When: June 2024
Where: Osaka, Japan
Length of stay: 6 nights
Rooms: 1 Bedroom residence city view / 1 Bedroom suite club lounge access city view
Travel companion: Wife
Status / collaboration: Collaboration with hotel
*In collaboration with InterContinental Osaka
In June 2024 I was in dire need of a proper holiday somewhere far away from home. So when I found award flights with Finnair from Helsinki to Nagoya for a week, we booked the tickets and headed for Japan with only a three day heads-up, which is very unlike me. But I’m so glad we did it. Instead of staying in Nagoya, which hasn’t got any proper luxury hotels, we took a 50 minute shinkansen ride to Osaka, where you can find luxurious properties, like the InterContinental Osaka.
A friend of mine, who I met years ago, when working with another Japanese hotel, was able to accommodate us at her hotel on a very short notice, so huge thanks to Yuka-san, who made this possible. Full disclosure to my readers, we got two complimentary nights in a non club level room and for the rest of our stay we paid a slightly discounted price in a club level room from our own pocket. You can trust that I’m always honest with my reviews, so that you can get a proper picture of what to really expect, when staying at a hotel like the InterContinental Osaka.
ARRIVAL
We arrived at the hotel with a taxi from Shin-Osaka station, where we got off the shinkansen. The journey only takes around 15 minutes, so it’s very convenient. You could also take a train from Shin-Osaka station to Osaka station and walk to the hotel, but I don’t recommend that with luggage just to save 2 000 yen.
As a sidenote, the location of the hotel is absolutely perfect – I dare say it’s the best in the city. The InterContinental Osaka can be accessed straight from Osaka station via the GrandFront mall, which means you don’t have to walk outside at all. This is the perfect location to explore Osaka and reach the Shin-Osaka station, which in turn gives you access to the whole of Japan with its shinkansen connections. Also the Osaka station area is so full of department stores and malls with hundreds of restaurants and shops, that you can easily spend several days there.
From the moment we arrived to the front doors of the InterContinental Osaka until the time we left six nights later, we were always greeted with genuine smiles. During the time it took for me to pay the taxi driver, the luggage had already been taken out of the car and we were escorted to the elevators. As we didn’t have access to the Club InterContinental Lounge in the beginning of our stay, we did our check-in on the 20th floor like most guests do.
The actual check-in process was friendly and efficient. Even though we arrived three hours before the usual check-in time, we were informed the room was ready and our luggage was already waiting for us there. I unfortunately made a mistake during check-in, as the receptionist probably asked me, if we wanted to have turndown service each night, but I misheard her and said we don’t need it. I realized my blunder afterwards, but I just wanted to mention that turndown service isn’t automatically provided.
OUR ROOM
As we had two very different rooms during our stay, I’ll review them separately. First was the Residence without club access.
1 Bedroom Residence City View
The 72 square meter Residence room is perfect for people, who like to have more space and the ability to cook food and wash clothes, so I’d especially recommend it to families and guests, who are staying for a longer period of time. Our Residence room, which was located on the 30th floor, offered more than enough space for two people.
The kitchen was fully stocked to make cooking possible, and I especially liked the sizeable fridge, which we filled with delicious drinks. There’s also plenty of storage inside the multiple cabinets, so it’s easy to get all of your clothes and items out of sight.
Even though the room is spacious and beautiful, it unfortunately showed a bit of wear and tear. The carpet in the living room had stains of probably wine or coffee and one of the tables was full of scratches. So nothing major, but I think those could be addressed to make the space feel more luxurious.
While staying at this room, we had some small issues with the towels, meaning that one of the bathtowels was stained. Otherwise the room was very clean, but some care needs to be put into the smaller details. We however didn’t encounter this problem in our second room.
The soundproofing in both of our rooms was perfect, which meant we didn’t hear anything from the hallway, other rooms or from the outside, so a good night’s sleep is pretty much guaranteed, when staying in any of the rooms of the InterContinental Osaka.
For some reason I couldn’t get the “nightlight” below the nightstand to shut off even though I tried everything I could. Maybe it was faulty or otherwise it’s a design error, as it could bother someone, who wants the room to be pitch black. We didn’t have an issue with this in our second room, so maybe it was just room specific.
