amex FHR offer great deals for Conrad Osaka, with rates that were often lower than booking directly with Hilton. And the additional FHR benefits were provided, making it an attractive option. For anyone holding an Amex with FHR, a stay at Conrad is a must while in Osaka (at least until...