Wish you were here?
Hotel overview
Location
WaikoloaProperty information
{{title}}
Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy: Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy: Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy: This hotel cannot guarantee a spring-break-free environment.
General Information:
Room taxes are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
11022 reviews
-
Oct 11, 2024Great staff - fix the basics for starters
As a guest who has been many times over the past decade, here is my detailed review that I am trying to keep as objective and helpful as possible The positive: The staff (many have been there for years) are outstanding, caring, helpful and routinely go above and beyond. Pre - arrival - I emailed three front office managers in advance of stay asking about the possibility of a paid upgrade in advance or upon check. No much as a single response from some of them. Overall, it feels like the property is in crisis mode - sparing any expense and grasping for any revenue. Many many changes (mostly cutbacks of some time), not just from pre pandemic but since our last trip. I will talk about specifics but think reductions wherever possible without regard for guests. It may have been occupancy related but we were told the property was sold out. Only one tram running, boats sporadic if at all. Tap room lobby bar closed. kPC closed Monday, Tuesday. Breakfast buffet decent but a shadow of what it used to in terms of variety and quality. Beach towels - was able to get once during our stay. Asked their service line, promised towels in room. It happened once with some extra bath towels. There is apparently a huge shortage of towels and no real plan to address. Cleanliness - seems like pest control has been cut back, way more cockroaches in room etc. than I’ve ever seen - even when staying in hostels in Central America. Garbage cans in public areas often overflowing - public facilities lacking basics like soap, toilet paper and paper towels. Mentioned each time but was rarely rectified and one manager basically argued with me so I took photos to provide evidence of the lack of basics, never mind it’s a resort. Was told by multiple people that there is a new cleaning company and they are not doing a good job (to state the obvious) F&B - Nui is decent, new chef, food mediocre, cold one day (rectified), very expensive, excellent staff and view. As it’s the only dining option in the entire resort some days when everything else is closed, make sure you have a reservation, or go early/late. KPC - great service, great view, one night fish was so off I could smell the fish long before it got to our table, despite being covered in prosciutto etc. steak was very good. Replacement other fish dish overcooked and dry. Very expensive, good wine list (also with Nui). Luau - always been one of the best I’ve been to. Food is good, show is great, paid the upgrade fee which gets you closer to stage, first up for Buffett, and served drinks instead of self serve. Again, very pricey at just under $600 for two and gave our server extra cash tip on top of that. In summary, the basics need fixing, the staff seem overwhelmed and frustrated but despite that, do an amazing job. Management seems to have given up, stopped caring or aren’t being given support to fix things. The F&B is somewhat hit and miss, certainly a departure from previous visits. Sadly, despite doing successful large events there in the past and many personal trips, I don’t want to argue about toilet paper and beach towels while at a resort property and have to make sure I have some snacks in case the food is inedible - notwithstanding the price points. Unfortunately, many guests we chatted with had similar experiences. The only reason it gets three stars is for all the amazing staff. The final (somewhat comical) piece was that we asked about options for a late checkout (and received our room at 8 pm, albeit it was a paid upgrade) and were told nothing later than noon. A day and a half plus after checking out, I receive a text on their app asking about our checkout details. The lack of communication is staggering.
-
Oct 06, 2024
Amazing location - needs updating
Compliments first: Staff is fantastic. Hope the property management is compensating them for how hard they work (and not making customers compensate salary by tips. Am beyond done with companies being cheap. Just pay your employees how they should be paid). We loved the view we had, comfortable bed, and the mini frig and Keurig (paid for the upgrade to Makai). Beautiful sunsets, lush grounds, etc like others have posted. And now for the not so good stuff: Desperately needs updating. Hilton clearly capitalizing on amazing location. Hilton Honors member so try to stay at Hilton’s but it’s time for Hilton to make an investment and bring this property to 2024 standards. Visited 10+ years ago and it’s obvious not much has been done since. Feels very, very worn, tired and dated. Also, resort pricing with food and drink we get … but food/drink pricing here is just stupidly insane for mediocre product. Next time … think we’ll try a different property.
-
Oct 05, 2024Nice Hotel But Could Use Improvement
Very nice accommodations with some nice amenities. But the worst part of staying there was easily getting from our room to the pool, restaurants, etc. Because of the trams, there's only one set of elevators that take you where you really need to go. Signage is not clear. We ate at two of the restaurants, the Lagoon Grill and Kamuela Provision Company (KPC). Lunch was okay at the Lagoon Grill but the birds were annoying, and nearly every chair had bird droppings in it. We ate at KPC for dinner and watched the sunset. We ordered light - a couple of appetizers with drinks which was very good. I was able to use points for my stay which made the price reasonable. Otherwise I think it's pricey for what you get. Also, there's ample parking but then again, it's not very clear how to get to your room.
-
Sep 29, 2024
Poor room, excellent activities and restaurants
We stayed in a Makai Ocean View room with a seven-year-old child during our summer vacation. We received no acknowledgement, upgrade or anything as a Hilton Honours Gold. We had to pay the regular fee for the room upgrade. The Makai Tower has an awkward strcuture and forced us to go around the building to walk a fairly long distance and take elevators every time we go to the beach, the pools, the restaurants and the parking. There is a gate for the Makai Tower toward the back of the parking so make sure you park deep down and use the Makai gate. We used the online check-in which was handy, but on a later day we found out that there were a few things we needed to receive physically at the front desk - such as wrist bands, map and a few more useful information pieces. I think they should advise their guests about this in advance. Apart from these hustles, we enjoyed the resort - all the restaurants were excellent and very-well served, pools were fantasitic and my child loved it, and the lagoon and the dolphin quest were something that we can't forget. The only regret was that the boat was not in service for the entire period of our stay. I felt many things were a bit overpriced and the rooms and buildings were dated and unfriendly to guests, but my child loved the pools, dolphins and restaurants and that concluded we had a great time here at this resort. We stayed in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort after we checked out the Hilton Waikoloa, and the Oahu Hilton was nowhere closer to the Big Island Hilton in any aspect.
-
Sep 28, 2024Old, expensive, uncomfortable. Stay away
Here for a dance conference so didn’t choose the location personally, but had it chosen by conference organizers. This resort is way too expensive and not practical for families. All restaurants are outrageously priced but because of location, it’s hard to find other options. Due to the time table we had because of dance workshops, it was more difficult to find food for the kids during breaks in their workshops. Not only that, places close crazy early. Took the kids to get Dole whip when they were done, got there before 4:30 and the place was closed. Why the heck would a place that is close to the pool and serves ice cream close that early???? Not only that but every restaurant but the most expensive close at 5 so means if you aren’t leaving the property you get to feed your teenagers 50-70 entrees. That’s just beyond insane. The rooms are very dated and the beds are very uncomfortable. Not only that, I booked two queens, was told I had two queens on check in. Get to the room and they are definitely smaller than queens; more like 3/4’s. The back of the bathroom door has been dirty since we arrived as well. To get anywhere on property takes forever to walk. They say they have trams and boats but the boats aren’t always running and the one tram takes forever to get where you want to go. This is supposed to be one of the top resorts in Hawaii; if that’s the cause the worst must be down right scary. Would not stay again and suggest if you want to enjoy your vacation and eat without spending a month’s grocery budget on a meal, stay away and choose somewhere else.