Some hotels boast five stars only to walk in and be greeted with 3-star service, however, that was not our experience when checking into the Centara Grand Hotel Osaka. Welcomed by fresh smiling faces, the smell of gingerbread in the lobby, and a dedicated guest services team we felt like the newly opened Centara Grand Hotel was the right place to stay while visiting Osaka.
LOCATION
Talk about location, location, location, the Centara Grand Hotel is central to some of Osaka’s most famous tourist attractions, eateries, shopping malls, and transportation services. We walked to Dotonbori, Takashimaya department store, and Rikuro’s for a famous freshly baked warm jiggly cheesecake in under 15 minutes and reached Universal Studios by train in under 30 minutes.
ROOMS
The guest rooms at Centara Grand Hotel are finished with modern interiors and warm neutral tones. There is so much to love about them; everything feels fresh, crisp, and new. Our corner room was spacious with a separate bath and rain shower. The bathrobes were fluffy, the room was spotless, and the view overlooking the city was especially mesmerizing at night when Namba Park’s rooftop garden was covered in twinkling lights for Christmas.
VIEWS
With incredible views overlooking Osaka from the Club Lounge 32 stories high, we found it very hard to drag ourselves away and sat for several hours admiring the view. Looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows from our guest room we could see the city and a glimmer of water in one direction and Namba Park towards Dotonbori in the other.
Soaring 33 stories high the impressive five-star Centra Grand Hotel Osaka combines the comfort of Japanese and Thai culture and cuisine making it a uniquely delicious place to stay.
Guest rooms range from Superior, Deluxe Corner high-floor rooms to the oversized Club Suite boasting 56 sqm. We stayed in Room 2608, a Corner Club – Miyabi Club Floor – giving us access to the Club Lounge and corner city views. For privacy from a neighboring building, we kept the blind behind the TV closed, however, this caused no great disruption to our view or experience.
Located on the 32nd floor the Club Lounge is a comfortable space where you can relax and enjoy views of Osaka while partaking in breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails or sake. At one point we felt like we had the whole Club Lounge to ourselves, which was especially nice when the afternoon snacks were brought out. The Club Lounge also provides concierge and check-in services and we recommend asking for the table in the front corner for its privacy and incredible views over Osaka.
Club Access isn’t essential unless, of course, this is a perk you can’t live without, The Centara Grand Hotel Osaka has many other vantage points for enjoying an afternoon beverage or meal while taking in views of the city from level 33.
With 6 unique restaurants, in-room dining, and a grab-and-go cafe covering all price points and cuisines, you will not go hungry. We enjoyed the Suan Bua Thai Restaurant for its authentic flavours and the clubhouse sandwich from in-room dining, which we even had for breakfast!
Located on the doorstep of Namba Parks shopping precinct you will find eateries, the latest fashions, and a rooftop garden only steps away from the hotel. Namba Station can be reached by foot in 5 minutes and Shin-Osaka Station in approximately 15 minutes by taking the Midosuji Line train at Namba Station. Centara Grand is located near many of Osaka’s main attractions including the Dotonbori so you can be posing with the iconic Glico Man or trying Osaka street food 15 minutes after check-in.
The location of this hotel alone would be enough for us to check back in on our next visit to Osaka but also incorporating the fact that the property is new (only opening mid-2023), comes with incredible city views, a helpful guest service team, and an abundance of eateries to choose from we would not hesitate to stay at Centara Grand Hotel Osaka again.
Good to Know | Centara Grand Hotel, Osaka
♡ Check-ins are from 3 pm and checkout is from 12 pm
♡ Join Centara The 1 loyalty program to receive exclusive offers
♡ From The Grand Hotel, Osaka Namba Station can be reached in just under 10 minutes on foot and Dotonbori in approximately 15 minutes
♡ The iconic Glico Man is located in Dotonbori. The best photo opportunity can be found by turning left at the end of Ebisubashi Bridge (look for H&M) then taking the stairs down and turning right, looking for the bright yellow stairs directly across from the Glico Man sign, walking up the stairs you’ll find the blue balcony that looks like it’s part of the Glico Man’s running track
♡ We stayed at The Centara Grand Hotel, Osaka, towards the end of November. Christmas decorations were already up, including a huge Christmas tree in the lobby, Santa sitting in Suan Bua Thai Restaurant’s Tuk Tuk, and a gingerbread house that smelled good enough to eat—I think it was partially made from real gingerbread.
♡ Book directly with the hotel to receive 10% off food and drinks at the Centara Grand Hotels restaurants & bars along with a choice of early or late check-in (subject to availability of course)
♡ Starbucks and Lawson convenience store are located just a few steps from the hotel’s entry, which was handy for getting bottles of water, snacks, and coffee on the way to the station
♡ If you only have one day to visit Universal Studios Japan we recommend purchasing a Universal Express Pass to ensure you have enough time to experience all the rides and attractions. The pass is an additional cost (quite expensive actually) on top of your entry ticket but we found this was money well spent. We purchased one of the Express 7 passes, giving access to attractions including Super Nintendo World
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Thoughts, opinions, and photos shared about Hotel Review | Checking Into The Five Star Centara Grand Hotel, Osaka are entirely my own.
