I spent a night at the Waldorf Astoria Osaka, a 252-key Hilton hotel with André Fu design, flawless service, a great spa and pool, and a stunning corner suite.
Hoe can they "wash a cocktail in butter" ? The Jemima cocktail says "butter washed" ?
Why would you (or any other American) quote rates ''before taxes and fees''? It's not like anyone can avoid those, and whether the taxes are 1% or 20% makes a huge difference. What the hotel receives and what the service charge is or the government imposed portion totally doesn't matter. What you are charged is the bottom line and the only thing that is important.
Ok, it’s settled; I wanna go here, even more, now. Ben, thank you for this thorough review! The views from the suite and Peacock Alley look incredible. Whether cash, points, or FNC, it’s a great reason to visit/stay in Osaka.
Honestly, for the price point, the absence of a fixed rain type showerhead sucks. I hate these shower heads attached to the hose, they never point in the direction you want them to point in.
@ Udo -- There is a rain-type shower head. You can see it in the full bathroom pic, looking toward the shower. 🙂
Excited to read about how much melon you ate at the station breakfast. Hopefully you got that French toast also.
@ Sel_D -- AMAZING BREAKFAST. I am still full from my 24 hour stay at that hotel, hah.
Excellent review. Beautiful place. Agree on the HH Diamond cocktail hour. Why not Asahi/Sapporo instead of Brooklyn Lager? Minor point.
@Abid Maybe, that beer is cheaper for them or they wanted to give a more international look for the hotel especially for the foreign tourists?
Osaka is such an underrated city. The majority of tourists just do Tokyo and Kyoto on a first time visit, or maybe one night in Osaka, which is such a shame. It's an incredible destination and the amount of new amazing hotels is a testament to that.
This is definitely true among Western tourists, but Osaka is extremely popular among travelers from elsewhere in Asia. Maybe even more so than Tokyo.
Correct. My comment was absolutely geared towards western (especially US) tourists.
I stayed here late last year. I booked it in early 2025 for 70k pts. It switched to 100k just a few weeks later. Now 120k. *sign*
But what a great hotel. Between my daily diamond food credit and the fact they offer diamond members 25% discount I had some great meals here. The breakfast was outstanding. And as you expect, Japanese hotel service puts everyone to shame.
Funny story. The hostess was showing me which tables I could have for dinner. In the one side we were in there was only a family there that night. The child up chucked her dinner onto the floor. I looked at the hostess. She did not bat a lash nor changed her smiling expression. She simply with the most amazing skills maneuver me to another section. I was impressed.
And in the ever shrinking days of upgrades it was nice that they gave me a suite. I stayed here for 3 nights. But not long enough.
Stayed here last week. No upgrade as diamond. Offered paid upgrade to room with better view. Welcome amenity was tea only. Breakfast was packed and very mid. Coffee and pastries were good. Stayed at Conrad Osaka on same trip and it seems both properties are being stingy. Also no upgrade, no welcome amenity, downgrade in general compared to past experiences.
@Ben you said: "In terms of getting to and from the hotel, the property is located just a very short walk from Osaka Station, giving easy access to public transit. However, it’s located across the river from the Shin-Osaka Station (which is where bullet trains operate from), so unless you want to walk for an hour, you’ll want to take the subway or a car."
I stayed there 5 days last fall. Waldorf is connect to Osaka station via underground walkway. Trains to Shin-Osaka leave constantly. Even the Haruka is the first track when you enter the station from the underground walkway. I did this almost daily. Kind of misleading when you say walk an hour or take a subway or car.
But great review and I agree it's a fabulous hotel. Next time be sure to check out Tsukimi, the teppanyaki was incredible. Had to me one of my most memorable meals ever.
I do have to wonder given your short review periods, if there are missing elements to the service.
I find the best 5 star hotels are ones that shine after a few days, where the staff remember your name and orders naturally, that feels very exceptional.
When you stay a single day, it's not as easy to capture these elements.
@ yoloswag420 -- That's a fair point. I'd say a one night stay gives you a 90% impression of the hotel. So my thought process is that I'd rather give people a 90% impression of three hotels, rather than a 100% impression of one hotel (though goodness, it sure would be easier to stay at one hotel for three nights!).
For that matter, I'd say hotel experiences also vary wildly based on when you stay. If you stay at a hotel during peak season (when occupancy is very high), it's often very different than staying when a hotel is fairly empty.
Sounds like a great experience, WA exclusivity and Japanese hospitality. Japan trips are always amongst the best of my travels!
“the rate was around $550 for my one-night stay, but then after the $300 credit, I really paid $250 out of pocket”
This isn’t really correct. The $300 credit is more like a rebate on your platinum annual fee
@ NFSF -- Of course that math has to be accounted for. But by "out of pocket" I was just referring to what I literally spent in cash at this moment. I absolutely still consider the "cost" here to be the original price.
Since I will be traveling through Japan for several weeks during cherry blossom season and plan to stay 5 nights in Osaka during part of the trip, the real question for me is whether the Waldorf Astoria is worth the 100,000 extra points to stay there over the Conrad. Still trying to decide which one to stay at. Waldorf is a really nice hotel, but that's a pretty big point differential. Also no lounge as Diamond, although if the quality of the Waldorf is that much better, I could live without it especially considering how crowded lounges will get during that time of year.
@MandN Have you considered the other Hilton properties if you would like to have access to a lounge? Conrad, Hilton, or Doubletree in Osaka?
@ MandN -- It's tough, I've heard great things about the Conrad as well. So I'll defer to others who have stayed at both. I do appreciate a lounge, but I also really love this hotel, so...
Ben, have you ever had a hotel or airline that just went over the top when they realized who you were and they wanted to impress you to get an excellent or perfect review? Like an upgrade to the presidential suite or the flight attendants/cabin manager going above and beyond?
@ Stanley C -- It has happened, but it's rare, to be honest. Perhaps the most memorable situation was at the Le Meridien Dhaka, where I did get a presidential suite upgrade, and they were definitely very "attentive."
https://onemileatatime.com/le-meridien-dhaka-review/
Because some of your review stays are so short, do you ever feel like you might be missing out on some service elements?
I find the best 5 star hotels shine on longer stays, where they pick up your preferences, like remembering your breakfast order the next day.
That's something much more nuanced that's hard to discern on a one night review stay.
Looks like they are giving all Diamond and above these corner suites facing the construction. 4 of my colleagues and myself (5 rooms total) all received upgrades to corner suites looking at the construction next door. Seems like the hotel isn't putting suite paid guests on the construction side. They are using the construction side for upgrades.
When I asked about moving to the same room, a corner suite on the other side, they quoted me $250 per night.