The Kahala Hotel & Resort

Was one of my favorites. Still good service except a bit impersonal. It is nothing but a 4 star hotel, so don't expect anybody to know your name or make any special effort. An example is breakfast at the Plumeria Beach House. Lines to get in, a complete mess. Buffet was messy and busy. It's been like this for years and no improvement. Very cheap hotel now. Friend's birthday and they gave a card for 2 free sparkling wines or nonalcoholic beverages. Not even any drink but the cheapest. No cake no card no recognition. Nothing. The rooms are SO old. The bathroom tiles are very chipped, the granite sink is probably as old as the hotel, and the shower does not drain well. When you are by the pool area, look up at the hotel tower and you will see big chunks of missing concrete. Embarassing. For bathroom amenities, they downgraded from Floris to a knock off house brand with the same fragrance. How tacky is that. They try hard to keep clean and they do that well. In the room there is a letter dated Feb 2025 asking guests to excuse the noise from the renovation of rooms. Throughout my entire stay I saw and heard no construction, I doubt they are doing anything of significance. The Verandah lounge used to be great with Hawaiian music. Now it has limited hours opening at 5pm, with generic cheap non-Hawaiian music, destroying the ambiance. Please renovate and do better.

My husband and I chose this hotel to spend our honeymoon. Unfortunately, our experience didn’t turn out as we had hoped. Everything seemed fine at first, but in the morning we woke up to extremely loud, nonstop construction noise. I had been experiencing allergy symptoms and headaches, I just wanted to rest. After about four hours of the noise, we contacted the front desk. The staff was attentive and offered to move us to a different room, so we packed our things. Unfortunately, when we unpacked in the new room, the construction noise continued. We called again, and they offered to move us once more. We packed again, but to our surprise, the third room was worse. It was really disappointing, especially since this was supposed to be a relaxing and special trip. On the bright side, the hotel itself is beautiful, and the staff remained polite. But the ongoing construction seriously affected our stay, and they are telling us it will be this way all the time we will be here… 😭😭😭

The Kahala has been my Family go to resort since the late 80’s, I have seen changes through different ownerships, some good & some not, but we remain loyal visitors. That said, I found concierge, wait staff, pool service personnel to be often dismissive and rude, some helpful and welcoming. The only consistent pleasant staff were housekeeping (Ping and Emee). After the Hawaiian Buffet Dinner, I had to request a new room after walking upon an incident from another guest that started at the elevator and through the entire first floor corridor (diarrhea). I/we had to wash our shoes in the sinks and bathtubs which was disgusting. I then needed to report to the manager that this was not properly cleaned from the hall carpeting and elevator area, clearly management did not check this themselves. Later that evening I noticed there were still areas missed which was very visible to me, very unsanitary, I’m sure other guests had been walking through this unknowingly. Two days later I finally happened on the same elevator and had to take a photo of the diarrhea that the custodial crew missed and show it to the manager on duty. Management did apologize however they did not offer any gesture, i.e., “can we have your shoes cleaned for you” or “can we offer you a cabana at the pool”, just said apologies and “we hope you will come back”. I gave an “Average” rating for the rooms because I loved two of the three rooms I was in and “Terrible” for cleanliness for the obvious reasons.

Before staying at The Kahala as a guest, my wife and I would always visit when in Oahu just for the breakfast buffet and the atmosphere. This year we decided to stay at The Kahala and it was a great decision. From the Front Desk (Carolyn, Preston) to the Plumeria Beach House we were always greeted with very friendly and helpful staff. We arrived late in the day after 9pm, so we ordered Room Service. The meals arrived quicker than I expected and were delicious. We even had a chance to enjoy The Veranda live entertainment. Johnny Valentine was a hit. Thanks to all for making our first time at The Kahala a reason to come back again. Mahalo

We just returned from another fabulous stay at the Kahala. We have been so many times that we have lost count but you are welcome to look at our numerous prior reviews. We keep coming back because we always have such a great time. The hotel is close (but not too close) to the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. If you want to head into town the hotel has a free shuttle that will take you to and from. The pool and beach area is beautiful and are a great place to relax for the day (after enjoying the incredible breakfast buffet at Plumeria). Hoku's Sunday Brunch is a must do (especially with Tony as your server - he is the best!). It is our favorite. But all the restaurants are great with a wide variety of options. The rooms are quite large and the bath has two separate sinks and closets which allows you to spread out a bit. The Ocean Front rooms, particularly in the tower, have amazing views. It is hard to decide whether to enjoy the lanai or to head to the beach. Again, another amazing stay for us. We already have our next trip booked for our anniversary next month.