Aloft Osaka Dojima [Master Thread]

I had a chance to stay at the Aloft Dojima this past week, a bit of a mattress run in order to take advantage of the 2 for 1 elite night credit. I booked a twin for about ¥10,000. For two guests the rate did not change, but I noticed some of the Osaka Bonvoy properties charge between ¥800-¥2,000 more for a second person. I was hoping to use one of my suite night upgrades, only to discover that is not an option with Aloft.

I arrived at 1:30 and they had my room ready. I asked about an upgrade and was told Aloft didn't do that. I asked "Even for Titanium?" and he said he would check. He then said there were no suites available, but I mentioned the website app showed there were. He went to the back office, came back and said it was possible, but only after 6pm (the guests had a 4pm late checkout). I said that was fine as I had things to do in town and would also hit the gym. The manager then came out and was really friendly. She had gone to uni in the US and spoke flawless English. I mentioned I had stayed at the Moxy recently and they had all kinds of promotions going for elites. She said the Aloft brand was a bit different, but she then gave me a free drink voucher. I was offered an elite gift of 500 points or breakfast for two and took the latter.

The room itself was a corner on the 12th floor. A large bed, living room, double sink vanity, two toilets (?), a rainforest shower and bathtub that was actually a decent size. There was an island in the living room with a small Marshall Bluetooth speaker, kettle and Nespresso machine. Pretty convenient setup in my view. windows with views of the street below (and office building across).

Funky lighting everywhere. Nice soap amenities.

Around 5:30-6am there was some noise from the elevated highway below. Not terrible, but noticeable. If that is a dealbreaker, having a non-corner room might be a better choice.

They were serving lunch when I arrived until 2pm and had some sets for just ¥1,500 (¥1,200 for elites). Food looked good.

The bar was closed in the evening due to Covid, but they let us shoot pool. The hotel is set up a bit like the Moxy, with turntables and modern furnishings aimed at a younger, "fun" crowd I guess.

Breakfast was supposed to start at 7:30, but they let us in 5 minutes early when I told them my son only had 15 minutes before he had to leave for school. A pretty substantial buffet, with omelets being made fresh (not really to order though). Overall I'd say a decent step up from the Moxy, getting close to Courtyard level maybe.

As it was raining, I walked 10 minutes underground the whole way from Sakuraguchi Exit (West) JR Osaka. Come up at #C93 and you'll be 20m from the hotel entrance. There are a few stairs there, so I would not recommend that route if you can't carry your suitcase. There are a number of other stations closer, which may work depending on where you are coming from.

There are a fair number of restaurants in the area. We ate at a craft beer/burger place just 20m north of the hotel. One of Osaka's best craft brewers, Minoh, has an outlet called Brewpub Beer Belly about 8 minutes away.

The rooms are priced quite reasonably now, in USD terms just $80 with the current low value of the Japanese yen. I was very pleased with the suite and impressed with the newness of it all.