The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki

Potential unrealized. So much could be done with this...property screams for an old world experience. Where is the piano bar? Drinks in an atmosphere that recreates the heyday of this property? A total miss. My suite, garden facing, is expensive and run down and a bit smelly (122). Upside, staff is first rate, friendly, helpful and responsive. The Ritz at Turtle Bay. Bag Waikiki and head to the north shore.

I’m here now. Just checked in today. I was at another hotel was supposed to go to a friends house family emergency so I booked this with Amex Platinum Fine Hotels. The room is tiny at $450 a night. I can’t even open both my suitcases one on the desk. The bathroom is a bachelor at best, 8” of stone on either side of the sink no room to put my razor etc. I was told I was given an”upgraded room.” 5th floor, facing opposite of the ocean I asked for. It’s 1:30 AM and I’m listening to machinery that runs on/off for the 9 hours I’ve been here so far. Then people on the street live music, it’s really noisy. I wish I could actually sleep.

I only spent one night at the Royal Hawaiian, but enjoyed every second of it. A small disclaimer that it was a special treat for me to stay somewhere like this, and I had just come from three days of North Shore camping. All the amenities and food options were amazing, and I had the best night of sleep of my whole trip. The sheets and shower products were wonderful. The property is unique and has lots of charm. The reason I’m writing the review however, is because the staff are so amazing there. Avis in particular both checked me in and out and made me feel so at home. Solo traveling can be a little intimidating and she really offered such a warm welcome and sweet goodbye. She was able to check me in early and told me about things like the hospitality room that I could visit after checking out if needed and available (check out is noon but I had a midnight flight so lots of time to kill). She explained all of the resort information very clearly so that I’d know what to expect. All in all, it just felt really nice to share some laughs with a stranger and be so welcomed and then remembered during check out. She really helped my trip end on a high note. The hospitality room was a game changer compared to showering on the beach before heading to the airport! Beyond Avis I also encountered many friendly pool staff, shop staff, and surf lanai staff. I stayed in an ocean view room on the 15th floor of the tower. I didn’t encounter any mildew smells or unclean conditions like some other reviews have mentioned. The only thing missing was my room didn’t have a bathrobe, which was no big deal for me. I personally don’t mind the room finishes being a bit ‘outdated’ as you just can’t beat the views, location, and service/friendliness from the staff. In my opinion, the rooms have more than everything needed to enjoy yourself and everything was in working order. For me, encountering kind, happy people is way more memorable on a vacation than a bathrooms sink condition/outdated light fixtures etc. I wish I had stayed a second night before heading home!

We stayed in the Mailani Tower in an Ocean Front King Room for almost $600 per night. This is supposed to be part of the Luxury Collection and we didn't see much luxury here. The room and bathroom were very dated and drab. The single sink was cracked and the faucets were corroded. The shower water pressure was so low that you had to move around to stay wet. The bed was very "lumpy" and the seat for the very old desk was broken such that you sunk through when seated. The room was so noisy from the drunken people in the bars and beach below. We are in 2024 and in the room we could find only one USB plug and that is an extension device on one bedside table. The only saving grace was the Frette Linens. We checked out after one night.

This was our second visit to this awesome and incredible historic hotel right on the best beach in Waikiki. The staff the grounds, the room, the restaurants and everything else associated with the Royal Hawaiian is first class. The Royal in the hotels name may very well refer to the way the customer is treated! When we had a very minor glitch on our second visit, hotel staff immediately went above and beyond to remedy the situation and truly amazed us with their customer first and friendly service.