A coupon, valued at $40, for a free 1 hour umbrella set rental at The Royal Hawaiian with your Budget car reservation! You don't even have to stay there. Did the hotel always use "Waikiki Beach Services" to maintain the beach chairs, or is this a newly outsourced service and thus the new fee?
$320 for an 8 hour day to rent an umbrella? That is a little steep even for RH.
The rolleyes wasn't for you. Why would I rolleyes you right after giving you a compliment?
The rolleyes was for the fact that the property is now selling an amenity that used to be for the sole (complimentary) use of hotel guests.
Cool. Hard to tell the intent of the smilies on the internet sometimes. Maybe this is why they switched to a paid system - to be able to charge guests from other hotels to use their beach. If so, the coupon seems backwards. Wouldn't it make more sense to offer the coupon to your guests and give non-guests the option to pay for the beach?
Quote:
Originally Posted by turkeyRIOO
$320 for an 8 hour day to rent an umbrella? That is a little steep even for RH.
I'm going to try the coupon out next week to see if they do kick us out after exactly 60 minutes.
A coupon, valued at $40, for a free 1 hour umbrella set rental at The Royal Hawaiian with your Budget car reservation! You don't even have to stay there. Did the hotel always use "Waikiki Beach Services" to maintain the beach chairs, or is this a newly outsourced service and thus the new fee?
Just got home this morning from RH and here is the deal with chairs...
They have a limited number of rentals on a first come first serve basis by the hour (they are closer to the ocean and are brown, not the pink ones lined up in front of hotel)
Anybody can rent by the hour or day (it was $50 ish I think for the day)
Now one little side effect that them charging for beach chairs- the limited pool chairs are now very hard to come by and many people putting towels down and leaving them and a few times I had to go lay on the beach on a towel in the sand because nowhere to sit
Hmm I guess the solution is to charge for pool chairs as well
That's the problem. I've never been so I have no idea what will be best for us until I see the places and then make a decision. I'm always cautious and prefer to book a cheaper place, check the area out, and try something fancier next time. My husband, on the other hand, has already started the "Sheraton sucks" sulking around the apartment even though he's never been to Hawaii either.
I haven't actually stayed at the RH. I've only stayed at the SW. But they are literally next door to one another, and I had a few breakfasts at the RH as well as a few drinks there. Here's how they stack up in my opinion.
First, the RH is beautiful. It's a bright pink and has a very classic palatial look to it. Upon walking up, you are always greeted (not by name, at least not me) but always greeted. The view from inside the main hall looking out over the ocean is spectacular. As are the views from the restaurant where I had breakfast (right on the beach, view of water and Diamond Head).
As for the SW, it does not compare in grandeur to the RH, at least aesthetically, having an off white/beige boxy look to it. And the interior is rather nondescript. It's still very nice, but you won't feel like royalty walking into the lobby. I don't recall being greeted here either (if that matters). The breakfast was also not quite as upscale as that offered at the RH (although a bit cheaper) and not as beautiful of a space.
However, in my opinion, the ocean front rooms with balconies at the SW make up for any shortcomings. Again, the style of the room is not over-the-top luxury, but really all that mattered to me was that balcony. The pleasure of waking up to the view and sound of nothing but ocean can not be understated. And that is something that I would not have been able to get at the RH (certainly not for the cost of the room at the SW).
So, if I were headed back, I would book the SW without thinking twice. Of course, having said that, if money were no option and I could book an ocean front room at the RH with balcony, I might consider that better than the SW. But it's hard to imagine it would be *much* better.
Thanks for the comparison Federal Flyer. As I wrote earlier, I had originally booked a Tower Ocean Front at this hotel but cancelled it at the last minute for an Ocean Front at the Sheraton Waikiki next door for 3 nights to save some $$$. My 4th and last night was supposed to be spent at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani after attending the luau at the Royal Hawaiian. A week before the luau, the hotel emailed us saying it was cancelled but with no reason given. On Monday night it was clear that there was a private party where the luau would've been.
