Namba Guesthouse HIVE — Hotel in Osaka

Summary It’s okay for a 1-night stay.

Location

Most attractions can be reached within 20 minutes, either by walking or taking a train. There are several restaurants, coffee shops, and markets nearby.

Staff

People in Osaka are generally friendlier compared to Kyoto and Tokyo, and the staff here was ok. I arrived at 1 PM, but the staff informed me that check-in time is at 4 PM, so I had to wait.

Note: I stayed at four hotels in Japan. If a room is available after 1 PM, most places allow early check-in. This was the only place where I had to wait until 4 PM. It's okay—rules are rules :-) In this Guest House. NO flexibility :-)

Check-In and Check-Out

This guesthouse operates with a self-service model.

I was given a key for a locker, which is useful for storing luggage and valuables. The locker size was decent.

At check-in, you receive a blanket and pillowcase, and you’re expected to make your own bed. 😊

Note: In the other hotels I stayed at, the bed was always prepared before check-in. Here, it's the guest’s responsibility to make the bed. It’s not a problem, but important to mention—especially since this is Japan, where service is usually very high-end.

At checkout, you're asked to return the blanket, pillowcase, and towel to reception. Gues has to do that too.

Towel usage costs 100 yen, which I was happy to pay.

Room I stayed in a large dormitory-style bedspace. It was a mixed-gender space.

The area felt a bit cluttered and messy, with guests’ towels, shoes, and clothes scattered around. It wasn't as clean or organized as other places I stayed.

Free Amenities

I didn’t find any notable free amenities.

Lobby Area The lobby area is very spacious. The kitchen is also located in the same space. The overall vibe of the hotel is youthful, mainly attracting Millennials and Gen Z travelers. Overall Cleanliness

Not bad, but the hotel could pay more attention to cleanliness, especially in the bedroom area. It felt cluttered and could be better maintained. The smell of the bedspace has...

I stayed in a semi-private bunk for two nights and had a good, pretty comfortable time, and if you are used to hostels/ shared accommodations, then you will probably have a nice stay, but there are some important things to keep in mind. First, it appears that all the floors are mixed-gender. Second, the semi-private bunk is not in a room by itself. It is in the same room as all the other style bunks but has an extra curtain and private desk area. So, you will be able to hear everything happening on your floor, such as bags rustling, coughing, or doors slamming. For those traveling with friends, you won’t be able chat in the rooms, even if you get the semi-private double bunks. Instead, there is a common area, kitchen, and laundry space on the 3rd floor where you can talk and eat freely (oh yeah, no food or drinks in the rooms). Lastly, since the room floors/ bathrooms are a shared space and everything is very audible, it is easy for light-sleepers and people sensitive to noises to feel annoyed (the hostel does provide free ear-plugs in such as case). Also, the cleanliness of the bathroom is really dependent on the cleanliness of the other guests. If you have ever stayed at a hostel before, I’m sure everything I mentioned is obvious to you, but I felt like it needed to be mentioned to put my review in perspective.

Personally, I had no problems with the bed area and was glad that each bed had its own locker, and we could even use slippers, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner for free (can even rent a towel for 200¥). So I could pack light. As for the location, it is extremely convenient being directly above a subway station and there are many delicious restaurants and souvenir stores nearby.

Some potential problems are 1) lack of space for large suitcases around your bed, 2) that you can’t control the AC (it was quite cold when I went during summer), and 3) that the elevator take a long time (there are stair but I...

I had a really bad sleep here. This hostel is actually really nice but my bed situation was not good.

I was on the top bunk bed and at night the exit sign shined right into the top of the bed. It was really uncomfortable and hard to sleep with this bright white light beaming on my face. If you got the bottom bunk you will be fine but the top bunk has no wall to the roof so the light comes into your bed. If the person next to you has there bed light on as well it lights up the whole roof and your bed. I’m giving a negative review because this made it so so hard and uncomfortable to sleep. Not all the beds in the dorm will be lit up so it will very depending on where they tell you your sleeping. In the morning there are windows that light up the bed too. Honestly they just need more curtains in the top bunk to block this light because it was unbearable to sleep.

I found the showers very small and hard to fit into to as well but that was the least of my problems.

Everything else was fine, the dorms were clean and the bunk beds were solid and not squeaky. Bathrooms were good. The commom area was nice and the wifi worked well.

Location is very good, located right next to a train station and close walking distance to everything.

The staff were very friendly too and happy to explain things.

You also have to make and strip your own bed when you leave. So be prepared to make your bed if you arrive late. With a check in time at 4 pm you would expect the bed to be at least made.

On the floor there should be more skinks, only 4 for 20+ people in the dorm.

Very squished dorms with no room to unpack your bags or sort them.

For the price I paid I really expected more of this place so it was really disappointing to me that the top beds aren’t really designed properly with things to...