OsakaWino

They let me use a DSU for the Club Deluxe Room once, and then when I tried to do it again they said no. But both of those instances were about 2 years ago, so things may have changed, either with the new ownership or with a new person in charge. Can't hurt to ask, the Club Deluxe is very nice, unless you have need of a separate living room (for kids or having guests in, etc.) I would say it is nicer than the Regency Suite.

The Dec 23 holiday on a Tue would normally not have a big effect on Dec 22, since the Mon is a workday. It is one of those days that would have been cheap if booked well in advance, but a lot of young Japanese couples like to spend a night in a hotel around Christmas. I suspect so that might be one factor.

cosmicac

This is not a Four Season's nor will it ever be. But I like the hotel. Perhaps if you learn to speak a little Japanese it would enhance your stay. The staff is friendly and they do try but there is only so much they can do because of their location. The breakfast buffet is very good but again you need to communicate what you want to the staff. On the weekends the buffet is very crowded so having breakfast later is better. Also, the elevators are a bit noisy so I would request a room away from the elevators before you check in. Finally because of their location they cater to the locals and not to the tourists, so keep this in mind when you stay here. If you are visiting Osaka for the first time there are better choices, but I've done that so I find the hotel more than adequate.

RTW1

Catering to the locals.... You must have missed all those tourbusses.

OsakaWino

But it is true that the RC lounge does cater to mostly locals, with a few diamonds thrown in. The've always done a very good busines with the locals for the RC level on weekends. As for the tour groups, while I think they are a bit below the sakura levels (it seems that Taipei and some locations in SE Asia are saturated with sakura posters), they still seem to be going strong. Despite some inconveniences, especially for those seeking an early breakfast, the steady revenue might lead to improvements that would benefit diamonds. We'll just have to see...

cruisingmickey

I am looking to stay here sometime in 2015. Does anyone have any updates regarding this hotel?

Also, do you think it will be convenient to get to/from this hotel if I plan to visit Osaka Castle, Osaka Aquarium, Den Den Town, Amerikamura, Shinsaibashi Shopping Area, Dotonbori ? Do you think these places can be easily reached if I were to stay at HR Kyoto instead?

The so so reviews of this hotel is making me have second thoughts. I plan to visit Universal Studios Japan so I am thinking it might be more convenient to stay here for a night or two, but if it's do-able from HR Kyoto, I might do that instead. Does anyone know? I also read from a really old post in this thread that this hotel used to offer discounted Universal Studios tickets at 20%. Is this still the case?

Thanks in advance! I appreciate it! =)

Mark McCracken

Hyatt Osaka is certainly more convenient than Kyoto for going to the places you mention, especially Universal Studios, for which, I believe, there is a shuttle you can pay for. Also, you can take the free shuttle to Umeda (Osaka station) to visit Yodobashi Camera, (superior to den den town, in my opinion). Alternatively walk about 4 minutes to the nearest subway station (nice wooded walk, bridge over the road). For Osaka Castle, you'd take the subway to Osaka Business Park. Yes, the Osaka Hyatt is physically a little rough around the edges - it's showing its 20 years - but the staff is great, and it's much cheaper than Kyoto.

RTW1

Everything is doable... But you would be the first that I have seen that would consider visiting Universal from the HR Kyoto. A total waste of time traveling in my opinion.

And as mentioned in your other thread. The HR is quite a decent hotel, with a few small issues like a remote location and possible crowds at breakfast.

cruisingmickey

Thanks so much Mark and RTW! I had no idea about Yodobashi Camera. I will add that to my list.

RTW - thanks! It looks like I will just stick to HR Osaka for convenience. I was hoping I could stay in one hotel and not have to waste time changing hotels, but it looks like it will be better to do both hotels.

I will post updates when I get back from my trip in March.

