The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki

This is NOT a luxury property or hotel. While I understand that they want to keep the historic Hawaiian vibes, that can be done with clean rooms that don’t have stains on the curtains, carpets, and walls. The bathrooms in this “luxury” hotel had black mold and sludge in multiple areas and the entire room smelled like mold. The air conditioning blows directly at the bed, so good luck at night trying to sleep. I felt like I was in a motel rather than a 5 star hotel. The only pool on the property is tiny and the shared pool with the Sheraton is absolutely filthy and disgusting. The water was murky and you couldn’t see the bottom of the pool that was only 3 feet deep. In the areas that you could see the bottom of the pool, there was garbage. Being in that area made my skin crawl. Also beware that the beach is a public beach. You have to pay an outside vendor to rent the umbrellas on the public beach… this is not how the property was advertised on the website. The BBB should really take a look at how this hotel is being advertised.

It was so exquisite and worth the cost to the core. I enjoyed the experience a lot and there was also so many activities to do indoor and outdoors and I loved the pool a lot! The buffet breakfast deserves a million chef's kisses! It's a must visit place at least once in a lifetime.

This beautiful hotel is in the prize position on the best part of Waikiki beach. It is a stunning setting and the hotel is a beautiful old building. The service is relaxed and casual but friendly more than professional five star. We arrived early on a long haul flight and were given access to a room to freshen up while waiting for our room which was greatly appreciated. We had a King sea view room on the top floor of the historic building with a magnificent view to the beach and Diamond Head. The daily maid service was very friendly and efficient. The hallways show some wear and tear with the carpet threadbare in places, but the building is so beautiful you don’t notice and everything smells clean and of frangipani. Our room was fairly spacious but the bathroom was extremely cramped and dominated by a swing door when they should save space by installing a sliding door. It really was too small for a five star experience - of course it’s an old building but you need to update and modernise and a sliding door would make a huge difference. The pool area is quite small and prone to the dreaded sun lounger reservation issues which staff do nothing about (of course that is difficult to do, but if a towel is on a lounger for more than an hour - remove it). One of the best things about the hotel that is no secret is the Mai Tai bar on the beach which makes amazing cocktails and serves decent beach grub too. Sometimes there is live music on the lawn - we heard the Royal Hawaiian band which was a great experience. The setting is just so peaceful and beautiful and the hotel is especially gorgeous when lit up at night. We would definitely stay again for a treat.

The RHH is a beautiful property, however not without its flaws. Our bathroom had a persistent sewer smell that the hotel was unable to correct. The pool area is the opposite of tranquil - the screaming kids were totally out of control. The food is mediocre at best and ridiculously overpriced.

We love historic hotels and have stayed at the Royal Hawaiian multiple times over decades of visiting Waikiki. Its beachfront location, beautiful gardens and central location with easy walking to shopping and restaurants makes it our top choice of hotels. We were delighted that our room was available for early check in around 1:00pm. However, we did not receive a lei upon arrival, one of the amenities listed as included in the resort fee. My status as Lifetime Titanum Elite was not recognized, and I found reception in general not as welcoming as in previous visits. I had booked an oceanfront room in the newer tower area with a view of Diamond Head. My SNA was approved and we were apparently moved to a higher floor, but unfortunately, the room had no Diamond Head view, as it was blocked by the room adjacent to ours. We were only staying for two nights and didn’t feel like moving, so we didn’t ask for another room. It seemed that the overall quality and maintenance of the room was not on par with previous visits. Our room had a moldy smell and the mini fridge was turned off. The tray under the freezer section was filled with water that leaked all over the floor. There were no pink striped bathrobes, but a very kind maid brought us some on our second day. The television remote didn’t work well, and internet-based channels froze and the volume was difficult to control. We chose the complimentary continental breakfast instead of points, but found the service to be slow and rather unfriendly. The fresh fruit, bowl of yogurt, granola and several pastries is very nice. We hadn’t booked beach lounges prior to arrival and they were completely sold out; we did learn that higher tier Bonvoy members can get complimentary beach chairs, which we took advantage of. There is no hope of getting a lounge by the pool unless one gets down there by 7am. Overall, this was not our best stay. We hope for a better overall experience next time.