The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka Review

The Ritz-Carlton Osaka opened in 1997 as the very first Ritz-Carlton in Japan, and it's built like an 18th-century English manor house that somebody dropped into the middle of Umeda. It has 291 rooms on the 24th to 37th floors, a doorman in a silk top hat, and a Forbes Five-Star rating it's held for four years running. In 2024 the hotel closed off its guest floors in stages and renovated almost every room.

I booked it because Osaka suddenly has a lot of new luxury hotels…a Four Seasons, a Waldorf Astoria, the Conrad with its jaw-dropping lobby…and I kept wondering whether the old grande dame could still hold its own. And because everyone who's stayed here says the same thing about the staff.

A typical night here is about $385. That's the cheapest of Osaka's big five luxury hotels, about $85 less than the Conrad and nearly $200 less than the Four Seasons. For a Ritz-Carlton with freshly renovated rooms, that's a really good deal.

Things I Loved about The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka

The arrival. You pull up past trees and a fountain to a building that looks a little like a castle, and a doorman in a silk hat opens the car door. Inside, it's pure English manor: a real fireplace crackling away, a crystal chandelier, antique-style sofas, oil paintings and HUGE arrangements of roses. The whole place smells faintly of the hotel's own fragrance (it's called Mystique, they sell it as a diffuser, and I was VERY tempted). It's completely over the top, and I loved it.

In a city of glass towers, it's such a nice surprise. Walking in from the heat and noise of Umeda felt like stepping into a very grand, very quiet country house.

The staff. This is the reason to stay. Everyone introduces themselves by name, they ask about your trip and actually remember the answer, and the little handwritten notes started on day one and never stopped. We arrived hours early and they found us a room straight away, someone walked us up and asked about our plans on the way, and there was a handwritten welcome card waiting in the room. It's warm in a way that big Japanese hotels often aren't, and it's the thing I miss most.

Our suite. We were upgraded to an Executive Suite on the 28th floor, about 76 square metres, on the north-east corner with windows on two sides, a separate living room and a bedroom. It's a lovely mix of old and new: behind the bed there's a carved feature wall, softly lit, above a mirrored, tufted headboard that bounces the light around, with little touches of pink and grey. Everything else is classic Ritz-Carlton…polished mahogany, marble and deep armchairs. It feels like a very grand apartment, and I loved having a proper living room to spread out in.

The little things are where it shines. There's a Nespresso machine, TWG tea in pretty Japanese cups, and a welcome plate of strawberries and chocolates. At turndown we got fresh water, a chocolate and a little card, and they'll shine your shoes overnight for free. I slept SO well.

There were Japanese touches too, which I loved in such an English-looking room…rice crackers and Tsumagari cookies in the minibar, a pear on the side, proper pyjamas, and a tea set laid out like someone's grandmother had done it. It's the sort of room that makes you want to stay in for the evening, which in Osaka is saying something.

The bathroom. It's a classic big Ritz-Carlton bathroom, all cream Italian marble and mirrors, with two basins on a long vanity, fluffy robes on the hook and a deep tub with the shower over it. There were three different bath salts to choose from, chamomile, lavender and rose, and I worked my way through all of them.

My one tip on rooms…get a corner. The Deluxe corner rooms (about 51 square metres) have windows on two sides and are the best value in the hotel, and the Executive Suites have the same corner glass with a lot more space. Ask for a high floor, away from the side facing the helipad and the construction.

The view. From our corner we looked out over the towers of Umeda, with the trains sliding in and out of Osaka Station and a glimpse of the Yodo River in the distance. It's not the dramatic sky-high view you get at the Conrad, but at sunset, with the lights coming on across the city, I still spent a long time at the window.

Afternoon tea by the fire. The Lobby Lounge does a proper English afternoon tea, with a pianist playing and the fire going, and on a rainy afternoon it's the cosiest place in Osaka. In the evening the same room turns into a cocktail lounge with live music. And if you love cake, the Gourmet Shop downstairs does a pistachio cake that I'm still thinking about.

So many places to eat. La Baie is the hotel's French restaurant, with a Michelin star and the same head chef, Christophe Gibert, since 2006. Order the lobster cooked in a cocotte. Hanagatami is the Japanese restaurant, with a seven-metre sushi counter carved from a single piece of hinoki cypress, plus tempura, teppanyaki and kaiseki (they'll even do a vegetarian kaiseki if you ask). Xiang Tao does Cantonese in a pink dining room covered in peach blossoms. You could eat here every night for a week. There's no strict dress code, but people do dress up here (shirt and trousers at La Baie), and I liked that it still feels like an occasion.

The Bar. The Bar is a dark, wood-panelled room with more than a hundred malt whiskies and a menu of 110 martinis. I tried exactly two of them, which I think shows real restraint.