RTW1

If you plan to splurge at Yodobashi... Don't forget to use the Visa vist Japan offer: http://www.visa-news.jp/visitjapan/e...ant/yodobashi/

Travelling from Kyoto to the HR Osaka is not such a pain. Easy train connection and then the hotel shuttle bus. It just takes a while, count on 1,5 hour. That's why I don't think it's smart to do Universal from Kyoto. And as Mark has pointed out, Kyoto also tends to be more expensive.

cruisingmickey

Thanks RTW for the link!

OsakaWino

The hotel location is not that bad unless you want nightlife in downtown Osaka, miss the last shuttle, or even worse, the last train, and you're really out of luck. Public spaces are still in very nice condition, rooms could use new carpets and drapes, but the bathrooms are quite nice.

Access to the Aquarium would be very convenient. There is only one shuttle per day each way to/from USJ, and train is not that convenient. If you cost is not a factor, such as if you have a JR pass, it might even be faster to get to USJ by train from HR Kyoto than HR Osaka.

Rates at both HR Kyoto and HR Osaka can fluctuate a lot, if you get a good rate at Kyoto, and have that JR pass, I would not hesitate to base their for everything if you don't want to change hotels. A lot of Japanese visitors whose main interest is Kyoto but want to spend just 1 day at USJ would feel fine about travelling from Kyoto. I would have to double-check to be sure but I'm pretty sure it would involve just one change at Nishiku-jo by taking the Haruka train.

Don't know what you have read about Den Den Town, but it is not longer a good place to buy general electrical goods. There are still a few places for high-end audio, but most of the shops are now for used video games, 'adult' video, pirated DVDs, and that sort of thing. Yodobashi Camera is your best bet, especially with the HR Osaka shuttle. There's also a Yodobashi Camera at Kyoto Station.

Hope you're aware that Osaka Castle is a ferro-concrete postwar reproduction. Still some impressive original stone walls, and interesting enough, but seldom considered to be the top of the list over the temples in Kyoto or the Daibutsu in Nara. Again, if you have a JR pass, Himeji Castle is the real thing and a National Treasure. Hikone Castle as well. Himeji is much bigger and closer to Osaka.

Places like Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi (actually pretty much the same place) would be easier from HR Osaka, but again, if you have a JR pass, not all that bad timewise from Kyoto.

cruisingmickey

Thanks OsakaWino for your helpful feedback! I plan on getting the JR Pass. So I booked 4 nights at HR Kyoto and then 2 nights at HR Osaka. Cost isn't really a factor. The rates per night at HR Kyoto are about $146 compared to $150 at HR Osaka so they are comparable. I am using points & cash at HR Osaka so it'll cost 4,000 points + $55. HR Kyoto has a 4th night free promo.(I am also staying at Park Hyatt Seoul before I get to Japan and Andaz Tokyo afterwards. I just did Park Hyatt Tokyo earlier this month during a previous trip.)

Does anyone know how often the Regency Suites become available? I am looking to use my DSU so I don't waste them, but I've been looking for a few weeks and haven't seen any pop up. Are they scarce at this location?

OsakaWino

The suites at HR Osaka are not bookable on Hyatt.com and therefore do not show up on the list. You have to call or PM the concierge here on FT. They are very often available, especially on weekdays unless there is some sort of business convention.

cruisingmickey

Thanks for the tip. Online showed nothing, but when I called 1 of the 2 nights were available. I ended up using 1 DSU since they are going to expire and I don't want them to go to waste. I wonder if they'll be nice and upgrade me to another suite so I don't have to switch rooms. Any experience with this?

OsakaWino

If you contact the hotel you can ask if they'll let you use a DSU for a Deluxe Club Room, which is bigger than a suite at many hotels. They have let me do this once and refused once.

Also, be sure to check on the JR connections from Kyoto to USJ if you decide to go that way. It is JR all the way, but it should be doable in 45-60 minutes. The shuttle from HR Osaka would definitely be faster, but at least the last time I looked it was just one going to USJ early in the morning and one returning in the evening; probably about 30 minutes. I believe there are also buses from the ATC to USJ. Train is possible, changing from the subway to JR at Betencho and changing again at Nishikujo; I would estimate 45 min with the 2 changes.