Bathroom
The bathroom in our Residence was large, but was missing some details that would have made it feel more luxurious. These are small things like the fact that the toilet-area could have had some art on the wall and the bathtub could maybe be changed as it is quite worn. However the shower area was spacious, there were more showerheads that I knew what to do with and we loved the Byredo amenities provided.
1 Bedroom Suite Club Lounge Access City View
After the first two nights we changed rooms to get a better understanding of the available types and what the hotel has to offer. The Residence is probably a great fit for many kinds of travelers, as it offers more space and conveniences, but for us our second room was perfect.
For me the amount of space isn’t the most important factor when it comes to a room or especially a suite – it’s got more to do with the feel of the room. I want it to feel luxurious, spacious, but especially cozy, which is what the 1 Bedroom Suite truly offered.
These rooms are situated in the corners of the hotel, which means views to two different directions. The livingroom has a sofa, a TV and a writing desk with a glass tabletop fused into a big rock, which is quite a statement piece. I admit I hit my leg on it a few times after warning my wife about it (I should heed my own warnings), but I actually didn’t mind it, because it looked so good in the room.
Also the small details like the orchid in the hallway and the Japanese teacups and teapot on the table were nice touches that we really appreciated.
The bedroom is cozy and has gorgeous views to two different directions. From ours you could see the ferris wheel in the middle of Osaka and even the Osaka Castle in the distance.
Oh, and if you like airplanes, you can spot them constantly from the room and the Club Lounge on their approach to the airport. Any AV-geeks out there? This place is for you.
The one thing missing from the Residence was electrically operated curtains, but not here. In the 1 Bedroom Suite you can control them with a push of a button, which is always a great way to end the day and start a new one from the comfort of your own bed. Want to check out the city lights after dark? Push of a button. Want to see the sunrise? Push of a button
Of course the 1 Bedroom Suite also features a walk-in-closet between the hallway and bathroom, which was perfect for us. I’d love to have one of those at home as well.
Bathroom
The bathroom is one of the most important parts of a hotel room for me. If I don’t like the bathroom in the pictures of a hotel, I usually just skip the whole hotel and look for something else – it’s that important. The bathroom of our 1 Bedroom Suite was stunning! White marble everywhere, separate shower and bathtub and of course a Japanese Toto-toilet like in our first room.
The bathtub area even had a window, but we kept the curtains closed, so as not to expose ourselves to the people working in the opposite building.
I loved the shower area, which was separated from the rest of the bathroom by a glass door and a glass wall. This helps keep the water in and it also makes sure that the space stays nice and warm. Waterpressure and the rainshower were great and the bathtub was actually one of the best I’ve used, because it’s just the right length and just the right depth for a relaxing soak. Also the bathsalts provided had a nice and unique scent.
CLUB LOUNGE AND BREAKFAST
As we didn’t have access to the Club InterContinental Lounge located on the 28th floor from the beginning, I cannot say what the check-in process would have been like. However we had a chance to have breakfast there multiple times as well as evening cocktails and afternoon tea, so I believe I got a good idea of what it has to offer.
First of all, it was one of the most peaceful club lounges I’ve experienced. This was further enhanced by the fact that children under 13 were not allowed in the lounge from 17:30 (5:30 pm) onwards. However for people travelling with children, the hotel provides an alternative venue for cocktail hour, so they are taken care of as well.
The definite highlight of the Club InterContinental Lounge was the staff, who were always incredibly helpful, polite and friendly. It was such a pleasure to enter the lounge and see their smiles everytime. Even when I just sat down at a table while waiting for the check-out process to be completed, I was immediately offered drinks and food. Actually I never had an empty glass there, because they were always proactive and made sure we had everything we needed.
All of the staff were nice and professional, but I’d like to give a special thanks to Yasuda-san and Ikeda-san for providing such an excellent experience each time we visited the lounge.
When it comes to food and beverages in the Club InterContinental Lounge, I was really impressed by the quality they had. During breakfast you have the usual buffet options, but also a full menu to choose a la carte options from. Guests are able to choose one dish from six main course options including a Japanese breakfast set, Eggs Benedict or even a steak. On top of this you can order eggs made to order, rice, porridge, miso, bacon, sausages, hash browns, toast, french fries or a soup of the day. These you can have as many as you like.
