This property, 200 m south of Osaka Station, is, as far as functionality is concerned, as reliable as a Rolex. It lacks the polish of the Hankyu International and the gentleman's-club gloss of The Ritz-Carlton but offers just as much substance at cheaper rates. In addition, its city-center location, close to all transportation hubs, makes it command central for corporate Amerikajin. This 35-story property, open since 1986, adjoins a mall brimming with shops, commercial services and entertainment, but the busy three-story lobby lies off to one side, away from the hubbub. A contemporary rug and comfortable sofas help offset the dated look of the marbled lobby.
Restaurants include Japanese and Chinese outlets on the second level, as well as The Seasons on the third level, where wide-ranging wine selections enhance the Continental/French cookery. Also on this level, Checkers brasserie offers breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. The top-floor Windows on the World lounge affords lunch buffets and Italian dinners along with spectacular views of the not-so-spectacular Osaka skyline. Drinks are dispensed at both a lobby lounge and a bar, and Cafe Patisserie in the basement lays out tasty sweets to accompany its tea and coffee service. Room service satisfies around the clock.
Despite the usual high fees, the fitness center lures guests with exercise equipment, a light-filled indoor lap pool, a sauna and whirlpool, and a jogging track. Conference capacity is 1,000 for a reception in the largest ballroom, with a comprehensive business center lending a hand.
The good-sized guest rooms target international business travelers, offering desks, data ports, minibars, and fine marble baths with bidet toilets. Standard rooms are dull, however, and contain catalog furnishings and beige colors. Deluxe rooms, in contrast, feature contemporary, sensuously curved Italian-influenced furniture. These rooms add fax machines, flat-screen TVs, safes and bath scales. Executive rooms on the highest floors go a step further with access to a private lounge, complimentary breakfast and cocktails, and other privileges. Two rooms are for the physically challenged, and 222 rooms are smoke-free.
Though its styling is boring at best, this hotel continues to run with predictable Hilton smoothness.