enelym1978

I stayed at the Westin Osaka last March and plan to stay there again this October for work.

Location is not perfect as many mentioned. It's not that far from the Osaka JR station though, connecting you to all parts of Osaka and its surroundings. Different story if you plan to take the Shinkansen.
The Westin is nothing fancy but it was good enough for me considering the price. The St Regis was way too expensive and the Sheraton was not convenient for me.

They have a shuttle bus twice per hour to the Osaka JR station. Otherwise walking there only takes you about 10-15min. I did it with my suitcases. A bit difficult to find out of the station at that time because of the street works going on.

KKR

I suggest St. Regis too. I stayed there last month and it was conveniently located above a subway station (I can't remember the name, but it was not Osaka Station). It was pretty easy to go everywhere and the area around it was pretty good too. The room was not that big but the service was great. Could not hold a candle to Park Hyatt Tokyo though.

silentbob1974

I posted this question like this a while back in one of the master threads but didn't get any response, so reposting with some more details.

We currently have 5-night award stays booked at both the St. Regis Osaka and the Westin Kyoto for next month. I applied SNAs to the St. Regis reservation but given that it's high season both properties have been sold out for months and it's unlikely that we'll get any kind of meaningful upgrade at either place. Given that we plan to split our time eating and sightseeing all over Kansai, which property is better for a non-upgraded basic room? If it makes any difference, we're more interested in Kyoto's tourist sights but Osaka's food. Day trips to Miyajima and/or Himeji are possible too.

jpdx

St Regis is a much superior hotel, and their "worst" rooms (~450sqft-ish deluxe rooms) are better than an "average" room at Westin Kyoto. It is true, I wouldn't expect a huge upgrade at StR, but IMO even the standard (or slightly above) rooms are very nice, and the hotel is about 100 times better than the Westin. I've had some really terrible rooms at Westin (although they do try, and sometimes you end up with decent upgrades), and it's just an old, run-down hotel with mediocre breakfast and a laughable club.

There are two things that could change the equation: Location and price. If you only wanted to be in Kyoto, that'd be the only reason for me to potentially pick the Westin. Because you're planning to split your time between Osaka and Kyoto, and potentially even venture 2 hours west of Osaka, there's no compelling reason to stay in Kyoto. Similarly, if the prices are similar, SR is a clear winner; if, however, it's 60k vs 15k yen, the Westin is more attractive (this is the case for my next stay during the last weekend of the sumo tournament). In your case, with an award stay booked at 40k vs 48k Starpoints, the SR is a much better choice.

lcpteck

Having stayed at all SPG properties in Osaka and Kyoto at least once, I say the best value for money is definitely the Sheraton.

Do note Sheraton is a very busy hotel since they get lots of business from business travelers and tour groups. It's usually always sold out if booked at the last possible moment.

If you want an upscale property then the St. Regis is a no brainer, though Cat 5 vs a Cat 2 redemption is quite a difference if using points.

BRITINJAPAN3

I have stayed at all three. If price is not an issue its got to be the St Regis, since Giuseppe arrived the service level has shot up, he used to work at the SGS BKK and it shows !!

The Westin is inconvinient and while looks Ok the service is like being back at school, as mentioned, no choice of food in the lounge, many rules, and regulations, just mot welcoming.

I normally stay at the sheraton, there are buses to Itami and Kansai airports, trains to anywhere albeit with some easy changes,. Its a bit dated, gets busy with school trips and tour groups but pleasant friendy and very very good value, unless its peak time for USJ since the Harry Potter attraction started.

Miyako Kyoto is old and needs a big refresh, and still high prices, hopefully the new luxury hotels coming to Kyoto will wake them up

coastalguy

+1 for the St. Regis

You will not regret the decision to stay there for one moment. The hotel is amazing and the staff, food, and facilities are wonderful!

lcpteck

I would love to stay there again when i got enough points/money to do it. ^

Since I usually travel alone, I would stay Sheraton.

3rdworldresident

St. Regis for sure.

stargold

Considernig the quality and the average rate, IMO the C&P, when available, is really very good value. Same with 12K awards.

16k/night is a little harder to swallow, however.

luna6

I've read a couple of posts mentioning Westin Osaka's location is bad and therefore pick St. Regis. I wonder if those people know, when you walk out of the Westin Osaka, follow the colored brown line on the pavement when you step out of the lobby, go right past the observation tower, keep following the line, and continue under the tunnel and bam you are in the middle of Umeda ... next to Grand Front Osaka shopping mall, Osaka Station, Yobadashi Camera (a whole lot of electronics), high end boutiques (Channel/Gucci/Louis Vuitton/Hermes etc) if that's your thing and lots of dining options. Plus if you venture out of Westin Osaka and go immediately left into the nearby neighborhood, there's a pretty nifty Singapore/Malaysian restaurant and past that small craft beer diners and what not. A really good "Miso Ramen" shop too.

If you're a plat, you'll get a corner suite at Westin and at St. Regis either a deluxe or grand deluxe room. I prefer the corner suite and the view of Umeda. The food does suck at Westin, whereas St Regis has an impressive breakfast ... but I would rather go out and try the local food anyways.

I'm going to the Westin Osaka tomorrow for a 3 night stay and will also try the Intercontinental Osaka for a few nights afterwards (about a 10 minute walk from the Westin). As you can tell, I enjoy that area alot!

Mainline777

Stayed at the Sheraton and thought it was a fantastic value at a Category 2. Location was fine for us (easy enough to get to various train lines).

The best part of the Sheraton is the service. The concierge is fantastic. I asked for a nice omakase dinner reservation for my dad's birthday, and they reserved us the last two places at this amazing, five-person restaurant. Great meal. The concierge also followed up with me on check-in and check-out to confirm that we were all set (check-in) and that we liked the dinner (check-out). I rarely use concierges but the ones here are fantastic.

They also gave us a cake and some nice snacks for my dad's birthday. I didn't tell my Ambassador it was my dad's birthday or anything, so I assume the concierge passed that info along. Also a very nice suite upgrade without using Suite Nights.

I haven't stayed at the St Regis or Westin so can't comment, but I think the Sheraton is one of the best Category 2 properties I've stayed in.

lcpteck

I ate there once cause was kinda curious when I was walking back to the Westin... Friendly staff.

Enjoy the IC Osaka, only stayed once for 3 nights last year but only paid for 1 night.

fakeman

Definitely St. Regis, was blown away by their Butler services.

skylighter7867

Exception value for Cat 2 at Osaka for Sheraton. You cannot find cheaper hotel alternative. One stop to the long eating and shopping street (Nihombashi station). Direct airport shuttle downstairs. I do that any day. St Regis is nice, but I would rather spend the money on shopping and eating as Sheraton is not bad either.^ Considering value and convenience.