Hotel Keihan Universal City (ホテル京阪 ユニバーサル・シティ) ceased operations with the final check-out on May 6, 2021. The reason announced by the operator was “the expiry of the lease term,” and no further details were made public. The building itself, however, is still standing: the same site and the same 330 rooms pre-opened on July 1, 2021 as Oriental Hotel Universal City (オリエンタルホテル ユニバーサル・シティ) (operated by Hotel Management Japan), held its grand opening on December 23 of that year, and continues to operate today as an official hotel of Universal Studios Japan. Next door, Hotel Keihan Universal Tower (ホテル京阪 ユニバーサル・タワー, 641 rooms) is still operating as a Keihan Group hotel. So the answer to “Did it close?” is: the hotel under the old name is gone, but you can still stay in the same building under a different name — and the hotel that still carries the Keihan name is the Tower.
- — Closed on May 6, 2021 due to “the expiry of the lease term”: Hotel Keihan Universal City ended operations about 20 years after opening in 2001. The operator disclosed no further details.
- — The same building and the same 330 rooms operate as Oriental Hotel Universal City: Hotel Management Japan pre-opened it on July 1, 2021, with a grand opening on December 23 of the same year. Both USJ and JR Universal City Station are about a 1-minute walk away.
- — The hotel still operating under the Keihan name is the neighboring Universal Tower (641 rooms): it has a natural hot-spring observation bath on the 31st floor and a sky restaurant on the 32nd floor, and completed a renovation of all 641 rooms in March 2025.
- — Lowest weekday rate: median ¥18,172; Saturday: ¥30,720: listed prices at Oriental Hotel Universal City for stay dates from November 2026 to February 2027, per room for 2 guests, tax included (as of October 14, 2026; weekdays N=51 days, Saturdays N=17 days). The Tower is in the same price band at ¥19,500 and ¥34,700.
- — Cheapest: weekdays from mid-January to February. In a league of their own: year-end and Saturday, November 21: during the last three days of the year, even the lowest rates run ¥40,000–80,000+. From October to early November, cheaper plans sell out first, so on some dates the lowest rate looks high.
From Closure to Reopening (Timeline)
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Hotel Keihan Universal City (330 rooms) opens in the same year as Universal Studios Japan. It operates for about 20 years as an official hotel located at Universal CityWalk Osaka |
| March 2021 | The operator announces that the hotel “will cease operations on May 6, 2021 upon the expiry of the lease term” |
| May 6, 2021 | Hotel Keihan Universal City ceases operations (as reported by HotelBank at the time) |
| July 1, 2021 | Hotel Management Japan rebrands the same building as Oriental Hotel Universal City and pre-opens it (reservations accepted from June 1 of the same year) |
| December 23, 2021 | Grand opening after renovation of the entrance, lobby, guest rooms and restaurant. Simmons beds installed in guest rooms |
| As of October 2026 | Both Oriental Hotel Universal City and Hotel Keihan Universal Tower are in operation |
Source: the operator’s March 2021 announcement and the opening notices of June 2021 and January 2022 (confirmed by the HotelBank Editorial Team through reporting at the time). The property list on Hotel Keihan’s official website currently shows only Universal Tower.
What the Property Is Like Today (Oriental Hotel Universal City)
The address is 6-2-78 Shimaya, Konohana-ku, Osaka — the same address as the former Hotel Keihan Universal City. The official website describes it as about a 1-minute walk from Universal Studios Japan and about a 1-minute walk from JR Universal City Station, and it operates as an official hotel. The building has 20 floors above ground and 330 rooms in total. Rooms are mainly twins: according to the HotelBank Editorial Team’s tally, there are 266 twin rooms of 27–54㎡ and 64 double rooms of 18㎡ (about 80% of the 330 rooms with known floor area are 30㎡ or larger). There are 16 triples, 2 quads and 44 twins with connecting doors, so the layout is designed with families and groups in mind.
Guest ratings also concentrate on location and breakfast. Looking at the reviews compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team by category (cumulative as of October 2026): location 4.58 (N=1,009), breakfast 4.59 (N=443), cleanliness 4.48 (N=1,018), staff 4.48 (N=910) (out of 5; HotelBank Editorial Team research). It is a property valued for “walking to the park” and “a substantial breakfast.”
