Mercure Tokyu Stay Osaka Namba

The Mercure Tokyu Stay Osaka Namba is a fancy design hotel in the middle of Osaka. From the main street the entrance is hidden in a niche between two high-rises (there is an easier side entrance too), but then you walk through a green, stylish path into a tall lobby full of plants. The room was small, as always in Japan, but big for a Japanese hotel room, with a great view over the city. The open bathroom concept with the washbasin next to the bed was not for me. I would definitely come back.

Quick verdict: A stylish, very well designed hotel with a friendly welcome, an upgrade, a lovely view from the 18th floor and many small design details. The room is compact and every square metre is used, the washbasin sits right next to the bed, and the small breakfast restaurant gets crowded. JCI Score 3.4 out of 5.

Location

I arrived in Osaka by Shinkansen. From there I took the metro again, the Midosuji Line (the red line), for about a quarter of an hour. After that I walked a bit along the street to reach the Mercure.

The hotel is in the Shinsaibashi area, and from the Mercure you are very quickly in a lively going-out district with an incredible number of restaurants, both touristy and less touristy. You can find everything there that interests you.

Getting There & First Impression

If you come from the bigger main street, the entrance is a bit hidden, in a niche between two high-rises. Once you know it, it is totally easy, but I had some trouble finding it. There is also a side entrance from the side street, which is much easier to reach.

Then you walk along a stylish, lushly green path into the lobby. The lobby is very high, and it is full of plants as well. It is quite fancy, and I liked it a lot.

Check-In & Loyalty Experience

I was welcomed very kindly, which was lovely and made me happy. I also got an upgrade to a higher-category room.

In the room there was a small welcome card with a little welcome story, and a snack on the bed.

The Room

My room was 1805, on the 18th floor. Even the corridors were fancy. The way the room numbers are fixed to the doors already had something, and I found it very cool. The lift was stylish as well. The whole hotel is fancy.

I like it in Japanese rooms when you come in and there is no carpet at the beginning, so you can take your shoes off first. Then you see that the room is really small. For a Japanese hotel room, though, it was already quite big, you could almost say. There was a small seating area, but there is not one unused square metre. You simply have to know that and like it.

The view over the city was lovely, which was very good again.

What I did not like was the open bathroom concept. The washbasin is right next to the bed. I did not like that. The shower was okay. The toilet, on the other side, was excellent, as is typical in Japan.

There were so many small, fancy design details, and I liked them very much.

Food & Drink

I had breakfast, and it was great. The restaurant is very small, though. You sit very close together, and it is busy. You can be lucky if you get a seat. The waiters assist you and take care of everything, but I can imagine that in the rush hour you have to stand around and queue for a while before you really get your breakfast.

Digital Customer Experience

Nothing digital to report.

The Bill & Value

Two nights cost €346.47 (about $405) in total, which is about €173 (about $202) a night. I earned 1,315 Reward points and 747 Status points. For a design hotel in the middle of Osaka with an upgrade, that is fair. You can check current rates and availability on the official Accor page for the Mercure Tokyu Stay Osaka Namba.