My standard hotel reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.
- Highlights
- Lobby & Check-in
- Room
- Hotel Space / Ambiance
- Food & Drink
- Fitness
- Miscellaneous
Highlights: The St Regis Osaka
My first experience in a St Regis hotel was quite enjoyable. Service was impeccable. Highlights include the amazing full breakfast buffet for guests, as well as the personal butler service providing guidance and recommendations for exploration. A great deal at 20,000 Starpoints, but the lack of suite upgrade was quite disappointing. It is also well located within the city, actually on top of a train station, and thus accessible to more of Osaka. Perhaps I can come back and explore further!
Lobby & Check-in
Due to the Manhattanization of Japan’s largest cities, St Regis Osaka also has a similar elevator to higher-floor check in process very reminiscent of previous hotels. We were, of course, walked to a personal check in desk by an associate. However, at check-in, they regretfully informed me that they were unable to upgrade my room, which was disappointing. I had to push for free drink tickets for the hotel bar. Additionally, an interesting an unexpected perk was a 3,000 yen credit to the mini-bar in the room, for platinum guests.
Lastly, the associate who escorted us from the ground floor continued with our bags to the room, making sure to address any concerns or questions that we had.
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- Check in Desks
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- Lobby Seating area
Room
We received a standard room, which was adequate in size and had an excellent view of the city. The bathroom had an interesting walkthrough configuration, with the standard shower and bath. The walk in closet was nice, although we did not really use it.
As it was my first time in a St. Regis, I was initially confused about the Butler Box at the front of the room. St. Regis butlers can pick up and drop off items to this box for hotel guests. Unfortunately as we were only here for a night, I did not find a reason to use this service.
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- Bed
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- Work + Bed area
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- View
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- Bathroom
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- More Bathroom
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- Night Service
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- Walk In Closet
Hotel Space / Ambiance
St Regis Osaka is located on the higher floors of what appears to be a retail or office building. As a result of it being a St. Regis hotel, it seems to cater to wealthy business travelers or couples. I explored the hotel, checking out the bar and spa areas. It seems a bit more compact than other hotels in Japan, but had all the basics.
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- Ground Floor
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- Hotel Bar + Live Music
Food & Drink
Food started in our room – with a delicious welcome amenity of anniversary cake, along with some snacks and nuts. We also received a 3,000 yen credit to the minibar, good enough for a small bottle of whiskey and more snacks.
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- Room Welcome Amenity
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- Snacks in the Room
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- Minibar!
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- Minibar
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- Minibar Glasses
Afterwards, in the evening, we enjoyed complimentary drinks at the bar. St. Regis is credited with “perfecting” the Bloody Mary, with each property having its own unique flair. My lady tried the New York and Osaka versions, and found them to be delicious.
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- Beautiful Bar
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- Bar Snacks & Bloody Mary
Next morning, we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast buffet. Selection was good, but I preferred my experience at the Prince Gallery in Tokyo.
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- Breakfast!
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- More Breakfast!
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- Eggs Benedict.
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- Main Selection area
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- Beautiful Architecture
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- View of the Restaurant
Fitness
The fitness center was about standard, with great views of the city. Several of the gyms I have experienced in Japan have been on the smaller side, but never crowded enough to be a concern. However, unlike the other hotels, the St. Regis Osaka does not have a pool.
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- Spa, immediately before you head right to the gym
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- Gym
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- More of the gym
Miscellaneous
After writing this review, I find myself mostly indifferent on returning to the St Regis Osaka. While the service was fantastic, the food was great, it was nice to have a butler, and the price was reasonable (20,000 Starpoints), I still feel ambivalent. Furthermore, perhaps I will try the other Starwood or Marriott properties should I return to Osaka. I am still a bit miffed about being denied a suite upgrade.
For this stay, as well as all the other stays this trip, I emailed the hotels directly to inform them of my special circumstances (first time for the lady in Japan, anniversary, etc.) to see if they could be of service. Most provided some basic welcome amenity and upgrade, but even with platinum status we did not receive a room upgrade here. However, it could be due to the space and demand (as it was for a Saturday night).
One last note: I enjoyed the helpfulness of the St. Regis butlers, helping me find food and exploration recommendations, and making restaurant reservations.
LASTLY, CHECK OUT ALL THE OTHER HOTEL REVIEWS OF MY AMAZING JAPAN TRIP! YOU’LL BE ABLE TO FIND THEM ALL ON MY TRAVELUPDATE PAGE.
Featured Image is of the beautiful view from our hotel room.
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Understandable why you would feel indifferent: you were disappointed that they did not upgrade you. This was a major disappointment and I would have felt the same. They only met half of your expectations.
Did they tell you why they did not give you an upgrade? I’m wondering if they don’t like to give upgrades to people redeeming points, or are selective about who they give upgrades to. Unless you know for a fact that all the rooms they could upgrade you to are fully booked, then this would mean they are being “selective” with their upgrades.
They did not, but I assume it was because all suites were taken. I expect upgrades, but if people pay for those rooms, I can’t be too upset. All the other ones (Starwood & marriott) upgraded me so I was hoping to have the same. Thanks for reading!