Originally Posted by
anteater
As someone who has stayed and continues to stay on Oahu innumerable times over the years, I think the Sheraton is doing just fine.
The hotel itself is doing a great job at maintaining the facilities and treating repeat guests well. Though, being under the Marriott flag does mean they do have to tow the line with respect to the trickle down culture from the current CEO. Yes, that’s meaning a change to some benefits like breakfast.
That being said, all industries undergo change. There seems to be a romanticism about the past, such as the post WWII era of air travel and hotels where you’d have a cart of prime rib rolling down the aisle on a 747 in First Class. That style of travel and hotel experience is long gone as the industry has fundamentally changed to match the needs of those who are actually traveling.
If you go to Oahu or the Sheraton expecting the exact experience of your decades past trip, you’re going to have a bad time. However, if you go expecting a clean, modern hotel with friendly service you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Nothing is forever, even visit the same place or hotel week over week will eventually look quite different as the years pass. Change isn’t necessarily bad, and the Sheraton is far from dwindling.
I’d recommend the Sheraton for families, the RH for a more quiet experience, and the Moana for the view.
🙌🏻🍹
I am not sure any of us expect to walk into a hotel lobby and see Elvis singing Blue Hawaii or Bob Hope walking around after flying a 747 FC over. I think what we are concerned about is the continued decline services at many of the "flagged" hotels. Some believe that various owners/management are taking advantage of Covid to reduce pare back various goods and services I think we can agree on that. Certainly the Sheraton is doing its best to comply with "social distancing" poolside and elsewhere. We also have the issue of employees returning to the work place in the islands I can comment what family members who live there tell me the same issues abound there as the mainland. Japanese tourist have been a huge mainstay of the islands for years and hoping that they return the question is when and to what extent.
At the end of the day the islands ( and this has been said countless times over the years) need to look elsewhere for income and depend less on tourism. As for tourism I define that as mainland US and Asian combined the islands can not be dependent on a single sector. Another point on the lounges etc returning once the Asian traffic picks up true remembering that travel agents in Japan and elsewhere typically sell packages that include access to the lounges. Look at the Hyatt two floors solely for the Asian traffic, they all got down for breakfast included thus the traffic jam!
We all will adjust our travel habits and depend less and less on loyalty benefits.