One morning I decided to try a steak for the heck of it, which was good, but maybe a bit too much for me so early in the day. Otherwise I always went with the Eggs Benedict, which were incredibly delicious. I wanted to have seconds each time as they were just so good.
My wife had the Japanese breakfast set on most mornings and said it was one of the best she’s had, so quality here is top notch. We also had the miso soup often as it was so tasty.
After the pandemic I’ve noticed that basically none of the luxury hotels serve champagne in the mornings anymore, even if they used to (I’ve seen this in numerous hotels around the world). Fortunately they at least serve sparkling wine, if you want to make your morning a little more special. The actual champagne, which is Louis Roederer by the way, comes out during cocktail hour.
In addition to the breakfast, we also had some food in the evening, which was once again well done and delicious, so I recommend heading to the lounge at that time as well.
The Club InterContinental Lounge also serves afternoon tea in the form of proper tea sets, not just a few bites. Usually you’d have to pay a lot of money to get something of this quality in a luxury hotel, but here it’s included in the price. If you have allergies, I recommend letting them know beforehand, so that they can make sure you get the full set like I did.
So after having three different meals in the lounge I can say with confidence that the quality of food is top tier. I highly recommend paying extra to get access to the lounge, if you want the full luxury hotel experience.
We also had breakfast on the 20th floor in the Noka restaurant a couple of times. We didn’t take any photos as the restaurant was pretty packed, but it’s a nice space, altough a bit too loud and crowded for my taste. The service was efficient, finished dishes were taken away promptly and replaced with new ones, coffee and tea were served to your table and you were able to order one egg dish from the menu.
There was a large selection of food and drinks, especially juices, and they change some of them regularly, so that customers who spend more time at the hotel won’t get bored with their options. I would have liked the option to make additional a la carte orders by paying extra, but to my knowledge they don’t have this option. They were very careful about my allergies, which was a big plus. They however messed up our omelette order and one of my ingredients went to my wife and one of hers went to me, so there is still some room for improvement.
FOOD AND BEVERAGES
In addition to the breakfast and Club InterContinental Lounge’s foods we had cocktails at the hotel’s bar, some in-room dining in the evening and even dinner at their Michelin star restaurant Pierre.
First let’s start with the bar called Adee and especially its happy hour, which lasts from 17.00 to 20.00 (5 to 8 pm) everyday. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, I highly recommend giving the bar a go during this time, because you can have cocktails, wine, beer and whisky for just 1 100 – 1 300 yen per drink, which is basically 7 euros currently. I was wondering, if the cocktails would be of poor quality, because the price is so low, but I was happily surprised when I got some proper drinks.
They took their time to make them and provide good cocktails at a very competitive price point. I also liked the fact that they still asked for last orders with happy hour prices even after the happy hour had ended, which is great service. The bar also has live music at times, but unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to enjoy it during our trip.
The in-room dining was efficient, beautifully laid out and delicious. We had it when we were staying at the Residence, so we had a proper dining table to use, which made everything easier. If you are feeling like you just want to stay in the room and maybe watch some TV instead of going to a restaurant, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the food they have on offer.
Michelin Star Restaurant Pierre
What you need to know is that we absolutely love food, but for some reason we’ve never been to a Michelin restaurant before. So when the hotel asked us to try out their restaurant Pierre, which has one Michelin star, we were more than excited about the opportunity.
The dinner starts at only 15 000 yen per person (around 85 euros currently), so even without a complimentary dinner, I’m sure we would have gone there to check it out, because it is a steal! I believe there is no point in me telling you about all of the ingredients and foods they had on this menu, because the menu changes frequently and we also have our own food restrictions with my wife, so some of the dishes had to be modified for us. But what I can tell you is that this was one of the best restaurant experiences we’ve had anywhere.
Even in good restaurants I’ve noticed that the pacing of the service can be a bit off at times, meaning that you’ll have to wait for the next dish to arrive or try to flag down a waiter when you need something. Not here. Here you never felt rushed and you never had to wait for the next dish. When everybody was ready with their current dish, they were efficiently taken away and immediately replaced with new ones.