How Much Does It Cost? Weekday vs. Saturday Rates (October 2026 – February 2027)
The HotelBank Editorial Team compiled OTA listed prices (as of October 14, 2026; per room for 2 guests; tax included) day by day for 58 weekdays (Tue–Thu) and 20 Saturdays between October 15, 2026 and February 28, 2027. “Lowest” in the table is the monthly median of each day’s cheapest plan, with the monthly range in parentheses. “Average” is the mean of all plans on sale each day (including breakfast plans, upper floors, suites, etc.), so the amount you actually pay normally falls between the lowest and the average.
| Month | Day type | Oriental Hotel Universal City Lowest (range) |
Same: average of all plans | Same: plans on sale | Hotel Keihan Universal Tower Lowest (range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 (from the 15th) |
Weekdays (7 days) | ¥28,336 (¥21,714–30,720) | approx. ¥77,900 | 73–288 | ¥27,000 (¥26,100–30,500) |
| Saturdays (3 days) | ¥38,160 (¥36,640–41,440) | approx. ¥98,400 | 70–196 | ¥34,700 (¥34,700–35,600) | |
| November 2026 | Weekdays (12 days) | ¥19,680 (¥14,720–25,425) | approx. ¥75,600 | 65–358 | ¥22,000 (¥19,600–22,800) |
| Saturdays (4 days) | ¥41,743 (¥29,440–60,880) | approx. ¥111,900 | 19–276 | ¥34,800 (¥34,800–54,000) | |
| December 2026 | Weekdays (15 days) | ¥17,325 (¥14,080–21,714*) | approx. ¥64,600 | 57–399 | ¥19,500 (¥15,100–21,900*) |
| Saturdays (4 days) | ¥31,360 (¥30,720–38,850) | approx. ¥88,800 | 151–307 | ¥34,750 (¥33,200–39,900) | |
| January 2027 | Weekdays (12 days) | ¥18,086 (¥16,875–19,680) | approx. ¥45,700 | 163–244 | ¥19,500 (¥19,500) |
| Saturdays (5 days) | ¥28,240 (¥25,102–30,000) | approx. ¥66,400 | 141–199 | ¥26,900 (¥26,100–30,600) | |
| February 2027 | Weekdays (12 days) | ¥18,172 (¥18,172–21,714) | approx. ¥50,100 | 244 | ¥19,500 (¥17,100–21,900) |
| Saturdays (4 days) | ¥33,229 (¥26,103–39,886) | approx. ¥72,300 | 199–244 | ¥33,500 (¥32,300–34,700) |
*The December weekday range excludes December 29–31. During those three year-end days the lowest rates sit at an entirely different level — ¥39,750–79,156 (Oriental) and ¥43,200–67,940 (Tower) — and on December 31 the Tower has 0 plans on sale while Oriental is down to 57 plans. Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (OTA listed prices, as of October 14, 2026, per room for 2 guests, tax included).
Two points to keep in mind when reading the table. First, in October and early November some dates have few plans on sale (73 plans on October 15, 65 plans on November 4–5, and 19 plans on Saturday, November 14). Because the remaining plans skew toward higher-grade rooms or meal-inclusive plans, the lowest rate on such dates looks higher than the median in the table. It is more accurate to read this as “the cheaper plans sold first” rather than “prices are high.” Second, on Saturday, November 21, the lowest rate at both hotels jumps to the ¥50,000–60,000 range, and the Tower has 0 plans on sale. It is best to decide early whether to avoid that weekend — when the whole area is busy — or to book well in advance.
Chart 1: Lowest listed prices by day type and month (monthly median of each day’s lowest rate, per room for 2 guests, tax included). Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (as of October 14, 2026)
Oriental Hotel or the Neighboring Universal Tower?
The two hotels are a 1–2 minute walk apart, and they are almost equally close to the park and to JR Universal City Station. Prices also sit in the same band: the median lowest weekday rate is ¥18,172 (Oriental) vs. ¥19,500 (Tower), and on Saturdays ¥30,720 vs. ¥34,700 (both for November 2026 – February 2027, N=51 days / 17 days). The deciding factor is whether you value “room size and breakfast” or “a high-floor hot spring and views.”
