Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel

All business hotels aren’t created equal, and the name doesn’t always convey the full atmosphere. We say this by way of explaining the “Marriott” in Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel. It means one thing at the Houston airport, for example, and something else entirely when it’s occupying floors 38 through 57 in Japan’s tallest building, the thousand-foot-tall Abeno Harukas. Welcome, if you’ll pardon a pun, to the upper echelon.

The significance of the view truly can’t be understated; they’ve somehow wrung extra oomph out of a trope that’s long been familiar to Japan’s luxury hotels. Every one of the 360 rooms affords spectacularly unobstructed city- and bay-gazing through floor-to-ceiling windows, and furthermore at a height lofty enough to sell the stay on its own. Take it from us and get the corner room. That aside, the design hews fairly close to Asian megahotel standards, speaking a sort of global luxury lingua franca in futuro-minimalist space and geometry. It’s polished, sensible, and understated, occasionally reaching for a dark wood accent or some honey-toned textile, but for the most part serenely preferring not to rock the boat. This being Japan, the amenities are decidedly 21st-century: LCD flatscreens, iHomes, Nespresso machines, and free wi-fi are the order of the day, with deep soaking tubs and THANN bath amenities presenting a valid non-technological case for relaxing the old-fashioned way.

A couple restaurants, ZK and COOKA, perform variations on the open-kitchen theme, the former presenting Japanese-Continental fusion via theatrical, tableside teppanyaki on the panoramic 57th floor while the latter showcases hyper-fresh produce via live, haute-buffet prep stations. If you aren’t yet convinced that this building’s a self-sufficient leisure palace, consider also the fully equipped gym, the on-site boutique bakery, the tea lounge, or the glowing plays of rainbow light at the aurora-themed bar. Still not enough? There’s always, you know, the rest of the colossal complex — rooftop observatory, retail stores, more dining outlets, and a contemporary art museum. Don’t blame us if you get lost.