We spent time at Hualalai recently and went to KVR a couple times to see what it was like and though the hard product was excellent, the service was severely lacking. We walked by multiple staff of all positions and the only person who said hello, was the barista at the cafe. This was such a jarring contrast to the warmth at Hualalai where everyone shares a genuine “aloha.”

We also felt embarrassed for the gentleman walking around sheepishly with the butane torch used to light the torches around the property, as opposed to the native dressed and shell blowing torch lighter, who is such a hit at Hualalai.

Luxury hotels have different targets, and this property is currently a good fit for anyone who values hard product above everything else, and is okay with adequate but not polished/not aloha filled service.

The hotel likely priced initially offered rates too high, to meet promised contractual responsibilities they used to win the contract, did not have the guests to keep the predominantly hourly staff fully and happily employed, so staff have left exacerbating the problem of lackluster service.

The one person who said hello to us after two visits, the barista, was from Alabama (?), and planning to live in Kona for a year or two as a gap year.

I ran into a friend who owns a company and had a manager retreat she organized and paid for at KVR. She was having dinner at Beachtree and wasn’t happy with KVR.

KVR is not a bad choice or a better choice than Hualalai. It is a significantly different offering and isn’t a good fit for my family, either as a couple or with our kids.

If you are on the fence, Hualalai is firing on all cylinders and was an amazing vacation with countless thoughtful and kind interactions with their team. The newly renovated gym, and new king’s pond pool and renovated rooms are all exceptional.

I’d stay at Hualalai and walk down to check out KVR for yourself before booking there. We would have been deeply disappointed if we had stayed at KVR.