| Oriental Hotel Universal City | Hotel Keihan Universal Tower | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Hotel Management Japan (Oriental Hotels & Resorts) | Keihan Group (Hotel Keihan chain) |
| Building & rooms | 20 floors, 330 rooms. Mainly 27–54㎡ twins; triples and connecting rooms available | 32 floors, 641 rooms. The tallest official hotel in the area; mainly 21–37㎡ twins |
| Notable facilities | Breakfast buffet themed “Charge from Nature,” banquet halls | Natural hot-spring observation bath on the 31st floor (fee applies), sky restaurant on the 32nd floor, Tower Premium Floors on floors 25–30 (renovation of all 641 rooms completed in March 2025) |
| Highest-rated review categories (out of 5) | Breakfast 4.59 (N=443), location 4.58 (N=1,009) | Location 4.75 (N=1,576), cleanliness 4.58 (N=1,395) |
| Median lowest weekday rate (Nov–Feb) | ¥18,172 | ¥19,500 |
| Median lowest Saturday rate (Nov–Feb) | ¥30,720 | ¥34,700 |
Reviews: HotelBank Editorial Team research (cumulative as of October 2026). Property information from each official website (Oriental Hotel Universal City, Hotel Keihan Universal Tower) and opening announcements.
If you are traveling with children and want to “enter the park first thing in the morning,” it is more practical to compare hotels by breakfast opening time and dining-room layout. For hotels around USJ whose breakfast venues open at 6:30 a.m., a comparison article on kazokustay (in Japanese) covers options including Hotel Kintetsu Universal City and Hotel Universal Port.
Rates Around the Station — Lowest Price Bands at 12 Nearby Properties
Within a 1km radius of Universal Tower there are 12 lodging properties with 4,460 rooms in total as of October 2026 (HotelBank Editorial Team research; because the former Hotel Keihan Universal City is the same building as Oriental Hotel Universal City, the two are counted as one property). Comparing each property’s median lowest listed price over the same 51 weekdays and 17 Saturdays from November 2026 to February 2027, the official hotels adjacent to the park cluster at ¥16,000–21,000 on weekdays and ¥30,000–35,000 on Saturdays, with Oriental and the Tower in the middle of that band. Business hotels and hostels a little farther from the station sit at ¥2,750–8,000 on weekdays, so the choice comes down to whether you prioritize “proximity to the park” or “price.” Price gaps between park-front hotels and alternative areas tend to widen further during major park events such as the Halloween season, and the Osaka Bay area’s room supply is set to grow with the 2,500 hotel rooms planned for the Yumeshima integrated resort.
Chart 2: Median lowest listed prices at 12 properties within 1km of Universal Tower (51 weekdays and 17 Saturdays, November 2026 – February 2027, per room for 2 guests, tax included). Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (as of October 14, 2026)
Booking Tips — Cheap Days and Busy Periods
- The cheapest period is weekdays (Tue–Thu) from mid-January to February. Oriental Hotel Universal City ranges from ¥16,875 to ¥21,714 and Universal Tower from ¥17,100 to ¥21,900 (¥19,500 on most dates), with more than 160 plans still on sale each day (as of October 14, 2026).
- Saturdays cost 1.6–2 times as much as weekdays. The median lowest Saturday rate for November–February is ¥30,720 at Oriental and ¥34,700 at the Tower. On many dates, simply staying on a Friday or Sunday instead of a Saturday saves ¥10,000 or more.
- Year-end (December 29–31) and Saturday, November 21 are in a league of their own. Even the lowest rates run ¥40,000–80,000, and on the 31st the Tower has 0 plans on sale while Oriental is down to 57 plans. Booking early is a must for these dates.
- From October to early November, watch out for dates with “few remaining plans.” Dates where the lowest rate looks high are dates when the cheaper rooms have already sold, so shifting your dates or switching to a weekday two to three months out brings options back.
For a More Detailed Search
For detailed hotel-by-hotel comparisons, see these articles (in Japanese).
From the USJ area, it covers Hotel Kintetsu Universal City (about a 1-minute walk to the park, with a kids’ corner featuring child-height buffet counters) and Hotel Universal Port (a 342-seat venue with a 112-seat family zone), comparing them with Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama, Hilton Tokyo Bay and Mitsui Garden Hotel Prana Tokyo Bay by breakfast opening time, last entry, children’s pricing and indicative rates.
A deep dive into Liber Hotel Osaka (760 rooms, opened November 2019), a 1-minute walk from Sakurajima Station, the next stop from Universal City Station. It summarizes facilities suited to longer stays — a natural hot-spring large bath, coin laundry and multi-night discount plans — along with the indicative price range for 2 guests per room. An option for people staying several days around USJ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is it really the same building?
