I completed a 4-night stay here in March using 2 free-night certificates and reward points. I reserved a Deluxe Ocean View Studio, but at check-in, we were offered an upgrade to a larger studio on a higher floor for $100/night, which I accepted. We were given a room on the 28th floor with wooden floors instead of carpeting and with a partition between the living and bedrooms, which the original room we booked didn't have. I had seen the standard room with carpeting and no partition before, so I was glad we upgraded because this studio was more spacious and the wooden floor gave the room a feeling of luxury missing from the fully carpeted room, and the partition was welcome since it created a wall between the two large wall-mounted TVs in the living and bedrooms. I should add that, although I'm a Marriott Platinum Elite, the RC Waikiki had me as Gold Elite in their system. At check-in, they accepted my Platinum Elite status, but I was never told what my Platinum Elite benefits were, only my Gold Elite benefits were provided to me after I made the reservation.
View from our 28th floor room.
We were very happy with the spacious room and the wooden floor was a nice luxurious touch. The bathroom is quite spacious and probably the most luxurious element of the entire room (unfortunately, I forgot to photograph the bathroom). The spaciousness is welcome when you consider the small size of most Waikiki hotel bathrooms. Oddly, the washer and dryer were housed in a wooden cabinet between the living and bedroom, but their operation was not at all noisy, and we hardly noticed when operating. On Friday night, Hilton Hawaiian Village had their weekly fireworks display, which we enjoyed watching from our lanai, though it lasted only about 5 minutes.
Living room - washer and dryer are behind the wooden cabinet.
Living room of our unit.
The kitchenette was very nice to have, but we really only used the refrigerator (very large, full-size), wine cooler and coffee maker with cappuccino capsules, but not the microwave/oven. There were plates, glasses and sliver ware in the cabinets and drawers, which were very handy, if not essential. On the second day of our stay, I found a slice of birthday cake in the refrigerator along with a birthday card on the kitchen counter, a thoughtful touch to celebrate my birthday. The materials of the kitchenette were all high quality, with solid wood (I believe walnut) and either marble or granite counter tops (I saw marble mentioned in some Ritz-Carlton marketing material). I disagree with the previous review by Kacee that the wood is like furniture from Ikea, it is not wood veneer or composite wood, but very solid quality wood, which imparted a luxurious feel.
Kitchenette with wine cooler and microwave/oven in our room.
View of room from kitchenette.
The hotel itself is a rather massive structure, but for all its size there is a clear lack of common or public space (except for the huge drive-in area where the valet takes your car and parks it). The two pools have nice, but low views of the ocean,and have a somewhat cramped feel. The maximum pool depth is around 4.5 feet, so you can swim or walk in them, but they are relatively small. There are many reclining chairs, especially in the Diamond Head pool area, and it is a pleasant place to just relax, enjoy the view, wade in the pool, or order food and drink to consume at your chair. The pool area was never overly crowded during our stay, but I'm told it varies all the time, and can become very crowded. The pool staff are really excellent and very friendly and outgoing. They circulated around and always asked if you needed anything, and to a person, they all had excellent interpersonal skills. I found the RC's pool service much better than any of the other on-beach Marriott hotels.
Ewa Tower pool and Jacuzzi.
The fitness center was of an adequate size and very well equipped. There is 24-hour access and it was never crowded when I was there. There is a Yoga room next to it, which you have to reserve it ahead of time. Apparently, classes are held there also, but I didn't see any nor did I ever see anyone using the room. A movie theater is even advertised on the RC Waikiki's website, but on further inquiry, I was told that it is only available for event use. I made a reservation at the RC spa before arriving, but was told that the sauna's were not operating undergoing maintenance, so I cancelled the spa, which I was looking forward to.
Ewa Tower pool
We did not eat at any of the RC restaurants, although we had wanted to. We did, however, have some drinks at the outdoor bar of the Diamond Head Tower. We got there during the last half hour of Happy Hour, and ordered a Mai-Tai and Margarita. The Margarita was delicious, but the Mai-Tai was a major disappointment, through it was nice looking. The view from the bar is good, but the view of the ocean is quite low. There was live music and I found it to be a very pleasant space to drink and relax. You could even order food from the restaurant at any of the tables. There is also a Dean & DeLuca's attached to the hotel, but its second floor, where there is supposedly a wine bar, was being renovated, so only the first floor was open.
Outdoor bar area of Diamond Head Tower
It's a short walk to the beach (probably about 8 minutes), so distance is not a problem. The RC's location is very convenient and just a short walk to the epicenter of Waikiki Beach. That said, I did miss being right on the beach, but the quality and size of our room was so much nicer, newer, and luxurious than anything I could get on the Beach that this somewhat offset not having direct beach access. It's major demerit, in my view, is that if has less common space (pool area, restaurants, bars, fitness center, and general public space) than most if not all major 'luxury-class" hotels in Waikiki, and of course, it's not on the beach, which will ruin it for many. But, for reward stays, I think the RC Waikiki Beach is hard to beat since there are no resort fees attached to the rooms. For paid stays, the RC rooms are still fairly price competitive given the room size and quality. Service quality is also significantly better than anything I've seen in Waikiki. Overall, it's even cheaper than the Halekulani, which also does not have direct beach access, even though it's right on the beach. I've never stayed there, but that fact alone makes it a hotel I have no desire to book. At least the RC is less expensive and without resort fees, so it's a nice new addition for Marriott Rewards members. I'm sure I'l return, and next time try the restaurants.