Want to take advantage of Hilton for Luxury benefits at no extra cost (when paying for your stay with cash), including a room upgrade, free breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He doesn’t charge booking fees, and may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
As someone who loves both Japan and luxury points hotels, here’s a development I’m excited about!
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Basics of the new Waldorf Astoria Osaka
The Waldorf Astoria Osaka is now accepting reservations for stays as of April 14, 2025. The 252-room property will be the Waldorf Astoria brand’s first hotel in Japan, and will be located on the upper floors (levels 28 through 38) of the new Grand Front Osaka South Building, in the Umekita area of Osaka.
While exact details about the property are still somewhat limited, this looks about as nice as city hotels get, with three dining venues, and a wellness area with a spa, fitness center, and indoor pool. Rooms start at 520 square feet (48 square meters), so are generously sized. Below you can find some renderings of the property.
We’re currently seeing the Osaka hotel scene improve quite nicely, which is no surprise, given Expo 2025 Osaka is happening this April (the same time this hotel is opening — they better hope there’s no delay). We also recently saw the opening of the Four Seasons Osaka, with some cool modern ryokan rooms.
Osaka has quite a few good luxury points hotels, ranging from the Conrad, to the Ritz-Carlton, to the St. Regis. Until the Waldorf Astoria opens, the Conrad is considered by many to be the most luxurious points hotel in the city, given its modern design (the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis aren’t the most modern).
Waldorf Astoria Osaka rates & points requirements
With the Waldorf Astoria Osaka being bookable, what are rates like? When paying cash, rates seem to start at just under $1,000 per night, which is just about the top end of the market in Osaka, especially with the weak Japanese Yen.
If you’re booking a cash rate here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hilton for Luxury program, so you can take advantage of extra perks. Ford and his team can help with these requests, and can be reached at [email protected].
For those looking to redeem Hilton Honors points, the property currently starts at 100,000 points per night for a standard room. I value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, so I’d consider redemptions here to be a very good deal. If you’re an elite member and are redeeming points, keep in mind that you can get a fifth night free, potentially bringing down the average nightly cost to 80,000 points.
Bottom line
The Waldorf Astoria Osaka is accepting reservations for stays as of April 2025. It’s always nice to see new luxury points hotels, and this is a property that looks gorgeous, and which is a good deal on points. If you’re headed to Osaka and have Hilton Honors points, this is definitely a property to keep in mind.
What do you make of the new Waldorf Astoria Osaka?
I booked Four Seasons in May 2025 and took advantage of the 1 free night promotion. Now with the new Waldorf, I’m not sure which one to book
In a similar Situation I have a stay at the Conrad for one night in route from Kyoto. Wanted to see which of these two properties has the best location to experience Osaka.
I would put the Osaka Station (autograph) in the same league as the other hotels in this article. Especially considering their lounge. Rooms were incredibly modern and I enjoyed the aesthetic more than what I’m seeing in these renderings. I’ll save the WA for Cabo.
I'm having a bit of a dilemma here. I'm heading to Osaka in the second half of 2025. I was planning on staying in the Conrad Osaka, but now I'm not so sure.
Trust me, if you don't know Osaka and wants to enjoy it, stay in the Namba area instead of Umeda where Conrad is.
The Swisshotel is the best hotel in Bamba.