Hotel Keihan Temmabashi — Hotel in Osaka

We stayed in Hotel Keihan Temmabashi at the end of October 2017. Our stay was very busy, visiting as many of the famous sites as was possible in 6 full days, and our over all impression of the hotel was that we had a very happy time. We stayed on the 8th floor and our room was tiny, but manageable for an average sized couple who travels light. Let me start with the annoying bits regarding our room. There was only a hot water kettle with two coffee cups and two water glasses provided for getting refreshment, although there was a vending machine in the middle of the floor with large selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages to serve the tired traveller returning to her room. There was only one laundry on the second floor, with 4 washing machines for hundreds of guests to use, which meant one night I had to stay up till 2 am to finish washing for the next day. We could have brought more clothes with us, but I was counting on the fact that the Hotel has laundry, so we opted for travelling with less in order to fit more comfortably in our room. Also, for the first time I decided not to travel with my computer , but regretted that decision even more than packing light, since the only English channel available in the Hotel was CNN, and that provided no real news of what was happening in the world, instead it offered endless Trump-bashing until my eyes bled. ( I am Australian, not American, but to me it was way beyond what a sane person can bare of hearing the same topic over and over and over and over again and over and over and over and over again, ad nauseum.) On the third day I opted for Japanese channels, despite the fact I can't speak Japanese, and thinking perhaps the Hotel had a hidden agenda, which was to spread the knowledge of the Japanese language. (?) Understandable, though rather annoying. Now let me give the good bits about this Hotel. Impeccably clean top to bottom, every corner, fresh sheets provided every day. The air-conditioning worked perfectly, even though we both smoked in our room there was no lingering smell. The bathroom is the size of a wardrobe, without ventilation, but still manages to be perfectly hygienic and fresh. I was pleasantly surprised that the window in our room could be opened (which fact was not immediately apparent to us, since the handles were taken off ) because I have this fancy of always having a window open a little when I sleep, to make me feel being more part of the whole place rather than being isolated in a box. ( Many hotels in Asia have the windows fixed shut because of the air conditioner working without end, whereas in this hotel the guest can just switch off the air conditioner at will.) We had the Hotel breakfast on the first morning , my husband liked it, he liked the variety, I was so-so about it, but then again, I can be rather fussy, occasionally. Verdict; worth a try. We had a very happy stay in this Hotel, because the location of it was just perfect for our daily excursions to discover all the beauty that Osaka and Kyoto has to offer. I only wish we had more time to do so ! ( In fact, at one point I began daydreaming about what would it be like if we just stayed in Japan for good.) Literally about 30 m from the subway station which connects to JR stations and in addition just across the road is the Keihan line, which I took to Kiyomizu-dera,. From this hotel it was easy to walk to Osaka castle and to the Osaka city museum. The shopping centre across the road had absolutely everything one may wish to buy, fashion, electrical, souvenirs, flowers, chocolate, bakeries, restaurants upstairs. In fact, there are lots of eateries just in the near vicinity of this Hotel. There are also 3 Family Marts very nearby to buy a pencil or bandaid, sandwiches and milk if needed, and they are open at all hours. The staff in the Hotel is very courteous, but everyone we met in Japan were very courteous, and some people even very kind - which was...

We spent 8 nights here, using it as a base to explore Osaka and environs. It is a newer hotel with a classy, restrained style. It is located across the street from a metro/local railway station with an associated 8-floor shopping mall built above it – very handy! Osaka Castle park is just 10 minutes walk from the hotel - go at 5am to appreciate the tranquility. ||Check-in was easy, the staff aid you to navigate the check-in machines. Many of them speak at least a little English. Check-out was also easy; we paid an extra 2,000Y for 2 hours later check-out time as our flight didn’t leave until late. Close to the check-in desks was an area where many little amenities are available – toiletries, tea/coffee supplies, trah bags, hand towels, etc. There's also a hotel hand stamp - IYKYK!||The room was nicely designed; the wet room, toilet and sink were all separate. Fridge and kettle were in-room, while there are microwaves and vending machines on a couple of floors. ||We booked one of the slightly smaller rooms – less wide, but still enough space for us to both move around. The twin beds were comfy, though we had to ask for extra pillows as only one each is standard. The beds and pillows are harder than is standard in the US, but not uncomfortable. ||The HVAC system was efficient and VERY quiet - not the noisy tornado common to US hotels! Many room functions, such as the HVAC and lights, are controlled via a touchpad between the beds. The TV was great; we were able to cast our iPad to it, and you can check on the status of your laundry. The laundry has three washers and three dryers; payment is via the web, so take your phone/iPad down with you! Cash payment was not an option. The machines were very efficient and detergent was provided. ||We paid the extra charge for the breakfast buffet; this was a highlight. There’s a good range of hot and cold foods, mostly Western but some with a Japanese twist, and there were some changes daily. Pastries and rolls, cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt were available, but our favourite was the soft-serve ice cream machine – the vanilla-matcha swirl is to die for! ||Throughout our stay, the staff were friendly, competent and helpful and overall we were very pleased with the hotel – we cannot think of any real issues or concerns, which is pretty remarkable for an 8-night stay! Top marks and we can highly...

Unfortunately when you enter the building, you need to walk up a set of stairs. This is a challenge, especially since I am sure that many guests come with luggage that can be difficult to carry up. It would be helpful if they had a ramp or someone available to carry the luggage up. I suggest these options because it’s a relatively cheaper solution, but an escalator would be ideal. On top of this, the rooms themselves were very dirty compared to other budget hotels I stayed at in Japan (such as APA that was also next door), despite being about the same cost. I have attached a pic for reference. The bathroom water also smelled strange which was concerning. There were only outlets on one side on one of the two beds we had, meaning that one person in the room did not have access to outlets. This could easily be resolved by moving the outlets positioned between the two beds for easy access for everyone. There is little to no space for luggage, and no storage space for any of it either. This could be resolved with storage space made available underneath the beds without adding more square footage to each room. If you have large luggage, I would strongly consider this point. I appreciate the lounge area in the lobby. The location is decent as it is in close proximity to a metro station and the Osaka Castle, but there are plenty of better stays in the same area. Overall, I would recommend staying elsewhere considering the...