Breakfast. Breakfast is at Splendido, the Italian restaurant, with a buffet of pastries, fruit, a few hot dishes and some Japanese plates, plus a cooked dish to order (I went for the French toast both mornings). There's live piano here too. It's good, not amazing, and if you're on Club Level you can have a quieter breakfast up in the lounge.

The pool. There's a heated 20-metre indoor pool looking onto a little inner garden, with whirlpools inside and out, and it was almost empty every time I went down. It's free for hotel guests, and they lend you a swim cap (you have to wear one). One thing to know if you have tattoos: you'll be asked to cover them in the pool and gym, and to skip the baths and sauna. The ESPA spa does a ritual based on sake, which is such a Japanese twist on a British spa brand, and I loved it.

The location. You're in Nishi-Umeda, about a seven-minute walk from Osaka Station, with an underground route for rainy days, and it's a short subway ride to Namba and Dotonbori. For day trips to Kyoto, Nara or Kobe, it couldn't be easier.

Christmas here. If you're in Osaka in December, this is the hotel I'd want to be in. The lobby goes full Victorian Christmas, and a little toy train circles the tree by the entrance at set times through the day. It's completely charming, and very hard to walk past without stopping.

Things That Could Be Better

The public areas feel their age. The 2024 renovation was for the rooms and the corridors. The lobby, the restaurants and the rest of the public spaces weren't touched, and while I loved the manor-house look, some of it reads as a bit tired, and it feels very 1997 next to Osaka's shiny new hotels. If you want sleek and modern, you won't love it.

The best perks are on Club Level, and status doesn't get you there. The Club Lounge on the 34th floor has five food and drink services a day and free-flowing champagne, and it's the thing guests rave about most. But you only get it if your room has "Club" in its name. Our Executive Suite didn't include it, and Marriott elite status doesn't either. Honestly, after hearing so much about it, I wished we'd booked Club.

Here's what a Club room gets you. You check in sitting down in the lounge with a drink, a handwritten letter and a cookie, there's a quiet breakfast up there, afternoon tea on a little lion-topped stand, and in the evening a spread that runs from canapés to kushikatsu, with the hotel's own champagne and a local Osaka stout. A Club room costs more than the same room without it, but with breakfast, tea and drinks all covered, I think it pays for itself quickly.

Breakfast often isn't included. Even for Marriott elites, many rates don't include it, so check your rate before you book.

The underground route is a maze. In theory you can walk from Osaka Station to the hotel without going outside. In practice it's long and confusing, and humid in summer. With luggage, take a taxi.

The bathroom is old-school. The shower is over the tub, behind a curtain, which feels very 1997 at this price, it's easy to splash water everywhere, and the hair dryer is weak. Small things, but next to the walk-in rain showers at the newer hotels, I noticed.

Service slips at busy times. Most of the staff were wonderful. But at peak check-in times the front desk can get stretched, and on a busy afternoon you might end up wheeling your own bags in. I'd arrive outside the 3pm rush if you can.

Ritz-Carlton or Conrad?

These are the two I'd choose between in Osaka, and they're very different.

The Conrad has the drama…a lobby 40 floors up behind a wall of glass, round tubs at the window and a view that makes your jaw drop. But its rooms are dark, the service can be stiff, and it costs about $85 a night more.

The Ritz-Carlton is cosier, warmer and cheaper. You get freshly renovated rooms, a fireplace in the lobby, better restaurants and staff who actually seem to care how your trip is going. If you want views and a modern design, book the Conrad. If you want to be looked after, book the Ritz-Carlton. I'd book the Ritz.

And the Four Seasons? It's newer and calmer, with very big rooms and a lovely spa, but it costs nearly $200 a night more. If money isn't the issue, it's a beautiful choice. For everyone else, the Ritz is the smarter buy.

Overall

I think The Ritz-Carlton Osaka is perfect for couples, older travellers, anyone who loves a classic grand hotel, and anyone using Osaka as a base for Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. It's less suited to anyone who wants cutting-edge design, a big view from the lobby, or nightlife right outside the door.

For drama and a skyline view, I'd book the Conrad. For something brand new and calm, the Four Seasons Osaka. And for being right on top of the station, the Waldorf Astoria.

So here's my bottom line. I gave it 8.1 out of 10. The staff, the renovated rooms and the restaurants are the best things about it, the tired public areas and the Club Level catch are the worst, and for the money it's the best luxury hotel in Osaka.

If you're booking it

Stay three nights, more if you're doing day trips. Book a Club Level room if you can, because the lounge is the best thing here (make sure "Club" is in the room name). Otherwise, a corner Deluxe room on a high floor is the best value, and choose a rate that includes breakfast. Book La Baie and Hanagatami before you arrive. Rates run from about $330 most of the year to about $1,000 in cherry-blossom season and the November maple weeks. Kansai Airport is about 60 kilometres away, and the airport limousine bus stops about five minutes from the hotel.