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5263 reviews
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Apr 18, 2025Historic, beautiful, a few quirks
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.
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Apr 18, 2025Not worth the price
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.
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Apr 15, 2025
Decades of visits, not our best.
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.
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Apr 15, 2025It's the ultimate stay in Hawaii ~
When we were there in 2007, there were 12 of us and we rented a house. We went to Royal Hawaiian for lunch and drinks. I knew it was the place I wanted to stay if we ever went back. So 18 years later...We valeted, and they gave us leis: an orchid lei for me and a beaded lei for David. The valets were great. The one kept checking on us. I wish I had written his name down. They gave us pink flask hot or cold bottles. Not sure they give them to everyone but perhaps because of the room we had booked. We had a garden, partial ocean view. We ate at the Mai Tai Bar for dinner. Great view, sunset. I don't remember what I had, except dessert: we shared the signature pink snowball and gelato. We had breakfast at the Surf Lanai the next morning overlooking the beach and ocean. I had a cocktail then too. They have several gift shops, one that includes amenities as well as drinks. They had Diet Dr Pepper which I love. They had given us a coupon for a free muffin at the Bakery and coffee shop. They have bags and pink pancake mix there and sweet treats. It's within walking distance of the mall. We walked and found David shirts made in Hawaii. We were there a couple of days as we were on our way to Australia for the F1 Grand Prix, but it was amazing and I can't wait to go back. Pink is my favorite color~
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Apr 12, 2025
Luxury in Waikiki
I was blown away with my experience at this beautiful classic hotel on Waikiki Beach. I wanted to celebrate my 70th birthday in Hawaii and chose this luxury hotel right on the beach. From our welcoming experience with the front desk to all the staff here they are very kind and considerate. I asked for and received a room on the higher floor of the Mailani Tower. We had a breathtaking view of the beach, surfers and Diamond Head. Our king bed had a super comfortable bed, a coffee-tea station/small fridge area, a good size closet and full bath. Our balcony had both a loveseat as well as a small table with two chairs. The room was exceptionally clean and there was housekeeping every day. I knew that, since the original hotel was the 2nd one built in the 1920’s, the tower was built in 1968 - that the pool was very small. The unfortunate part of this as there aren’t a lot of chairs around the relatively tiny pool, we could see the pool from our room and there were towels placed on all those chairs by 7:00 in the morning. We were not in Hawaii to hang around the pool not as much an issue for us, but it’s really a rude thing to do. If you do want to take a dip, there’s quite a large pool at the Sheraton sister hotel next door you can use. We went to the Mai Tai bar on the property for lunch a couple days. Friendly staff, good food and of course, delicious Mai Tais! The location of this resort is in a perfect spot in Waikiki, you’re close to shopping, restaurants and bars. We stayed for 6 days and wish it was longer!