InterContinental Osaka

The Hotel

InterContinental Osaka opened on 9 June 2013 as IHG's flagship property in Kansai region — the first new five-star to open in central Osaka since the Ritz-Carlton in 1997 — at the top of the South Tower of Grand Front Osaka, the major mixed-use complex completed across the boulevard from the JR Osaka Station Yard. The building stands directly over the underground concourse system that connects every part of central Umeda; the hotel lobby is on floor 20 with the residential and inventory floors above. The architectural commission was Tokyo practice Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei with interior architecture by Hong Kong-based BLINK Design Group; the brief was for a contemporary Japanese-international vocabulary at scale, and the building delivers exactly that — the hotel reads as a serious contemporary Japanese five-star with explicit IHG-International decoration.

The 272 rooms — including 17 suites — are arranged across floors 21 to 33 of the South Tower with the principal architectural decision being the floor-to-ceiling Umeda-skyline window in every category. Standard categories begin at 38 square metres; Premium categories add the city or station view; the Presidential Suite at 230 square metres on floor 33 is the milestone unit, with two bedrooms, a separate dining and sitting room, and a wraparound balcony. Bathrooms are travertine; bath products are Agraria, IHG's signature.

Pierre Gagnaire — the named French fine-dining room on floor 20, opened with the hotel as the chef's first Japan property after Pierre Gagnaire à Tokyo (closed 2009) and Pic Restaurant Tokyo (Anne-Sophie Pic, separate operation) — runs a contemporary tasting programme that has held the 1-Michelin-star designation continuously since the 2014 Osaka guide. Noka Roast & Grill is the all-day brasserie programme; The Lobby Lounge runs the afternoon-tea programme; The Bar handles the cocktail-and-aperitivo register on floor 20 with the Umeda skyline as the view. The IHG Spa runs four treatment rooms and a 19-metre indoor heated pool on floor 21 — the highest hotel pool in central Umeda. The 24-hour fitness centre is on floor 21.

The Grand Front Osaka address is the unambiguous booking decision for Shinkansen-arriving travellers. From the hotel lobby it is three minutes by underground concourse to JR Osaka Station, four minutes to the Hankyu/Hanshin Umeda terminals, six minutes to Hep Five and Yodobashi shopping, ten minutes to Nakanoshima and Conrad, and twelve minutes by Midosuji Line to Namba and Dotonbori. The Grand Front Osaka commercial complex itself houses 270+ retail and dining tenants directly accessible from the hotel without crossing surface streets. For business travellers and Shinkansen-arriving leisure travellers wanting the shortest possible walk between Shinkansen and bed, the IC is unambiguous; the Ritz-Carlton at Herbis Plaza is the alternative Umeda position but five minutes further on foot.

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