VIA INN Abeno Tennoji — Hotel in Osaka

Let me begin by saying that this was our 3rd trip to Osaka and this time around we decided to change things up a little in terms of hotel stay. Prior 2 trips we stayed @ the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel which is truly a 5 star hotel but it comes at a price. For this trip we wanted something new, refreshing so I searched around for hotels but knew I wanted to stay in the Abeno Tennoji area for several reasons. 1) familiarity 2) great base location to travel to various area within Osaka and day trips to other cities 3) Ease of transportation to/from Kansei Airport (take JR Haruka Express and its a 35 min ride every 30 mins.) 4) several malls with great shops and restaurants within walking distance max 5 mins. To get to the hotel from KIX airport, take the JR Haruka express. You can purchase the tickets at the JR office at KIX airport. For a savings, regular price is 1700 yen, but if you purchase the ICOCA Card (subway card which allows you to add money once depleted) along with the JR Ticket the price of the JR is only 1100 yen. A savings of 600 yen. The ICOCA CARD saves you time when taking the subway/bus since you won’t need to buy individual tickets to each station and figure out how much each ticket costs. It works in all cities. You just swipe upon entering/exiting. There is a 500 refundable deposit once you are ready to return the ICOCA card before departing Japan at KIX airport. Ok, now that you boarded the Haruka, get off at the Tennoji station and walk towards the exit of the station towards Mio mall. Once you exited, you should be facing the street and Mio entrance will be on your right hand side. You can either walk outside on the sidewalk or inside Mio. Inside is easier with suitcases as the surface is smooth. Once you walk to the end, you will see a Horai 551. To the left will be an elevator. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Once you’re on the second floor you will on a walkway path that you can either go left or right. Going left takes you to the Abeno Harukas Bldg...take the path bearing right but do not take any staircases leading down. As you keep walking you will approach a set of long stairs going down. Turn right and enter a bldg where there will be an elevator on the right side. Take to 1st floor. Once you’re on the 1st floor, turn right and keep walking straight until you reach the hotel which is located next to a huge duty free shop. Trust me it’s much easier than it sounds and this avoided taking any stairs especially with suitcases. Check in is located on the 7th floor. |After you check in, grab all the toiletries you need at the grab station located next to the elevator.||We booked the Twin City room @ 215 sq ft which is the largest room the hotel has to offer. For 2 ppl, the size is just on point especially for japan standards. We were able to fit 2-26” suitcases and a 21” suitcase and have ample room to move around. ||Some have complained the pillow can be a bit stiff, but I actually loved their pillows! Yea they are stiff but it’s also a different style of pillow. If you’re used to sleeping on memory foam pillows, your best bet would be to place a towel on top to soften the pillow. But remember, pillows should always match the type of mattress and this was on the firmer side, hence the firmer pillow.||The dry/wet bathroom worked out great. Water pressure was very strong, but the soaking tub was too short in length to be of any good. The sink is in the shorter side, but that’s why they have a stool in front for you to sit. I stood but I can see how some might have an issue.||Breakfast is complimentary and during our 5 day stay the breakfast basically was the same offerings every other day. Typically Japanese dishes, with limited Western selection (eggs, croissant, hot dogs, baked pastries). Remember you’re in Japan, you should have an open mind and try their version of what breakfast is...you might actually like it.||If you hang he Do Not Disturb sign for more than 3 days, they will automatically come in and make up the room due to hotel policy. We actually saw the cleaning maids every morning and just asked for clean towels, until after the 3rd day.||There are 2 computers on the 7th floor for guests to use along with a currency exchange machine and 2 self check out automated machines. Checkout is @ 10 AM, but they allow guests up to 10:30, if requested.||Overall, we were surprisingly happy with our stay compared to the other hotel we stay in Osaka at a fraction of the price. Excellent value, service, and location. I’d definitely recommend and will stay again during my...

