vsop

They are doing renovations on all of the Kyo-Ya owned properties on the island. Sheraton Waikiki & Royal Hawaiian are being done right now. They are just finishing up the new convention space at the Sheraton Waikik and now working on the new lobby. They are also upgrading all the rooms.

I think they have already done the Mona Surfrider ( did not check it out while I was in Hawaii last week)

As a SPG Gold I was given a Suite at the Sheraton Waikiki for a 7 night stay on a comped rate. Its the first time any property has given me a suite while the hotel was picking up the tab.

clublounger

HOnestly, there aren't too many upgrade options. There are a few suites, but they are really just oversized rooms, with rusty whirlpool bathtubs. This property has NOT been renovated. It's typically the best deal for SPG in Waikiki, though, and I don't dissuade others from staying there. I just don't see much point in trying to upgrade w/ points. Sure, a higher floor will have an ocean view, but the ocean is across the street, anyway. HIgher floors are noisier, and there is an incessant drummer at night, on Kalakaua.

The best bet is to just call and ask to speak to the guest services manager on duty. I have found that to be the best way, at any property, not to get lost in the voicemail shuffle. I would not leave a message for anyone and hope it gets acted upon (including email).

Aloha

MichaelColey

We're currently at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, and it's working great for us. The location is great. The rooms are adequate. The price is unbeatable.

We were able to book for $98/night on a AAA rate. The cheapest rate for any of the other Starwood hotels on Oahu was more than double that. We couldn't find anything comparable from another brand for less than about $90/night. The cheapest hotels (which are nowhere near as good) here are about $70/night.

I was hoping for a high room with at least a partial ocean view, but the "upgrade" we were given when we checked in was to a 4th floor Pool-view room in the Princess Tower. It's fine.

The location is great. It's just off of Kalakaua, the main beach road through Waikiki, and is what I would consider to be just a bit east of the center. There are half a dozen great restaurants within a few blocks. The zoo is within walking distance. The beach is a block away. I almost wish we hadn't rented a car. (Parking is $20/day and you don't want to drive and try to park within Waikiki. We're doing enough outside of Waikiki that it's worth it, though.)

The room is small by Sheraton standards, which is about typical for an above average hotel in Waikiki. It is tight, but comfortable for our family of four. The bathroom is small and the shower doesn't have a curved shower bar (which always helps it seem bigger). There's hardly any counter space in the bathroom. The sliding door to the bathroom is a bit awkward to open and close.

There are several things that we've enjoyed about the room. It has a mini-fridge, so we're able to keep some juice, soda, milk, etc. cold without messing with a cooler and ice. They have turn-down service in the evenings. Since the kids nap every afternoon, it's nice to return to the room after dinner and find the beds made up again.

The music in the evenings is actually enjoyable. Some nights, we've sat out on the lanai. Some nights we've gone down to listen for a while. Some nights we just open our lanai door and listen. With the door closed, you can barely hear it. With the fan running (my wife won't travel without it), you can't hear it at all.

Overall, we were very satisfied with our choice and would gladly stay here again.

HNLbasedFlyer

I agree with the above post, I'm a SPG Plat and would describe the hotel as "fine". I stay here on business nearly every week - my upgrade is always a high floor/ocean view when booking the lowest category AAA rate at about $95 night (If there are suites, I've never seen one). At least on the high floors, the TV's have been upgraded to flat screen with HD channels, the hotel is a prime location. Sure, you can stay at the Sheraton Waikiki for at least double (or more) and probably score an upgrade (usually pretty good chance for a suite but not all created equal, some are not renovated) but if you are on a budget - you need to factor in the price, its hard to knock a $95 a night room, you get what you pay for.

dauphine

I also agree that the price is unbeatable...

I have a reservation for one week just before Christmas. I have 2 questions:

-Do you know how much is the breakfast?
-Are there some cheap alternatives to park our rental car not using the valet service of the hotel? (understood it was 20$ per day)?

Thanks a lot in advance

HNLbasedFlyer

Pretty sure breakfast is about $28 for the buffet. The birds are pretty aggressive and I wouldn't describe it as a nice setting, lots of options around the hotel - I'd recommend exploring for a different place. You'll be hard pressed to beat the $20 per night parking (that is self parking, don't beleive there is a valet option), but - beware there is no elevator in the parking structure, drop your bags off and then park, very difficult to get bulky luggage up and down.

YYZHNL

I haven't stayed there in two years, but when I did I would often get a suite as a Plat upgrade. They are quite large, unrenovated, and look like something out of a 1980's Miami Vice episode. The price is unbeatable, but I preferred the Moana and the ocean front upgrades I got for 100/night more than the PK. The drummer(s) in front of the PK will drive you to drink, but you can also hear them from the city view moana rooms as well.

FlyMan

There are a bunch of cheaper options for breakfast including the coffee place at Moana, buying fresh fruit from Food Pantry, etc. unless you have to have full buffet.

One suggestion to your car rental would be to rent a car for same day return...if it fits your schedule/activities. There are Hertz and Budget offices at Hyatt across the street. I am not sure about Budget, but Hertz office opens 7am - 9pm, so leave early, drive around the island, then return before 9pm without dealing with parking in Waikiki.

bbbb

There is a elevator in the garage if you park on the right side of it. I found it after lugging the bags through the whole parking garage.




Pacific Monarch, 2427 Kuhio Avenue has a lot that charges $12 per day so I have read.

Noelene

that's a great idea for parking. We stayed at the PRINCESS a few years ago... those birds were scary then!

MichaelColey

Two minor annoyances I missed in my initial post:

1) The pool closes at 6pm. That's probably because of the entertainment in the same area, but a real bummer to our 3 and 5 year old.

2) The web site claims that the lanais are 66 or 69 square feet. Baloney. They're about 12 foot wide (the width of the room) and curved between 2 foot deep at the walls to about 4 foot deep in the middle. By my calculations, they're barely half of the claimed size.

I think there is valet parking, because there are spots reserved for valet parking only. The self parking is $20, which is typical for Waikiki.

We haven't ate at any of the on-site restaurants due to the poor reviews in this thread and elsewhere. We've been to a number of great ones nearby, including the Oceanarium, Hula Grill, and the Cheesecake Factory.

We'll have to find that elevator. Although we've typically been on level 1 or 2, so it's not bad at all.

bk3day

I'm a lowly Corp Pref member and will be staying at the Princess over the upcoming MLK weekend. (will likely switch to a paid rate $98ish/night from my earlier booked C&P award stay)

I managed to book a non-smoking room but since that's not necessarily guaranteed, I was wondering if I should politely ask for a certain room # or floor or wing?

Given the less than stellar reviews for this property I'm keeping my expectations low but would appreciate any info that might make my stay just that much more pleasant

thanks

clublounger

[QUOTE=bbbb;10839841]There is a elevator in the garage if you park on the right side of it. I found it after lugging the bags through the whole parking garage.
.................QUOTE]

Elevator? At the Princess Kaiulani Parking Structure? Really?

yyznomad

I still maintain that this property is a piece of crap... and that's being nice.

But if you like dingy 80's Miami Vice decor (like YYZHNL says) and relish poor service, then go nuts.

bbbb

[QUOTE=clublounger;11010888]The parking garage has two parts and I think it was the part off to the right that had a door that took you into the main building where you can get the elevator. Sorry its been two years and I can't remember all the details.