Hotels are interestingly diversified places in what people see them as. Some people love them and see it as a getaway place to relax and rejuvenate. Others see it as only a place to go to sleep at night when traveling away from home. When traveling, guests may miss the familiarity of home whether he or she realizes it or not. When a hotel and its people successfully create a space that feels like home away from home, I think that's when the hotel has achieved success. My feelings on the day of check-out from St Regis Osaka probably reflects how much I really love this home away from home. I say to T, "Oh, I'm sad, why can't we stay here forever..." Alas, short fantasies like that are best kept as stints so we appreciate them more. At a St Regis hotel anywhere in the world, one expects wonderful, wonderful service. Add in the Japanese hospitality and the service becomes exceptional.
We arrive at the hotel and are greeted by the helpful bellhop. We take the elevator up to the lobby. The personal service begins here. Instead of standing at a counter for check-in, guests are assisted at the sit-down check-in desk. Thanks to T's SPG upgrade passes, we are upgraded to the Hagis suite. The lady who assists us informs us that our suite is not ready yet. She politely apologizes for our wait and invites us to the St Regis Bar for a complimentary drink.
After a drink at the St Regis Bar, we head up to our suite with Osaka skyline views. Within 10 minutes, our butler arrives, introduces himself, and very politely asks if he may take some time to explain the functions found in the living room and bedroom. He takes the moment to make sure we feel comfortably at home. Timothy, our butler, shows us the bedside controls for the lights, curtains, and door signs. He informs us that if the feather pillow is too soft for our liking, we can request for another type from their pillow menu that has 12 types of pillows.
We have a butler box located next to the main door
of our suite. The butler box is accessible by us through a sliding door
from inside our suite while the butler has access to it through a secured
mini door from the outside. Newspapers are put in the box every morning.
We send pieces of clothing to be pressed and leave them at the butler
box. The butler comes to retrieve them and then leaves our pressed
clothing in the butler box when ready. There is no hassle of him ringing
our doorbell to return our clothing.
The mini bar has a Nespresso machine which means we are able to continue with our daily Nespresso drinks as if at home in Chicago. The walk-in closet is certainly a win for any woman's heart (it is for me!). The bathroom has the most pampering shower with 5 sprays and water shooting out from different angles. Every evening when we return, turndown service is already completed by housekeeping with lights dimmed, soft music playing from the TV, and yukata laid on the bed for us.
Timothy gives us printed information and directions to our dinner reservation which we had requested the hotel to assist in making, about a month prior to our visit. While speaking with us, he inquires about our earlier lunch reservation that day which the hotel also assisted in a month ago. He asks me if the restaurant remembered not to put shrimp in our meal due to my allergy. How thoughtful of him to remember and check in with us on this although the last time we informed them about my allergy for reservation purposes was a month ago. The people at St Regis Osaka care and they find ways to show that they care. They make it a home away from home for us, and very much a personal touch of experience.
St Regis Osaka is conveniently located just next to Honmachi Station. To access the hotel, use Exit 7 and then take the elevator or escalator up to street level. Turn right and walk around the corner to the hotel entrance.
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St Regis
3-6-12 Honmachi
Chuo-ku, Osaka
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