kpbadger

Introduction I stayed at this hotel with my wife and son from July 4-6, 2016. Here's my review! Check In We had booked the lowest level reward (2 double beds, city view) and I asked if they did upgrades for Diamond members. They said that they do, but the hotel was completely booked. I did check the app prior to arrival and indeed the hotel was sold out, so I don't think this was the typical, lazy "we don't feel like upgrading you" experience that I have experienced at other Hilton properties.We arrived at approximately 3:30 PM on the day of check-in. The car was taken by the valet at the entrance after taking down our name. We then proceeded to the check-in desks, which were in the open air area near the entrance. All of the front desk agents were seated at tables and there were chairs for the guests as well. We were all given a Hawaiian drink (passionfruit, guava, and orange juice). Room There was some noise (muffled music) in our room, but it subsided by 10:00 PM each day.One point of note on the Aloha tower: it has only 2 elevators, and they are small and slow. More often than not, we opted for the stairs.It was possible to catch a glimpse of the ocean between the buildings when sticking one's head over the railing and looking at a 90 degree angle. (The Hula tower, which is the structure dominating the left half of this picture, would have the rooms with better views.)We received room 707 in the Aloha tower. We found the room to be clean and pretty much typical for Embassy Suites, except that all rooms have a balcony that is actually usable (and a small table and two chairs are provided on the balcony). At this property the breakfast is provided on the 4th floor, and guest rooms appear to start on the 5th, and there were 21 floors total. So this was definitely not a high floor or a room with a view. Dining As we were still jetlagged (this was our first 2 days in Hawaii) we were wide awake at 6:30 AM and went pretty much right when it opened. It was still fairly busy, and the omelette station is located right near the buffet and created a bit of congestion even in the "light" time.It was pretty standard fare for Embassy Suites, with the addition of a few "Hawaiian" options (e.g. having passionfruit guava juice in the machine) and also some more Asian style choices (e.g. rice). All in all it was pretty good. Location It's a few blocks from the beach. There are a bunch of shops within walking distance, including a 7-11 just up the road for snacks and beverages. Things we did not do Since we had 2 days on Oahu for a more rapid tour of highlights such as driving to the north shore and visiting Pearl Harbor, before heading off to a beachfront property in Maui for a week, we did not go to the beach or use the pool in Waikiki. Also, we did not attend the afternoon reception on any day that we were there. Internet There were some times when speedtest could not even get a connection, and some where the upload speed was reported as 0.00. Most of our internet use while at this property was therefore accomplished by tethering to a cell phone (which got 91.88 MB down, 34.18 MB up, and a ping time of 38). Download Upload Ping 2.84 0.28 345 1.55 0.70 154 3.43 0.04 85 Some speedtest.net ratings:The typically crappy internet experience I've come to expect from most Hilton properties continues here. The ping times were horrible, as the connection seemed to come out in or near Kansas City, MO which does cause quite a bit of latency from Hawaii as the first hop. Overall Overall I'd say you can't go wrong here.We also stayed one night at the new Hilton Garden Inn (since there was no points availability at this Embassy Suites for our 3rd night on Oahu). I think that this Embassy Suites is great for a family since there's a lot more room than the HGI, but the overall HHonors Diamond benefits came at the HGI in terms of an upgraded room and a better breakfast.Diamond recognition was pretty much non-existent here, since there was no upgrade available and breakfast is free to everyone at this brand. The 2 bottles of water was pretty much the only HHonors-specific benefit here.Priced at a whopping 70,000 points per night and as a category 13 distinctive rewards property, I think that's a bit high compared to other Hiltons I've been to, but the premium is the location and the free breakfast for everyone is a money-saver. The parking (valet only) is $35 per night, which is in line with the prices posted on the various parking garages in the area. There is also no annoying resort fee here.