On the final leg of my central Japan holiday, I stayed at the budget option of Granvia hotel – Hotel Vischio Osaka By Granvia. I came across it by chance, having scrolled through many options that had their prices jacked up for the holiday season.
In my last visit to Osaka, I had stayed at Holiday Inn Osaka Namba, which was spacious by Japanese standards. Considering it was also located in the popular touristy Dotonbori area, it was also very value for money. Therefore, I was wary of whether my expectations would be too hyped up by my positive experience at Holiday Inn.
Hotel Vischio Osaka By Granvia, in contrast, is a brand new hotel nestled within the stations in Umeda. The reviews online were mostly positive and, of course, the price attractive. It almost sounded too good to be true! I liked that it was friendly for solo travellers, but my expectations were exceeded after I checked in.
Room Number: 418 (initially 442)
Room: Deluxe Twin Room
Bathroom: Separate shower and toilet / Toilet with bidet / Toiletries – shampoo, conditioner and body gel / Sink without vanity counter, but with racks providing plenty of space for personal effects.
Room Amenities: Hair dryer / in-room safe / bar fridge / pantry / bedroom slippers / Power socket (1 by bedside, with additional USB charging port) / In-room heater
Hotel Amenities: Toiletries like dental kit, shaving kit, and instant coffee mix available from hotel lobby.
Safety: Card access to guest rooms and room levels. Main door is locked at night.
Staff: Friendly / English proficiency / Presence – 100%
Neighbourhood: 5 – 10 minutes walk from Osaka Station
Getting around: Use the train at Osaka Station
Checking in to Hotel Vischio Osaka By Granvia
As I was leaving Osaka one day before my family, I had booked a room for myself . The hotel offered room plans for single travellers, albeit with a smaller room size. But it sure beats having to pay for a double room when travelling alone.
The check in was speedy. I hadn’t even taken in the beautifully designed lobby! Before sending me off to my room, the staff pointed to the counter at the lift where I could take all the toiletries I needed.
I quite liked this arrangement. Many hotels had turned to offering badly designed, low quality toiletries (think toothpaste in ketchup packets that couldn’t be torn open with wet hands) in the name of sustainability. Hotel Vischio Osaka By Granvia balanced this need by letting us pick up those items as needed. They cut costs without cutting on quality. The last I know, many Japanese hotels are adopting this method, proving the viability of this initiative.
Bedroom – Space was More than Expected
Japanese hotels provided plenty of room details on their websites, down to their bedsโ dimensions. I was rather skeptical at first when I saw the measurements. With my room at 16sqm, a mental image of a crammed space conjured in my mind.
Fortunately, my pessimism was unfounded. It was a queen bed (not super single) with plenty of space for my 26 inch suitcase – opened. Even then, I need not hop around in between pockets of spaces when moving around the room.
A shelving spanned the width of the room at the foot of the bed, making up the desk area for the TV and for working. The open wardrobe also contained plenty of hangers, which was great for winter (with all my winter gear).
On top of the usual in room amenities like the safe, bar fridge and yakuta, there was also a humidifier, also good for winter.
The light controls were all by the bed and simple to use. Similarly, there were power sockets and USB ports by the bedside and at the desk, catering to our modern lifestyle. Thankfully too, the air-conditioning could be controlled in-room, and it contained various modes like cooling, warming, ventilation, drying etc.
Bathroom – New, but Familiar
Although the bathroom came with the standard Japanese 3-piece fixture (consisting of the sink, bathtub and toilet), it was noticeably larger than many 4-star hotels I had stayed in Japan. Perhaps the designer had also learned the lessons of older hotels and made improvements to the use of space.
For example, a shelving replaced the top of the water closet to provide more surfaces for personal effects. The mini-shelf that housed the refillable shampoo/conditioner/body wash also had room for guests to place their own toiletries. I really liked the little design changes that made the drab bathroom more user friendly.
