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Reservations have recently opened for the Four Seasons Osaka, which should set the standard for luxury hotels in one of Japan’s biggest cities.
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Details of the new Four Seasons Osaka
The Four Seasons Osaka is accepting reservations for stays as of August 1, 2024. The Four Seasons Osaka will be located in the One Dojima Project. With accommodations being on floors 28-35 of the building, you can expect panoramic views from all rooms.
The Four Seasons Osaka will feature a total of 175 guest rooms and suites. As you’d expect, all the rooms look super luxurious, and they’re also quite generously sized by Japanese standards, with base rooms measuring 463-495 square feet (43-46 square meters).
However, arguably what’s coolest about the rooms is that the Four Seasons will offer what’s described as Osaka’s first modern ryokan experience.
21 of the hotel’s rooms, located on floor 28, will be designed as a contemporary interpretation of ryokan culture, including tatami mat flooring, sliding doors within each space, a platform bed, and a dining area for traditional or standard seating. Guests staying in these accommodations will also get a dedicated check-in area, plus a tea ceremony.
Beyond the room, the Four Seasons Osaka will feature all kinds of amenities. Floor 36 of the hotel will be dedicated to wellness, and include a spa with five treatment rooms, a sauna, and Japanese baths, a 16-meter indoor pool, and a 24/7 fitness center.
Four Seasons Osaka will offer six food and beverage outlets. These will be comprised of Jiang Nan Chun (a Cantonese dining experience with multiple private and semi-private dining rooms), Sushi O (a sushi counter), Jardin (an international all-day dining restaurant), Bar Bota (a destination bar), Farine (a bakery with pastries and specialty coffee), and CHA (a Japanese tea lounge).
How this fits into the competitive landscape
When it comes to Four Seasons’ portfolio in Japan, this will be the brand’s fourth property in the country, after the Four Seasons Tokyo at Marunouchi, Four Seasons Tokyo at Otemachi, and Four Seasons Kyoto. Osaka is a popular jumping off point for Kyoto, which is one of Japan’s hottest destinations at the moment. So I imagine a lot of people will pair a stay at Four Seasons’ properties in Osaka and Kyoto.
On top of that, Osaka is a vibrant city that’s worth visiting in its own right, and some people even prefer it to Tokyo.
So, how will the Four Seasons Osaka fit into the competitive landscape in the city? Osaka is kind of a quirky luxury hotel market, as several international luxury brands have a presence, but most properties aren’t regarded as being that amazing.
Probably the top three international chain hotels are the Ritz-Carlton Osaka, St. Regis Osaka, and Conrad Osaka. While you’d ordinarily expect Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to be superior to Conrad, that doesn’t seem to be the case in Osaka. The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis aren’t exactly cutting edge anymore, while the Conrad actually looks very good, and modern.
So I think it’s safe to say that the Four Seasons will beat the existing properties, but of course it’s priced accordingly.
Four Seasons Osaka rates & how to book
What are rates like at the Four Seasons Osaka? While Japan has seen a huge boom in tourism, the good news is that Osaka isn’t quite as “hot” as Tokyo and Kyoto, and the Japanese Yen is also very weak at the moment.
Currently rates seem to start at a bit over $700 per night, though they vary based on the time of year, day of week, etc. The hotel also has several promotions, including a third night free offer, and more.
If you’re going to book this hotel (or any Four Seasons), you absolutely should book through a travel advisor who is affiliated with Four Seasons Preferred Partner. With this program, eligible travel advisors can add value to your stay without it costing you extra. They can add perks like complimentary breakfast (including via in-room dining), a hotel credit, an upgrade subject to availability, and more.
Best of all, Four Seasons Preferred Partner can generally be combined with any rates or promotions you’ll find directly with Four Seasons. For what it’s worth, the upgrades through this program are also prioritized over upgrades through other programs, so you’ll want to use Preferred Partner over a program like Virtuoso or Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts.
Ford and his team are happy to help with Preferred Partner bookings, and can be reached at [email protected].
Bottom line
The Four Seasons Osaka is opening as of August 2024, and should set the new luxury hotel standard in Osaka. The Four Seasons should offer great views, excellent food and beverage outlets, and of course Four Seasons’ consistently great service.
I think the coolest thing about this hotel, though, is the modern ryokan floor, where you can get a feel for the traditional ryokan vibe, while still getting the luxury, comfort, and flexibility, you expect from a Four Seasons.
What do you make of the Four Seasons Osaka?
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.
The Ritz Carlton Osaka may not have very modern decor, but the rooms are large and the staff is excellent (at least pre-covid).
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
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.
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.
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...
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'd always select a Conrad over a Ritz. Just my taste, I guess.