Holiday Inn & Suites Shin Osaka, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Osaka

This is the best maintained and appointed hotel of the Holiday Inn group I have stayed in, worldwide. The room we stayed in was well appointed with its own fully equipped kitchenette (ideal for young familes to prepare baby/infants food) and a laundry room with a Miele washing/dryer. The room size was spacious with separate sleeping and living areas each with its own TV. The bathroom was well appointed too and can be a 'wet' room for showering. Toilet is housed in its own cubicle so no queuing for one or the other facility! I just cannot fault the room we stayed - simply superb!

My only criticism of the room's facilities is the washer/dryer. Hotel management has chosen a top brand, Miele, which reflects the hotel's ethos 'the best'. Unfortunately the machine's menu was in Japanese! Since Holiday Inn is an 'international' hotel group and every written communication in the hotel was in English, I found it baffling the washing machine menu was set in Japanese. Anyhow after a quick search on Google I was able to locate the model's user manual and was able to change the language to English. Once that was sorted, we were able to make the maxium use of the washer/dryer to our full satisfaction.

We had the 'breakfast' package. We found the quality of the breakfast to be the same high standard of HI group worldwide; it was plentiful including the ubiquitous grilled wiener sausages and streaky bacons (yum yum), and fried eggs to order. There was also Japanese breakfast faire. My only criticism, and I found this to be the same in other hotels in stayed in Japan, is the 'hot' food was simplly not hot. Luke warm if you are lucky, which was disappointing. Maybe it is a cultural thing.

We used the hotel's free regular 9 seater (plus luggage space) shuttle bus service which we found to be a 'godsend' when you are laden with heavy suitcases. It is a frequent service with the last bus from Shin-Osaka station at 2130hrs. The shuttle service has its own website detailing how to reach the bus stop and bus timings, which helped tremedously. Well done to management for this essential customer service.

In conclusion. We loved our stay at this superbly appointed hotel with top 'useful' amenities. The hotel's location, although not centrally located in Osaka is, however, conveniently located to local transport system. Absolutely no issue here for sightseeing trips. Also the nearest station is Shin-Osaka which connects you to places like Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji and Hiroshima for day trips. I highly recommend this hotel as a 'base' for your next...

I checked in today and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience that I feel compelled to share.

First, I was only given one room key card at check-in, despite there being documents prepared for two guests. The check-in felt rushed and I was quickly asked to choose one of the free perks as a member. I chose the beer, but was not informed that there was no bottle opener in the room. I had to go all the way back downstairs just to have the beer opened. If the room is not equipped with a bottle opener, this should have been mentioned upfront.

When I asked for help with my luggages, the front desk simply accompanied me to the room and left without assisting me in bringing the luggage inside. It felt inattentive and unprofessional.

I also wasn’t informed of the number to call the front desk from my room, which meant I had to go downstairs again just to ask how to reach the front desk.

To make matters worse, when I requested an iron and ironing board, I was told the hotel has no irons available and that I needed to go to the laundry room myself to get one. I was surprised to hear that a hotel of this class does not offer basic amenities like an in-room iron. The front desk lady is called “Surina kunimasa”, she speak in a very disrespectful and rude tone. She should not represent holiday inn at all.

Overall, the level of service has been very disappointing and far below expectations. I hope you take this feedback seriously and work on improving the guest experience

Updated after 5 days of stay: The hotel is not in a convenient location, it’s over a 15minute walk from the red subway line, which is tough if you have heavy luggage. There is a complimentary shuttle bus every 20 minutes, but it only holds 9 people and is usually full. If you’re not down at the designated time or the shuttle is full, you’ll likely miss it and have to wait another 20 minutes. Also, be aware that there’s no shuttle service between 12 PM and 2 PM, which makes it even more inconvenient if you’re planning to leave during that window.

The hotel is in a very quiet residential neighborhood with nothing much around, very limited shopping and dining options nearby. If you’re looking for a lively area with easy access to food, shopping, and that vibrant Japanese city feel, this hotel is not the best...

I had a disappointing experience at the Holiday Inn and Suites Shin Osaka. Leaving the hotel, trainees and staff member Mr. Fukuyama saw me, but only Ms. Nagai, the woman trainee, acknowledged me. Mr. Fukuyama and Mr. Yo ignored me. Later, returning with heavy groceries in the rain, Mr. Fukuyama and Mr. Yo saw me struggling but chose to look away, even when I banged on the window with my groceries. The doors are locked at night, and you need the key to open them. My hands were full with heavy groceries, and the key was in my pocket.

Inside, as I confronted them, they continued to ignore me. Despite Ms. Nagai acknowledging me, Mr. Fukuyama and Mr. Yo didn't help. When I asked for Mr. Fukuyama's name, he initially ignored me. Mr. Fukuyama only gave me his first name and was hiding his name tag in his pocket. He refused to wear his name tag, so I had to ask his name to identify him for the complaint. He completely ignored me even when I asked in simple Japanese, "What’s your name?" multiple times. Mr. Namila, a trainee, was the only helpful person, acting more professionally than Mr. Fukuyama.

I complained to corporate about Mr. Fukuyama's rudeness and unprofessional behavior. Despite IHG corporate trying to contact them, no one answered. With no customers in the lobby and four staff members present, it was disappointing that no one picked up the phone. Mr. Fukuyama refused to share his full name, adding to the continuous disregard and mockery of my Japanese, which was unacceptable.

Their repeated indifference, particularly seeing me struggle through the glass door, made my stay unpleasant. Their lack of assistance created an unwelcoming atmosphere, in stark contrast to Mr. Namila's more professional behavior. Mr. Fukuyama never apologized and ignored me during this whole ordeal. Mr. Fukuyama was so rude and unprofessional. This experience has been documented by IHG corporate and sent...