【Hotel Review Japan: Osaka】Hotel Hankyu Respire Osaka

I recently stayed at Hotel Hankyu Respire Osaka, which is conveniently located right next to Osaka Station, above the shopping mall that houses Yodobashi Camera. I was traveling with my 2-year-old, 5-year-old, and my mother, and despite being in the city center, the hotel offered a lot of child-friendly services, so I’d like to share my experience.

Hotel Details

This hotel offers excellent access, being just a 3-minute walk via a direct connecting bridge from JR Osaka Station! It’s located above LINKS UMEDA, a shopping mall that houses Yodobashi Camera, fashion and accessory stores, a paid children’s playground, and an incredible variety of restaurants, cafes, and even a supermarket. The direct connection to the station makes it truly convenient.

Travelog / Hotel Review

Entrance

The lobby locates on 9th floor, there is a wide cozy area.

Behind the sofa, there’s a coffee machine where you can choose from coffee, decaf coffee, tea, and Japanese tea capsules to brew for free of charge🥰 You can use it for free during your stay, which is a nice perk.

The coffee, tea, toothbrushes, and other amenities are the type you can pick up and take with you as you like.

Room

We chose a twin room since there were two adults and two children co-sleeping. The beds were spacious enough for everyone.

Since it’s a new hotel, the placement of the outlets was perfect, and there was also a mini-fridge and an electric kettle.

Being in the heart of Umeda with many high-rise buildings around, I didn’t expect much of a view from the window. However, our room had a unique view of a futsal court on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Even at this height, the view was quite good, but I heard that the higher floors offer beautiful night views!

Wash Basin and Bathroom

One of the great features of this hotel is that the wash basin, toilet, and bathroom are all separate.

The bathroom has a separate washing area, which is convenient for bathing children! I also enjoyed taking a bath after a long time.

Food, Restaurant

On the 9th-floor lobby level, there is an Italian restaurant called ‘Grillato Quokka.’ The restaurant itself is highly rated.

For lunch, they offer a course that includes a selection of appetizers, a main dish (1 to 3 options), unlimited desserts, and coffee or tea, ranging from 3,200 yen to 6,100 yen. There are also lunch sets available, which include appetizers, a plate with pasta and a main dish, desserts, and coffee or tea for around 2,000 yen.

Breakfast is served buffet-style, and it’s free for preschoolers! The buffet features local specialties from Osaka as well.

For dinner, the courses start at around 4,000 yen. There are also various à la carte options available, and the restaurant offers rental of children’s dishes, making it a great choice for dining with kids.

B1F Supermarket

I didn’t know that LINKS has a supermarket underground! And it’s quite spacious!

Guests can use a dedicated elevator to go directly down to the supermarket. It’s reassuring to have the option to buy alcohol, snacks for the kids, or breakfast items when you return to the hotel at night. Many foreign guests were staying at the hotel, and I saw quite a few of them shopping there as well.

Service for KidsService for Families with small kids

Rental Items

One of the reasons we chose this hotel was its extensive range of child-friendly equipment rentals, including strollers!

A stroller and kids’ scooter are handy for strolling around Umeda! The kids’ scooter was new and exciting for our children, so we decided to rent it, expecting it would keep them entertained.

Child Friendly Equipments

Baby nursing room

On the 9th floor, where the lobby and restaurant are located, there is a nursing room 🎶. It includes a server with hot water for milk preparation, so you can breastfeed, change diapers, or prepare milk before check-in or while using the restaurant ☺️

TV Mirroring from

Each room’s TV allows for mirroring from your smartphone! You can quickly find your child’s favorite videos on your phone and display them on the TV, which is very convenient. Personally, I love the mirroring feature as it makes it easy to watch subscription services I’m logged into on my own phone.

Laundry

Laundry is handy for sudden stains or reducing luggage. The rates are ¥300 per wash cycle and ¥100 per 30 minutes for drying. This is quite reasonable✨

Checkout time: 12:00PM

This hotel has a very generous checkout time of 12:00 PM, which is quite leisurely compared to the standard 10:00 AM in Japan. When traveling with children, especially with activities like breastfeeding and having breakfast, a 10:00 AM checkout can be quite busy. With a 12:00 PM checkout, you have plenty of time to get ready at a relaxed pace. I entrusted my daughters to my mother, quickly visited a department store opening at 10:00 AM and a fashion mall opening at 11:00 AM, then returned to the hotel to check out at noon before heading out for lunch.

What I did in Osaka, Umeda

Eat Ramen at Child friendly Cafe

At the café “Jinmen,” which recently opened in Grand Front, there is a kids’ space, so you can find both moms’ meetups and office workers on their lunch breaks. The atmosphere is neither too quiet nor too noisy, creating a pleasant environment. I enjoyed delicious ramen served in a mug, and my younger daughter devoured a generous serving of Bolognese.

Currently the name of this cafe has changed; (but no change for menu)