Meander Osaka — Hotel in Osaka

Definitely misled by the 4.4 rating on Google Map….

I have been traveling everywhere in Japan for numerous times and this is the worst hotel experience I had so far. Starting from the first moment I stepped into the room, the entire hotel lobby was in a complete mess with a big construction going on which had lasted during my entire stay. I was traveling with my family together with my young kids so it had been very inconvenient dragging our suitcases and baby strollers in and out, not to mention all the dust, dirt and noise everywhere. To the hotel management, you should have temporarily closed down the hotel for renovation instead of continuing to accept hotel bookings which would just make guests leave bad review like this. Does this worth it?

And the room is VERY small and aged which is way much smaller than other budget hotels we stayed in Tokyo and Osaka, but the room rates were much higher which didn’t justify for it. And the location is not close to the Namba station at all.

Also, when we needed to do laundry in the evening, the housekeeping just occupied ALL the dryers to dry the hotel bedsheets that we gotta wait for another hour to dry our clothes….and their dryers are pretty useless. After drying for 2 hours, my clothes were still damp.

The only credit I would give is to the staff at the front desk especially the gentleman named Ben who has been super helpful, friendly and...

When sleeping on the bunkbed you can't even extend your arm before hitting the ceiling. It feels claustrophobic and almost impossible to get a good night sleep. The pictures I saw didn't give that impression. I couldn't keep the window open for ventilation because when we did mosquitos came in. When using the bathroom your knee hits the walls. When they clean they leave the trash and towels of all the other rooms in the hallway next to the elevator and it smells. I booked 3 nights, only stayed 1, and ended up booking another hotel. I tried to communicate with the staff to see if another room in the hotel was available. They said no, but when I looked at the booking website I saw rooms available. I get that it's a small hotel but it's VERY overpriced for what you get. The other hotel I stayed at was a 4-star hotel, the rooms were 4 times bigger and it was less expensive.

I wasn't expecting a full refund at all, but they didn't even consider a small partial refund for the 2 nights I did not stay. They just took their money. Given it was a busy weekend I'm sure they booked those nights again. The staff was nice, but in my opinion 1/5 star service and understanding to help make a customer more comfortable. $500 down the drain.

I don't recommend staying here. If you can't find anything in the center of the city, it's worth to look for something farther away since transportation is...

A Place That Truly Feels Like Home Thanks to Joyce

Staying at Meander Hotel Osaka was an absolute pleasure. The location is perfect, the place was stylish and comfortable, and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. But what truly made my experience unforgettable was Joyce, the associate manager.

Joyce went far beyond the call of duty to help me with something that had nothing to do with the hotel itself. She personally helped me track down a missing piece of luggage that had been lost by the airline. She made calls, followed up, and treated my problem as if it were her own.

It’s rare to meet someone in the service industry who genuinely cares, who chooses to go the extra mile not because they have to but because they want to. Joyce is that kind of person. Her kindness, patience, and persistence turned a stressful situation into one that made me feel supported, seen, and truly at home.

Hotels can be beautiful and well located, but it’s the people who make all the difference. Joyce, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ll never forget your help, and because of you, Meander will always be my...