And the food itself was incredible! All of the dishes had such well thought out textures, appearances and flavours. For example the starter, which had some caviar and gold in it. Usually such a dish is extravagant and beautiful to look at, yes, but not anything special flavourwise. Some places just think it’s enough to have luxurious ingredients. However in Pierre it didn’t stop there. Such a small dish was full of surprises with textures and flavours that I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. And this approach carried throughout the whole menu.
Oh, and the wines deserve a separate mention. I went with the full wine package, which I highly recommend, because the sommelier of Pierre really knows what they are doing. FYI, I do wine tastings myself and I’m fairly knowledgeable when it comes to wines, so I know what I’m talking about. The pairings were interesting, well thought out and even surprising at times. I had some wines I had never even heard of, which is saying a lot. So if you are into wines at all, you are in for a treat.
Again I’m going to say the same thing as with the bar, even if you are not staying at the hotel, you should definitely check out this restaurant when in Osaka. But of course while you are at it, why not book a room as well?
THE SERVICE
The service within the InterContinental Osaka was one of its biggest highlights. I don’t think I encountered anyone, who didn’t smile. Everyone was always so helpful and ready to do everything they could to make our stay as great as possible. Just one example was the time we went to the 1st floor lobby, stepped out of the elevator and started looking at Google Maps to figure out which way we should go to get to the Umeda Sky Building. The helpful employee (unfortunately I didn’t check her name) asked us what we are looking for and then asked us to follow her.
She walked with us through the shopping mall while making smalltalk and then showed us the way to Umeda Sky before heading back to the hotel. We tried the route Google Maps originally suggested when returning back to the hotel and it took three times longer than the route she had pointed out to us, so I’m glad she helped us earlier.
I would say the service fell short only on two occasions. Once when I tried sending one piece of luggage to the airport beforehand and I received faulty information the first time. The second time when we had a quick lunch at Noka on our day of departure and I had to wait 10 minutes for my food after they had already served my wife hers. This meant she had basically finished eating when I just got my food.
They apologised, but a small gesture like a discount or free drinks would have saved the situation. Also we weren’t asked at all, if we’d like desserts, we were just brought the check without even asking for it. Usually a failure is the best moment to show, what a restaurant is capable of by making things right then and there, but unfortunately this time it didn’t work out.
One thing I especially appreciated in the service was how well they took my allergies into consideration when serving me food. It didn’t matter if I was having breakfast on the 20th floor restaurant, eating in the Club InterContinental Lounge or having dinner in Pierre, they always double checked that none of the foods or drinks had anything I was allergic to.
One small thing I really like during my travels is the turndown service luxury hotels provide. In InterContinental Osaka you can get one as well. This means they replenish your water bottles, tidy up the room a bit, turn down the lights, open the bed and bring the yukata out, so you can change into that after a wonderful bath. I would have wanted to see just a bit more with their turndown service, as some of the things I’ve grown accustomed to in Japan were missing.
For example they could have put towels / small mats next to the bed with some slippers and maybe provide guests with a unique bookmark, if they see a book on the nightstand. So going the extra mile here would be a nice addition to the otherwise great service.
SUMMARY
As this was the first InterContinental I’ve stayed at, I had high hopes of experiencing proper luxury and giving a new hotel brand a chance. I’m happy to say that the InterContinental Osaka delivered and made sure InterContinentals will be on my list from now on, when looking for a hotel to stay at in other cities as well. I would say that the hotel was really good, but it could be truly excellent with some fine-tuning.
I believe they have some competition from a couple of other luxury hotels within the city center, but especially at this price point they have no equal. If you are looking for a luxurious experience in the middle of Osaka with great transportation options within the city and you also appreciate stellar service, I wholeheartedly recommend giving InterContinental Osaka a try. If you can, pay a bit of extra for a Club InterContinental room, because it’s definitely worth it.
Thank you to all of the great staff at InterContinental Osaka and especially Yuka-san for making this stay possible! We will definitely return at some point in the future to enjoy your great hospitality some more.
Also thank you to my lovely wife for most of the pictures seen in this blog post. You can follow her on Instragram here.
And my Instagram can be found here.
Thank you for reading the review! If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them.