Tourism to Japan is booming, so why not get creative? That’s where the Plaza Premium lounge downtown Osaka comes into play.
Having only entered the Japanese market last year, at Nagoya’s Chubu International Airport (NGO), the Hong Kong-based airport lounge operator will be presenting its new urban lounge concept at some point this summer.
The location? Umeda, a mega-transport and shopping hub, home to both JR Osaka station, and Osaka Umeda station:
What will the Plaza Premium lounge downtown Osaka be like, and why not just open another lounge at Osaka Kansai (KIX)?
Let’s keep the lede unburied.
According to Plaza Premium Group, the new spot will operate in tandem with Japan-based inbound tourism specialist JWIDE; a cursory glance at the latter’s page makes me think that mainland China will be the big fish. No real shock there, as Osaka has become a shopping mecca for folks heading across the Sea of Japan everyone.
As for services offered, those will include everything from baggage handling and foreign exchange booths, to a travel concierge and of course, seating.
Details about the lounge itself are sparse — including where exactly in Umeda it will be located — but I’m sure the Plaza Premium lounge downtown Osaka will become a hit, if for no other reason than a lack of competition.
ETA: Here’s where it pays to do research in other languages, if you’re able. Apparently, a Diner’s Club Lounge opened in Umeda this past March, which is the cousin to the Tokyo Ginza Diner’s Club Lounge. (link in Japanese) My impression is that these lounges are for Japanese credit card-holders, whereas the Plaza Premium one will be open to a larger variety of travelers.
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