Four Seasons Osaka Opens August 2024 With Cool Modern Ryokan Rooms

I'd always select a Conrad over a Ritz. Just my taste, I guess.

Some people prefer Osaka to Tokyo? What kind of tourists are you hanging around? It's like saying you prefer Cleveland to New York City. I'm sure there's someone out there who does (infinite monkeys/infinite typewriters deal) but you'd have to be crazy to want to spend more than a day or two in Osaka as a tourist.

Looks nice but Four Seasons is not that interesting to those of us in the Hobby. A beautiful hotel is great but I want to be able to use points to book it (especially when cash rates are high).

Stayed at Intercontinental Osaka and enjoyed it in March 2024 - breakfast buffet is amazing for Diamond members and rooms are spacious and clean. It is under rated in my opinion and I booked it over Conrad

Osaka is known as more of a foodie destination. I'd argue it's more like comparing Boston to NYC, as Boston/Osaka are both properly large cities in their own right, but not as supermassive as Tokyo/NYC.

The Ritz Carlton Osaka may not have very modern decor, but the rooms are large and the staff is excellent (at least pre-covid).

I largely prefer Osaka over Tokyo: the nightlife in Namba and Shinsekai, people are much more relaxed/open than in Tokyo. Not even mentioning Tobita Shinchi which is quite unique in Japan for the few in the know 😉

I prefer Osaka over Tokyo. Tons of great restaurants, less crowded, closer to other places to visit such as Kyoto, lower cost hotels and I prefer universal over both disneys.

I agree. While I can understand why some foreigners prefer Osaka over Tokyo (people are more open/friendly by Western standards), I think Tokyo is a closer representation of Japanese people: orderly, reserved, clean and polite; it's also what I prefer. Osaka is absolutely dirtier than Tokyo in terms of trash on the street (although still clean by international standards).

Food wise, Tokyo is definitely the better city, for cheap or expensive food. There are plenty of Michelin or Tabelog highly rated restaurants that's somewhat easy to book in Tokyo, while Osaka has much less options and even moderately well rated ones are often completely booked out months ahead.

Location wise, if I wanted to stay in Kansai, I'd take Kyoto over Osaka. It's easier to get to other cities nearby (I'm thinking Nara, which I love, and not for the deer), and it has both traditional and modern stores and areas. Basically everything I need.

I suspect with time Four Seasons as a brand and quality will go down too or you will just find inconsistencies between properties. Consider how many new properties they are planning to open and compare that to large chain luxury properties such as St Regis, Ritz, Waldorf, etc.