I also liked the water pressure for the shower. The adjustable hot water controls also pumped out hot water within seconds. The toilet was not as elaborate as its higher end sibling Granvia, but still offered basic bidet and heated seat – great for winter!
Security of Hotel Vischio Osaka
Again, talking about โsafety and securityโ in Japan seemed like an overkill. That being said, the hotel still had card access to the guest rooms levels and the individual rooms. At night, the main door would be locked and could only be unlocked with a room key.
Facilities (or Added Service?)
As a budget option, Hotel Vischio Osaka by Granvia had none of the frills of its upscale brand. They even did away with providing the toiletries in-room. Instead, guests would pick what they need (or want) at a self service counter at the lobby. Granted, there’d be people like me who’d take one more set of dental kits โjust in caseโ. However, out of the 20 odd options of toiletries and pantry items, I only took 4 (dental kits, hair brush, shaver and cotton bud). I believe there would be others who would take only what they deemed necessary, which could have been different from my choices.
Staff and Service – Wonderful Service Recovery
Usually, one could only witness the grit of staff when things happened. And I was lucky (or unlucky) to experience their hospitality first hand.
On the first night of my stay, my shower head suddenly stopped spouting water. Since the bathtub faucet was still working, I had to sit in the tub and splash the water a la ancient folks.
I had wanted to just tell them about the defect the next morning, but I had gone out to buy supper and decided to drop by the reception. By then, it was 11pm.
The staff promptly followed me to my room to check things out. Yes, they did not hide behind the excuse of โwe’ll send the technicians up laterโ to avoid work. Instead, he asked me to pack up my stuff while he returned to the reception to arrange a new room for me!
Immediately. On the spot! That was professionalism and staff empowerment on full display.
I was changed to another standard single room which I noticed it had more space. That made their service recovery even more impressive.
Location and Getting Around
On the map, Hotel Vischio Osaka by Granvia was nestled within the interchange of Umeda and Osaka stations. It made exploring Osaka very convenient. However, it still took me about 5-15 minutes on foot to even reach one of its station entrances.
Of course, compared to numerous other hotels, the walking distance would be considered OK. In case of rain (or snow), it was also possible to use the sheltered walkway connecting the North entrance of Osaka entrance and Grand Front Osaka. The only part of the journey exposed to the elements would be the 2-lane street from Grand Front Osaka to the hotel.
There were also many convenience stores within a 5 minute walk from the hotel. The nearest of which was a 7-eleven that is on an adjacent street behind the hotel. Using the connecting alleyway, it could be reached in under 2 minutes.
Parting Words
Hotel Vischio Osaka by Granvia was a refreshed version of Japanese business hotels. Beyond offering room types even for solo travellers (very common on business trips), they also provided great service that exceeded expectations.
The hotel was also located centrally, within 5 minutesโ walk from Osaka station. It made catching an early morning train to the airport much more convenient. I had booked the room only one month before the trip so it was more expensive. But with forward planning, I believe Hotel Vischio Osaka by Granvia would be a value for money option.
This post is part of my winter travelogue to central Japan, where I visited Takayama, Kyoto and Osaka. Check out my travelogues to the mountain town of Takayama, as well as my re-visit of Kyoto, particularly to spots like Kiyomizu-dera and Sagano Romantic Train. I also returned to Osaka for sightseeing – old and new sights. We stayed in Hotel Wood in Takayama, Hotel Granvia Kyoto and Hotel Vischio Osaka By Granvia in those spots, so feel free to read my room reviews if you are scouting for accommodation in these cities. I had flown into Nagoya, Japan via Vietnam Airlines‘ Business Class, and headed home on Asiana via Seoul. I had visited Osaka before and documented my vacation, so check out my travelogue hunting for food around Dotonbori in summer!
Lastly, if you are mesmerised by the charms of Japanese central mountains, check out my travelogues to Ginzan Onsen – the famed fairytale like ex-mining town in the mountains – and Aomori / Hirosaki, which was part of my winter trip to northeast Japan, where I ventured to the northernmost point of Japan – Cape Soya while exploring Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.