While on the balcony at Sheraton Waikiki, we admired the amazing view of Diamond Head but my husband kept pointing out that we also had a clear view of the Royal Hawaiian, the hotel where we didn't stay. When we walked through the lobby and grounds, it was very nice. Reminded us of other nice hotels in tropical destinations with all the arch ways, greenery and serenity such as Hilton Cabo or Marriott San Jose (Costa Rica). Definitely unlike any other Waikiki hotel we went to, and we walked through all of them. During our walk through the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, it became immediately obvious to me that if I made my husband stay there on the 4th night, I would never hear the end of it. So I changed my reservation at the last minute to book a 1 night stay at Royal Hawaiian. At this point, since he had seen the hotel, I was able to convince him that the charm of the Royal Hawaiian was giving up the balcony in the Tower rooms to stay in the old building, and he agreed.
We booked a Garden View room through our convention rate, and the hotel insisted that a convention rate was not upgradeable and no Gold benefits could be offered. They were also quite certain "straight from SPG" that we would get no points because we booked through a 3rd party to get the convention rate even though the rate was not prepaid. I had read on here that if you pay the charges when you check out, you generally do get your points and stay credit - and we did! You don't get the Gold amenity points, so they were right on that.
Despite the "no upgrade" line on our Garden View room, I believe we were given a Royal Ocean Room on the 4th floor. We had a view of Diamond Head and the pool if we looked to the right, and the Garden to our left. With the little inaccessible Juliet balcony in front of the window, the temptation was too great for my balcony obsessed husband. A man from Engineering came up and actually unscrewed the chains on the windows allowing them to open fully and my husband immediately climbed out and got his "Ocean view balcony." I couldn't believe the guy actually did this for us instead of citing building codes and danger warnings like they would in NYC and gave him a tip.
The room decor here was 100x nicer than the "refurbished" suite we had at Sheraton but the Diamond head view we had was better there. Pink is my favorite color so I loved the pink and maroon theme throughout the hotel. The pool is tiny compared to the infinity pool next door but still not bad to get in and wade around. My husband felt the poolside service was actually much more attentive at Sheraton than here. He also got chairs in the shade around 11 am and didn't have to fight anyone (or maybe he fought them and I just wasn't there to witness it..) We didn't rent a beach chair here as we had done the rental on the beach the day before as Sheraton guests. I would estimate the beach chairs were about 50% rented.
And after all of this reservation swapping and touring all of the hotels in Waikiki, my husband picked the Westin as where we should stay next time. Go figure.
And after all of this reservation swapping and touring all of the hotels in Waikiki, my husband picked the Westin as where we should stay next time. Go figure.
Thanks for your detailed review of both the RH and SW
Having stayed at all of the properties on multiple occasions (except the Princess for obvious reasons ) I tend to agree with your review. For bang for your buck would be an ocean view room in the SW and their renovated rooms are quite fresh and appealing - bad luck you had a refurbished room which I have had a couple of times and yes, decor from an era way before I was born . The RH ocean front rooms are nice too though there can be a price premium however it does offer s a very lush and tranquil resort, unlike the wildness of the SW at times esp around their lobby/elevators.
The Westin MS can be nice ONLY if you are in an ocean facing suite in the towers Other rooms are pretty ordinary to be honest especially if one is facing the Outrigger Hotel next door. The pool area is pretty poor though and you also have to pay for beach chairs!!
Sheraton would probably be my pick if I do visit Honolulu next time, but only just, with the RH close in 2nd place.
Decided to check out Waikiki today and stopped by the Royal Hawaiian.
The good news. The Waikiki beach repleshinment project is done - and the beach is much more wider than before. It is a big difference. More room to put down your towel. Good surf today.
