I had another great stay at the Royal Hawaiian last weekend. As a PLT I was upgraded to a corner Royal Ocean Jr Suite with a view looking up Waikiki toward Diamond Head (they know my room preference for this property is an ocean view room in the historic building rather than a garden suite or tower room). My upgrade was assigned pre-arrival (rather than having to ask for it at check-in) despite it being a crazy-busy weekend in the area (Pro Bowl). The attitude of Kelly's team here is great - they all make one feel like a welcome guest.
Re the PLT lunch amenity: I stopped by Surf Lanai mid-morning to check on lunch hours. When I noted that I needed to be leaving the property shortly after they opened for lunch, the hostess graciously offered for me to come back down at 11 and she would have the pool team fix me a "to go" lunch using my lunch cert. I thought others here might want to know that option is (potentially) available.
I headed down to the beach around 8:00 (Sunday morning) after getting back from a run and there were still plenty of chairs available, unlike the situation many posts reported a year or two ago. There were still 5 or 6 left at the far end of the front row, and most in the 2nd and 3rd rows were still available.
Check-in was quick & efficient but without feeling rushed, complete with a glass of the "pink drink." Something to be aware of for first-time guests...there isn't a set queue to wait to check in, so pay attention to who in the lobby waiting area arrived before you. Banana bread deliveries are now made between 2-6pm (I heard this is a change?), so don't be surprised if you check in and it hasn't arrived yet. Turn down service this time had The Royal Hawaiian chocolate coins (my last visit was small packages of macadamia nuts).