RedElmo

So since the points are about the same for Ritz Carlton residences. Or Hilton Hawaiian village. Has anyone been to both and recommend one over another?

weezl

Agree, good post. Wonder if the staff at the separate Alii check in might treat Diamonds better? From afar, it seems a cut above the standard check-in rigamarole

AlsoNamedBort

My wife and I stayed at both last August! Three nights at HHV, five at the R-C Residences, all on points.

I'd recommend the Ritz 10 times out of 10. One of the nicest stays I've ever had at a hotel. Gorgeous building and rooms, super peaceful and quiet, service was incredible, and it's an easy walk to the restaurants and shops along Kalakaua.

HHV has the advantage of being on the beach, but we found it to be a little too big and busy. Lots of families, the constant buzz of activity wherever you go, and the nearby shops and restaurants were a bit touristy and overpriced. It seems like the kind of place you'd take your kids to do family activities and keep them busy all day, while the Ritz is more of a sophisticated experience.

RedElmo

Thanks for the feedback. I have both HHV and Ritz Residences on hold right now on points and was trying to decide between the two. I think I’ll go with Ritz since added benefit is the kitchenette and washer dryer. I have a 2 year old that is picky on food. So I can make breakfast in room for him vs trying to hunt for food that he’ll eat in the morning.

Plus I can pack food for the day too.

portland67

Quick question. Normally we would stay with my parents on Oahu. But with our first baby on the way, we’re looking at staying at the HH village and also treating our in-laws for a stay as well. It’s currently showing sold out for Christmas but is it similar to the airlines where they won’t show availability for another couple weeks or is it truly sold out?

Andriyko

They do treat Diamond members better but in a fully booked hotel that may mean giving a room with a better view rather than giving an upgrade. I also stayed during Christmas, and I got the resort view Ali'i room that I initially booked, although the room they gave me had a very nice partial Ocean view. But it's worth keeping in my mind that almost everyone is either a Gold or a Diamond member at this resort.

Kacee

It is highly agent dependent. I've had agents who were really great about looking for a better room, and I've had agents treat me like dirt. This is basically a factory property (largest in US outside Vegas, I believe).

edgewood49

Hit the nail on the head.

Andriyko

It's a very nice hotel even though it's big.

Qwkynuf

The net of this thread seems to be that people book a room at a facility with over 2500 rooms and then are surprised that it's "crowded". They then bemoan that it's not like it was in "the good old days" (when every plane was apparently met at the lagoon by Mr Roarke and Tattoo...).

RedElmo

Clearly sounds like the hotel property isn’t big enough to accommodate that many rooms. Should have shrunk the room count by 50% and make the room sizes bigger by 50%.

Andriyko

Yes, it seems that some are surprised that a hotel with that many rooms is not a boutique romantic property (why book here then?), and then they are surprised that they're not the only Diamond/Gold member or that other guests are not forced out of their rooms to allow for an upgrade for a more deserving Diamond member.
As I wrote before, it is a great hotel if one accepts it for it is and does not criticize it for it is not.

Kacee

What I draw from this thread is a better understanding why McDonald's is the largest restaurant chain in the world.

German Expat

I knew the hotel from a trip almost 20 years ago and we were in general quiet happy with the stay we had there and it matched our expectations. But I was also well informed based on what I read here. I am not expecting huge upgrades or anything special as a Diamond but this property does the bare minimum they get away with. Also the whole resort fee thing in Hawaii is a bit ridiculous with what you get for it. At least the good news is that you don't pay a resort fee if you get a room on points.
The hotel does not do much for Diamonds or Golds. While I understand the (lack of) upgrades the breakfast credit is a joke and in my opinion does not match what Hilton promises. Also 75 USD for a roll away bed per night is steep. I was surprised though they had standard award rooms during Christmas and New Year. At least they are no playing any games with room categories yet.
We felt we got a good deal (60k per night with 5th night free) during this part of the year and we knew perfectly well that this is huge property and did not expect any special treatment because of status. Also we were lucky having no long lines at check in (did not bother to check out in person and used the phone check out) and therefore no real issues with the amount of people they had. If I would have done less research ahead of time I would have been disappointed. I can recommend the property to anybody that goes in with open eyes. Large rooms, a nice location and still a relative low point rate (60k).

Jailer

And, undoubtedly, somewhere there’s a fast food bulletin board where the debate wages back and forth between Micky D fans and detractors.

I have always found this hotel to be anti-Aloha-esque. That says more about me than the HHV, even walking through the property this October, going between point A and B, the place and crowds made me a bit antsy. But, so does Disneyland.

No need to convert anyone to my point of view. I’m glad that this property adds to Hilton’s inventory in Honolulu.