The bad news. Yep, the beachfront chairs are reserved and you must pay for them. They changed a sign at the Mai Tai bar where you go to the beach and noted all chairs are reservation only. It was overcast today - so it might not be a good sample day - but, so far it looks like an epic fail. Maybe 25% of the chairs were reserved, perhaps less. Looks like they've added even more chairs but at $40 for 2 chairs per day, it looks like people are passing on that option with the resort fee and an average room rate of $400 night. The bartenders at the Mai Tai bar aren't happy since the chairs are empty and the pool is on the other side of the property where chairs are free.
Besides your own personal chair and towel -I don't think there are anymore free beachfront chair hotel options.
I'm here right now and this is much better then the zoo last year. Last year people would be down @ 6 AM to stake out a free chair. While it is unfortunate to have to pay, you can now reserve online and enjoy your vacation.
Programs: DELTA DIAMOND MEDALLION , NATIONAL EMERALD EXECUTIVE
Posts: 14
Thank you. I apologize if I posted this in the wrong thread. I searched that post but it didn't have any updated resort fee alternate choice or recents updates. I was here last September and there were no issues, I wondered what changed?
Spent one night here over the labor day weekend. With the new $35 resort fee; valet service is included. As result, the driveway is full of cars which I have issues with. I was lucky to grab a AAA rate for a royal grove junior suite at $315 plus (and the old $25 resort fee; self parking). At checkin, I was offer an upgrade to Tower ocean front standard room, which I turned down. So, I was assigned to the "garden view" junior suite (overlooking the driveway and Sheraton), instead of the royal grove side (which can face the sheraton driveway).
The hotel no longer offers platinum buy one get one free lunch at Surf Lanai or the drink coupon. They now offer a higher speed internet for platinum members (which was not working for most of the time we were there).
Oh, now the free morning coffee and tea stand is next to surf lanai instead of the lobby area.
I really dislike the new valet service added to the resort fee (as the driveway is now served as a parking lot by the lazy attendants).
Programs: *A Gold, HH dia,Hyatt plat,Sixt PLAT,QF qantas club bronze, Hertz PC ,Alaska MVP GOLD ,aerosvit GOLD
Posts: 1,166
I have booked the SW and this property and submitted BRG's which both got approved. I'm only a spg gold so not expecting much. The rates are only a couple of bucks difference so I'm keen on the RW. However other traveller is keen on the infinity pool at the SW. Is it possible to stay at the RW and walk across and use the SW pool?
Does the resort fees include Internet ?
I have booked the SW and this property and submitted BRG's which both got approved. I'm only a spg gold so not expecting much. The rates are only a couple of bucks difference so I'm keen on the RW. However other traveller is keen on the infinity pool at the SW. Is it possible to stay at the RW and walk across and use the SW pool?
Does the resort fees include Internet ?
Yes, you can pool hop (RH guests can use pool at SW). resort fees includes internet (if it works).
Yes, you can pool hop (RH guests can use pool at SW). resort fees includes internet (if it works).
I'd imagine this is only for the SW and not the Sheraton Princess? We're staying over new years and nothing except C&P at the princess. I had 100k for the SW earlier this year, but needed the points for something else and now nothing, eh
Programs: *A Gold, HH dia,Hyatt plat,Sixt PLAT,QF qantas club bronze, Hertz PC ,Alaska MVP GOLD ,aerosvit GOLD
Posts: 1,166
Yeah I'm talking sbout the SW and RH. I made a decision for the royal hawaiian. It's only $10 difference a day for the rates I got approved for. We got the luxury package includes breakfast which is a bonus. We in the traditional bottom view room hopefully get something to see the ocean even a balcony would be nice.
I rang and asked about the resort fees whichs includes local , international calls up to 60mins per day , valet parking and Internet which is pretty good IMO .
Do you have an AMEX Plat card? Might be worth it to get the $100 resort credit per stay. If you book multiple one night stays, you might get it every night. (or maybe alternate with your wife)
Thanks for your detailed review of both the RH and SW 
) I tend to agree with your review. For bang for your buck would be an ocean view room in the SW and their renovated rooms are quite fresh and appealing - bad luck you had a refurbished room which I have had a couple of times and yes, decor from an era way before I was born 
