HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi

Firstly, our stay was exceptional. Our rooms were clean, comfortable and spacious. The location was excellent, so great to be near a huge shopping mall, fantastic restaurants and close to many train stations. Easy walk to Dotonbori too. The breakfast was reasonably priced compared to other hotels in Japan, and the quality and variety was far better. Lastly, we had some bad luck in Osaka and came down with Influenza. This resulted in needing to organise a doctor (twice!), to extend our stay etc, and the front desk staff couldn’t have been more helpful and accomodating in supporting us during that time. We REALLY appreciated their help!! Wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again when next in Osaka.

Nothing!

The location is hard to beat, directly on shinsaibashi station and a stones throw from Dotonbori and still only ~10 minutes from Menya SaiSai which has the best ramen I had in Japan (Tori Paitan/white chicken ramen- only available for dinner) We did not have any trouble with noise or making use of the facilities.

Breakfast was overrated. I wonder if the free self-pour Kahlua coffee isn't causing folks to rate this so highly. It was not terrible but it was the worst of any of our stays in Japan and I expected better due to the reviews on this website. I would stay here again, but we would not get the included breakfast. There are plenty of cafe's in the area to choose from or even grab and go boxes in the station.

Amazing value for money! Location was fantastic - it is practically a 2 minute walk from the Shinsaibashi-Suji shopping street/Shinsabiashi station and a 10 minute walk from Dotonbori. Surrounded by so much food and entertainment. One of our favourite places to eat was literally 1 minute away - 298 Nikuya All You Can Eat Yakiniku for only JP¥1000! (The line gets long at night, recommend going around lunch time for a quick seating!) The rooms were immaculate - extremely clean, modern interiors and more spacious than the average Japanese hotel room Bed was large and comfortable. No window view but that didn't really bother us. The bathroom was practically spotless and the rainshower was lovely. The toilets appeared to be a newer model compared to the toilets in other places we stayed in Japan. Staff was super nice and spoke English. Upon arrival they gave us a free ticket to the breakfast buffet the following morning, which tasted high quality! The library was super cute and unique. It was also extremely easy to send our luggage to our hotel in Tokyo - all you do is scan the QR code provided on the room service phone, fill in the google doc, bring your luggage to reception and they handle the rest.

There were only 3 dryers and 3 washers for coin laundry so it would get quite busy at night. Not really their fault. Still 10/10 hotel.

The location is really good as it's only a few steps away from Shinsaibashi-suji. The staff was friendly and made our check-in process really smooth (most of them speak English). They took care of our bags which was sent over from our first hotel in Kyoto and it was already waiting for us in the room. The amenities on the 2nd floor was really good (ice machine, vendo, free coffee, good laundromat, cozy lounge area). Our room was nice and clean albeit a bit cramped (which is typical with most hotels in the city) but our family of four were comfy enough during our stay. Overall, we had a pleasant experience.

Smell of smoke near the laundry and lounge space since the smoking area (although enclosed) is right beside it.

First, the staff were fantastic, even before we stayed here. We had a quick stopover in Osaka on our way to Koya and were planning to keep our luggage in storage at the train station. We decided to just ask the hotel and they accommodated, storing our luggage at the hotel in advance. The hotel is about a block from the train station and Shinsaibashi covered shopping street, so very centrally located. Dotonbori is a quick walk. Really, everything is a quick walk. The rooms are larger than expected and very clean. Staff were able to get me 2 rooms to accommodate the four of us. Breakfast in the morning should not be missed! It is worth every penny. The staff here are very helpful in every way. The laundry machines are a great feature. We also made regular use of the filtered water station and espresso machine in-hotel.

Central location. Metro nearby was perfect and connected to all locations I wanted to visit. Good food all around. The breakfast was perfection. And even coming late to breakfast there was plenty. Nice smoking room and I loved that they offered not only coffee but tea to take away with you too. A friend of mine left a bracelet in the room and staff helpfully sent it over to our next hotel.

It was not the most spacious room, but that is to be expected. Even then I still had no issues to open my shell style suitcase.

Good location with plenty of eateries and convenience stores nearby. There's no need to get to dotonburi to dine if you want to avoid crowds. Within walking distance of metros. It's an eco-friendly hotel. They do not offer mineral water bottles but provide reusable plastic water bottles for you to refill water at the dispenser near the laundry area. There's also a washer and dryer for you to do laundry and it doesn't cost much.

The clothes closet was a bit squeezy. Can be a bit tough to access clothes. Will also be great if they could provide more clothes hangers.

The hotel is very close to Shinsaibashi Station as well as the Dotonbori area, it a perfect spot if you intend to do a lot of sightseeing around Osaka. Also because Shinsaibashi is close to a large shopping district and bars, a lot of restaurants are open late to accommodate the partying crowd. So it wasn't hard to find food when we got back late. There is also a 7/11 and Family Mart nearby if you want to make a quick run to the Konbini. The hotel staff are extemely accommodating and on top of their game when it comes to hospitality. They were able to accomodate my nut allergy accordingly at the breakfast buffet and even took the time to ensure someone walked me through what I could and could not eat. They also accepted our Ta-q bin luggage without any issues, and helped us trouble shoot futher issues we had with getting our luggage back to Haneda Airport. They also have extra thermometers for you at the front desk if you end up catching a cold. My boyfriend and I needed one at one point in our stay and it helped that we didnt need to step out to buy one at the pharmacy. They also took note that I wasnt feeling well and would offer to give me hot yuzu tea incase I hadn't fully recovered. Lastly, they helped us order a taxi to our shinkansen.

The room was a little smaller than I had expected, but its pretty much average size for rooms in Japan. It was still a very comfortable stay.

- A team of young friendly and helpful staff. I requested their help to book a cab on my check-out day. - Good location. It takes only a few mins to reach Shinsaibashi metro (exit 5) and Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street. - Room is clean, bed is comfy and everything else worked as intended.

- Stingy hanger rail (see pic). Yes, the rail, not the hangers. It's universal fact that hotels provide limited hangers. Hence, I usually prepare a few cheap & disposable hangers when I travel. In this case, the railing for the hangers is so short that I resorted to hanging my clothing all over the places, e.g. next to the TV rack, door knob, bathroom, at the edge of the small desk ^_^" - A slightly bigger desk would be good for those who still need to work a bit at the end of the day!

Great location, 10 minute walk to Dotonbori and 5 minute walk to main Shinsaibashi station entry. This hotel is so modern, clean and well designed. The rooms were generous in size, bathroom was nicely designed, loved the ability to have both rain head and handle shower on at the same time. Staff are super friendly with the ability to speak different languages. Breakfast option at the restaurant was delicious and had a lot of variety. Daily housekeeping did a good job.

Laundry situation can be tough, seems to always be in use and with no way to tell when it’s being used other than going down to check. My feedback to staff - some hotels have a channel on the TV where you can check the status of the machines being used.