A. Yes. Both the address (6-2-78 Shimaya, Konohana-ku, Osaka) and the room count (330 rooms) are unchanged from the former Hotel Keihan Universal City. After pre-opening in July 2021, the entrance, lobby, guest rooms and restaurant were renovated, and the grand opening took place on December 23 of the same year.
Q. Can I use Keihan hotel membership benefits or points?
A. Oriental Hotel Universal City is now operated by Hotel Management Japan, so if you want to use Keihan Group hotel membership benefits, the neighboring Hotel Keihan Universal Tower is the eligible hotel. Details of the Oriental Hotel’s own membership program and direct-booking benefits are available on its official website.
Q. Why did it close?
A. The reason the operator announced in March 2021 was “the expiry of the lease term.” No other details have been made public. For other hotels that continued operating under a different name after closing, and for operating hotels that are often mistaken as closed, see Japan Hotel Closures 2026.
Q. Is Hotel Keihan Universal Tower still open?
A. Yes. It has 641 rooms over 32 floors, with a natural hot-spring observation bath on the 31st floor and a sky restaurant on the 32nd floor. Renovation of all 641 rooms was completed in March 2025, and floors 25–30 are now “Tower Premium” floors. It is also listed on the Hotel Keihan chain’s official website.
Q. How much is a night?
A. Based on listed prices as of October 14, 2026 (per room for 2 guests, tax included), the cheapest plan at Oriental Hotel Universal City for November 2026 – February 2027 has a median of ¥18,172 on weekdays and ¥30,720 on Saturdays. The average of all plans, including breakfast plans and upper floors, ranged by month from about ¥46,000–78,000 on weekdays and about ¥66,000–112,000 on Saturdays. At year-end (December 29–31), even the lowest rates start at around ¥40,000.
Methodology and Sources
- Prices: OTA listed prices compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team as of October 14, 2026. Per room for 2 guests, tax included. Covered dates: 58 weekdays (Tue–Thu) and 20 Saturdays from October 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027. “Lowest” is the monthly median of each day’s cheapest plan; “Average” is the monthly mean of the daily average of all plans on sale. Chart 2 covers 51 weekdays and 17 Saturdays from November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
- Property count: 12 lodging properties within a 1km radius of Hotel Keihan Universal Tower (including guesthouses and hostels). The former Hotel Keihan Universal City is the same building as Oriental Hotel Universal City and is counted together with it as one property.
- Reviews: average scores (out of 5) and counts by category, compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from reviews on multiple platforms. Cumulative as of October 2026. No individual reviews are quoted.
- Background: the operator’s March 2021 announcement of the closure, and Hotel Management Japan’s June 2021 pre-opening notice and December 2021 grand-opening notice (confirmed through reporting at the time). Property information from each hotel’s official website (Oriental Hotel Universal City / Hotel Keihan Universal Tower, checked October 2026).
- Source: Hilton “Company Overview” (updated August 25, 2026) — property information for Hilton Tokyo Bay mentioned in this article.
■ Data Sources
Listed prices and review ratings were compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from public OTA data (retrieved October 14, 2026). The closure date and reason are from HotelBank’s article at the time reporting the operator’s March 2021 announcement; the rebranding dates and operator are from Hotel Management Japan’s opening notices; address, access and facilities are from both hotels’ official websites. Property and room counts within the 1km radius are from the HotelBank Editorial Team’s hotel database.
■ Assumptions
Prices are per room for 2 guests, tax included. For 58 weekdays (Tue–Thu) and 20 Saturdays with stay dates from October 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027, the single cheapest plan was taken for each day, and the monthly median and range were calculated. The two-hotel comparison and the 12-property comparison are aligned on November 2026 – February 2027 (51 weekdays and 17 Saturdays), excluding October when few plans were on sale. The all-plan average is the monthly mean of the daily average of all plans on sale.
■ Limitations
Listed prices are as displayed at the time of retrieval and do not guarantee the amount paid at booking. On dates with few plans on sale (e.g., October 15 and November 14), cheaper rooms have sold first, so the lowest rate appears higher than the going rate. Single-occupancy rates follow a separate pricing structure; halving the figures in the table does not give the single rate. Comparisons with nearby hotels do not adjust for differences in room size or facilities. The original text of the 2021 closure notice for the former Hotel Keihan Universal City is no longer available on the current operator’s website.
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