Last time I was here was during the chaotic October strike. Things are back to normal now.

Check-in was smooth. The Elite desk is open again (it was closed during the strike), and even though there was only one agent at the Elite counter, there is no waiting as Elites are regularly pulled over to the regular counters ahead of the 20-30 people waiting to check-in there! This hotel has always excelled at Elite recognition.

For the first time in a long time, I was not upgraded to a suite. I had booked the cheapest City View room I could find. Best they could offer me was a Deluxe Ocean Front room which had a beautiful view of the beach and Diamond Head, but is still only 280 sq ft. It's good to be humbled every now and then. However, I checked back at the Elite desk the next morning, and the FD agent was thrilled to tell me that she found me a Kai Suite (just over 1100 sq ft) for the following 2 nights. As usual, I was given a voucher for redemption at the Gift Shop to fill a paper bag with goodies.

At check-in, I was asked if I wanted 1000 points as my welcome amenity or breakfast in the restaurant (Kai Market, valued at $36 pp), without prompting. Even though the lounge has a decent hot breakfast, I chose the restaurant since the selection is much larger, and we are here for 3 nights. The breakfast coupon says "continental breakfast" but we helped ourselves to everything that was on offer. Restaurant breakfast was excellent and they have my favorite bread pudding with a caramel banana sauce.

The first day (while still in my tiny room), they delivered 3 plates of snacks to my room ( 4 chocolates, 3 cookie/brownie things, and a large plate of fruit with half a pineapple, papaya, strawberries and blueberries). First time I've received this additional amenity. Maybe because they couldn't get me a suite the first night?

They no longer have the reserved Plat chairs at the pool due to the large influx of Plats since the merger. Our favorite pool supervisor no longer works here and has relocated to the Alohilani. They have also done away with Happy Hour at the pool bar since the strike, which is very disappointing. I hope they bring this back. It used to be offered 7 days a week, then Mon-Fri and now no more! There was live music at the pool during the afternoon which was nice.

We could hear noise from the renovations up above, but it was not disruptive.

The Leahi Lounge still has probably the best view in all of Waikiki since it is on the 30th floor. On the one side, you have the spectacular view of the beach and Diamond Head. The other side has great sunsets and is perfect for watching the Hilton fireworks on Friday nights (usually at 7:45). The evening service includes free wine and beer, and there are always 3 hot items on offer, plus various salads, veggies, cheese, etc.


Menu for evening service in Leahi Lounge.


Overall, this is a solid property with outstanding Plat and above recognition. Yes, the room furnishings are old and tired, but that should be greatly improved once the renovations are complete. I asked if they had any renovated rooms in service yet, and I was told they were close, but not ready yet. This will continue to be my favorite property in Waikiki!