SkiAdcock

Yes, definitely escalate it to the manager & get the $100!

Cheers.

exawb

The family and I are coming at the end of the year. Any tips of things to avoid or do in advance?

mongobot

Thanks for the feedback, folks. After speaking with one of the managers (Ms. Liu) the Room Type Guarantee credit was applied to my bill. ^

SkiAdcock

That's fine as long as you're ok w/ the credit to your bill. Technically you're entitled to the actual funds & not a credit to your bill.

Cheers.

PHLGovFlyer

I checked in here a few days ago and it appears that the property is getting its act together in terms of Plat bennies.

I was greeted at check in and immediately informed that they had upgraded me from my reserved pool view room to an ocean view room (it was booked as a paid stay). The FD agent also offered me the choice of Plat arrival points or $10 food and bev credit. She also gave me a pre-printed sheet detailing the Plat benefits at the resort:

30% off Hawaii Calls Breakfast Buffet (regularly $29 + tax per person).
Pool side cabana rental of $30 (reg $50 per day).
Elite Lu'au pricing of $77 (reg $102 pp), children 6-12 years $36 (reg $48 pp).
Buy one get one free Large drip coffee at the coffee shop.
10% off any treatment at Mandara spa.
Comp access to the steam room at Mandara Spa based on availability from 09:00 to 5pm.

The FD agent noted that they waive the resort fee ($25/night) for Plats (not sure about golds), but would charge me for parking ($18/night for self parking) which would otherwise have been included in the resort fee. I thought this was a reasonable compromise.

Had dinner at Hawaii Calls restaurant on Tuesday. They rotate evening specials every day and Tuesday's is a 4 course Prix Fixe deal for $35 pp. Food was quite good and and a good deal for a Hawaii resort property. Thought about going Monday for the 50% off entree special they have but the place was packed and couldn't get a reservation. Tuesday was much less crowded (guessing that the 50% deal has broader appeal than a prix fixe menu).

Inquired about late checkout and was basically told that regular checkout is 12:00 and the best they could offer at no charge was 1:00. They do have an offer for $99 that allows you to stay until 8 pm. They also offered use of a hospitality room for one hour at no charge on a first come - first serve basis which I will likely try to use to grab a shower prior to departure.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update! Much appreciated.

Cheers.

cmh flyer

Be careful about the 1 hour hospitality suite to shower prior to departure because it is first come, first served. I did that once but there were many others before me on a first come, first served basis. In the end I didn't get it for an hour but had only 15 minutes, before my airport shuttle came.

The next time I paid the late checkout fee that they said it normally goes to 6pm but got it extended to 7pm.

pokee

Trying to decide if we should stay here or at the Hilton when we go the second week of March 2015. The rooms here sound pretty outdated and service seems 'meh' with the new ownership. We were already at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in July, so not sure we want a repeat of that experience, but reviews seem so much better. But, I can get rooms here at $169 and it's $80+ per night more at the Hitlon. Anyone stayed at both places and can give a comparison?

VickiSoCal

The Marriott is more laidback with direct beach access.

The Hilton is very Disneyesque with the monorail- lots more pools and slides, but no beach.

pokee

Yeah...that's what I thought. I think we'll stick with the Marriott. I like the Marriott's location better too - being walking distance to the Kings Shops...

flyerwife

pokee, if you have kids go with the Hilton. If not, go with the Marriott.

I personally love both hotels and have stayed at both twice.

VickiSoCal

My kids spent 5 days at the Hilton followed by 5 days at the Marriott and preferred the Marriott. But they love a beach.

PHLGovFlyer

Ditto. I've stayed at the Hilton several times as a HH Diamond and at the Marriott as a Plat. They're both good properties but the Marriott is definitely more laid back and has more of an adult atmosphere. I've found the rooms at both to be roughly equivalent. I certainly wouldn't pay $80 more per night for the Hilton. Even if the prices were identical I'd stick with the Marriott.

One hint is to not book a garden view room at the Marriott. There are a number of garden view rooms where you'll basically have a view of the parking lot. Book a pool view room instead. The pool view rooms are typically not much more money than GV and definitely worth the extra.

pokee

I did already book a garden view room because it was only $169. I figured as a Gold I'd get an upgrade BUT on second thought I am going in March and arriving late in the evening, so maybe I'll switch it...thanks!

pokee

I did switch my room reservation to the Pool View room - thanks! It was only $17 more a night, which does sound like good insurance to me to avoid the parking lot view!

BTW - quick question, I noticed that if you book for more than 2 people, this hotel adds on an extra per person charge (this is a pet peeve I have with Marriott's reservation system, is that it doesn't distinguish kids from adults). We have two kids under 12, and the room was an extra $90 per night for 4 people - so I changed the reservation to 2 people (still with the 2 double bed guarantee) to keep our nightly costs at a guaranteed price. Does anyone see any issues with only reserving for 2, but checking in with 2 adults/2 kids?