Let me begin by saying that this was our 3rd trip to Osaka and this time around we decided to change things up a little in terms of hotel stay. Prior 2 trips we stayed @ the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel which is truly a 5 star hotel but it comes at a price. For this trip we wanted something new, refreshing so I searched around for hotels but knew I wanted to stay in the Abeno Tennoji area for several reasons. 1) familiarity 2) great base location to travel to various area within Osaka and day trips to other cities 3) Ease of transportation to/from Kansei Airport (take JR Haruka Express and its a 35 min ride every 30 mins.) 4) several malls with great shops and restaurants within walking distance max 5 mins. To get to the hotel from KIX airport, take the JR Haruka express. You can purchase the tickets at the JR office at KIX airport. For a savings, regular price is 1700 yen, but if you purchase the ICOCA Card (subway card which allows you to add money once depleted) along with the JR Ticket the price of the JR is only 1100 yen. A savings of 600 yen. The ICOCA CARD saves you time when taking the subway/bus since you won’t need to buy individual tickets to each station and figure out how much each ticket costs. It works in all cities. You just swipe upon entering/exiting. There is a 500 refundable deposit once you are ready to return the ICOCA card before departing Japan at KIX airport. Ok, now that you boarded the Haruka, get off at the Tennoji station and walk towards the exit of the station towards Mio mall. Once you exited, you should be facing the street and Mio entrance will be on your right hand side. You can either walk outside on the sidewalk or inside Mio. Inside is easier with suitcases as the surface is smooth. Once you walk to the end, you will see a Horai 551. To the left will be an elevator. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Once you’re on the second floor you will on a walkway path that you can either go left or right. Going left takes you to the Abeno Harukas Bldg...take the path bearing right but do not take any staircases leading down. As you keep walking you will approach a set of long stairs going down. Turn right and enter a bldg where there will be an elevator on the right side. Take to 1st floor. Once you’re on the 1st floor, turn right and keep walking straight until you reach the hotel which is located next to a huge duty free shop. Trust me it’s much easier than it sounds and this avoided taking any stairs especially with suitcases. Check in is located on the 7th floor. |After you check in, grab all the toiletries you need at the grab station located next to the elevator.||We booked the Twin City room @ 215 sq ft which is the largest room the hotel has to offer. For 2 ppl, the size is just on point especially for japan standards. We were able to fit 2-26” suitcases and a 21” suitcase and have ample room to move around. ||Some have complained the pillow can be a bit stiff, but I actually loved their pillows! Yea they are stiff but it’s also a different style of pillow. If you’re used to sleeping on memory foam pillows, your best bet would be to place a towel on top to soften the pillow. But remember, pillows should always match the type of mattress and this was on the firmer side, hence the firmer pillow.||The dry/wet bathroom worked out great. Water pressure was very strong, but the soaking tub was too short in length to be of any good. The sink is in the shorter side, but that’s why they have a stool in front for you to sit. I stood but I can see how some might have an issue.||Breakfast is complimentary and during our 5 day stay the breakfast basically was the same offerings every other day. Typically Japanese dishes, with limited Western selection (eggs, croissant, hot dogs, baked pastries). Remember you’re in Japan, you should have an open mind and try their version of what breakfast is...you might actually like it.||If you hang he Do Not Disturb sign for more than 3 days, they will automatically come in and make up the room due to hotel policy. We actually saw the cleaning maids every morning and just asked for clean towels, until after the 3rd day.||There are 2 computers on the 7th floor for guests to use along with a currency exchange machine and 2 self check out automated machines. Checkout is @ 10 AM, but they allow guests up to 10:30, if requested.||Overall, we were surprisingly happy with our stay compared to the other hotel we stay in Osaka at a fraction of the price. Excellent value, service, and location. I’d definitely recommend and will stay again during my...

Excellently located a few minutes’ walk from Tennoji station (on JR, Subway & private railways), we spent four nights here in November. ||||The easiest way to get to the hotel is to go down to the subway level, then look for exit 5. At the top of the stairs, turn 180 degrees and follow the path along to Don Quixote, next to which is a lift lobby, where you catch the lift to the 7th floor reception.||||The hotel makes clever use of mirrors throughout the reception level to give the impression of space, while the view across Tennoji Park is exceptional.||||The room was typically Japanese-sized, but the bathroom felt a little larger than normal. A neat feature on the in-house TV channel was being able to monitor the availability of the washing machines on level 10 – not only did it show you which ones were in use, but how many minutes each one had remaining.||||Breakfast, served at the reception level, comprised a mix of Japanese and Western items, with sufficient variety to suit most. The attentive staff kept things under control, even at busy times.||||The hotel is within a short distance of several shopping centres, as well as the Abeno Harukas skyscraper, so makes an excellent base from which to explore Osaka. We would happily...