Stay in a Spacious Room with a Semi-Double Bed and Private Bathroom for Only 3,800 Yen at ‘Hotel Chuo Bridge’ 【Hants Endo’s Exploration of Osaka’s Nishinari C-Class Hotels (18)】

Of course, I then proceeded to explore the hotel as usual.

On the first floor, there was a lounge, lockers, and a smoking room. There was even a laptop set up for guests to use the internet for free. Separate restrooms for men and women, as well as a soft drink vending machine, were also available.

Unlike typical business hotels, the kitchen in this Nishinari hotel was equipped with sinks and IH cooking heaters for self-catering. There were also plenty of microwaves available, suggesting that guests could comfortably heat up convenience store-bought frozen food. While a few washing and drying machines were out of order, it didn’t seem to cause much inconvenience.

In other regions, there are many hotels that disappoint even at the 5,000 to 6,000 yen per night range. In contrast, the comfort offered by this hotel is outstanding, a testament to the Hotel Chuo Group’s quality.

Moreover, the hotel has a partnership with FamilyMart Shin-Imamiya Higashi store that offers a 10% cashback. The plan was to go to a pub at night, but after seeing the poster, I decided to head to FamilyMart for some drinks in the room instead. It seems they also have a partnership with ‘Meshiya Miyamoto Munashi’.

Although the front entrance closes at midnight, it can be unlocked with the card key, so there’s virtually no curfew.

The next morning was clear as well. Checkout was by 10 am, but I left the hotel a little after 9 am.

I saw public cleaning workers meticulously picking up cigarette butts and trash off the sidewalks, a reminder of the many people dedicated to keeping Nishinari clean.

■ Profile
Hants Endo
Born in Tokyo in 1966 and a graduate of Waseda University, Hants Endo left his job at a real estate company to become a writer for travel magazines and then a food journalist and C-Class hotel critic. He has visited over 10,000 dining establishments. His regular columns include works for ‘Weekly Taishu’ and ‘Toyo Keizai Online,’ and he has authored 27 books such as ‘Interview Rejection: The Ultra-Delicious Ramen Shops’ (Kosaido Publishing).