This was my experience just after it opened. Sounds like it hasn't improved.

1 Hotels are more "sceney/vibey" and tend to attract a younger crowd (20's, 30's). At least that is my experience. I agree with putting them on par with Pendry, Setai, EDITION, etc. I've been to South Beach, Central Park, and I got to see Hanalei Bay before it opened (formerly the Princeville Resort, which they completely renovated and updated). Overall I'm not a huge fan of the brand - I think they are really a 4* that try to look and operate as a 5*, but I have had positive experiences with them.
I would consider Hanalei Bay the only "luxury" hotel in Kauai, but I also thought it's a bit of a monstrosity built into what is otherwise a pristine and dramatic coastline. That's not 1 Hotel's doing, since they just took over the property, but it was a bit of a bummer.

dunno. i'm a newbie to these here FT parts, been reading rather than posting for the past six months.
love this 'luxury' sub forum in particular. it's great reading from some really knowledgable, talented writers.
but i have to admit i don't really get the occasional pushback in this sub over the definition of 'luxury' and what is 'luxury enough' to deserve even one thread here.
i've been thinking about it some, and i think it may come down to 'classic' vs 'modern'. or 'old' vs 'young'. neither of those are fantastic characterizations of what i mean..... i'll try again.....
when it comes to city hotels, if you're the type of traveler that prefers grande dames like the mark or the plaza (nyc) or BHH or bev wilshire (LA), you're not likely to appreciate what properties such as 1hotels, pendry, edition, etc have on offer in those cities. but that doesn't mean the latter don't offer the best you can find for that kind of luxury.

as for 1hotels, i appreciate this review on the miami location. (might not ever stay, i'm kind of a setai loyalist, though i've been eyeing the faena recently.)
i did spend a week at their west hollywood property, and can report it was very much in what i consider the luxury category. i usually like to stay at l'ermitage or (more recently) the WA BH when in los angeles, and kind of hate the sunset strip scene. but booked this 1hotel because it was close to the studio i was working at in weho this summer.
the hotel is a stunner. i'm a 55 year old fat balding dude, and i did not find the clientele to be the 20s/30s party kids. even up on the pool deck. it ain't the sky bar at mondrian. FB options were delicious and also (happily) not too scene-y. the hard product was non-pareil - amex FHR upgrade honored and suite was outstanding with hi-end finishes everywhere.
as a whole, this particular hotel was top notch, well above standards at RC, IHG, lots of other marques cited here with regularity.

i understand some reluctance to allow upstart marques into the hallowed grounds of top luxury. luxury is (partly) about exclusivity, after all. and, of course, newcomers disappoint as often as they surprise (i had a flat-out lousy stay at the new nobu in atlanta two months ago). but for me, i'm excited to see what pendry, 1hotels, conrad, edition and some of these other 'younger' brands can come up with next...

The 1 Miami is quiet large.... you can get stuck waiting for an elevator for quiet a while, especially when the roof bar crowd is large
I miss the Como Miami Beach which was small and personal

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is now open. Former Princeville (sp?) Hotel.

I'm excited to revisit the 1hotel in West Hollywood this July. Booked there for 5 days on a gig.

Stayed last summer when the same client put me there - i was initially bummed as my normal WeHo fave that i requested, The London, had been fully sold out.
But liked it so much last time i asked for it again this time (same gig). The pool scene in particular was very un-strip like.

WeHo is tough for really nice (if not 'luxury') hotels, especially the sunset strip. Many more options in BH.
I'm psyched to have another option outside of the London.
Have been eyeing this Pendry as well - though a pal told me they have some sort of local private members club with forbidden spaces (and full access to the pool).... this strikes me as a red flag.... .

1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is offering a $500 resort credit plus the rest of the Virtuoso benefits (breakfast for two, room upgrade if available at check-in) for stays of 5 nights or more for stays in 2024.

The Hilton Conrad luxury brand has been around for 42 years. I'm not against anything upstart or new but 1 Hotels is a 4 star brand to me. Vibey, eco friendly but not very luxurious. Some may be better than others.

Agree. Upstart has little to do with this. The brand simply is not luxury. If it fits the needs/desires of some, that’s fine. But does not make it luxury.

1 hotel Hanelei Bay
 

I stayed at this property many years ago, back when it was a St. Regis.

It barely fit in the luxury market under St. Regis but is clearly not luxury under 1 Hotel.

One example, neither of their pools is usable in the winter months. They aren’t heated. It was really sad to see all the kids and guests lined up around the pools in Hawaii looking at them forlornly. They did have two hot tubs, which were delightful and packed. The ocean was significantly warmer than the pools and guests were swimming there.

There are not that many rooms here but the elevators have not been renovated and are extremely slow.

The wood oven pizza at lunch was very good and the service was lovely. There was only one other guest at the restaurant for lunch. The Hawaiian shave ice was $14(?), which would have been fine if high, had not the wait been so excessive. There was only one guest in front of me and it still took 15 minutes to get my order.

The rooms are small but beautiful and the views stunning. Again, everything felt very “one use” and then would need to be replaced. The carpet and all the fabrics are not the type that would do well with water and sand.

All of the beige fabric on the pool chairs is already very moldy and needs to be deep cleaned or replaced. Everything felt very disposable and temporary. I left the hotel feeling sorry for the owner of the property, worried they are going to lose money hand over fist.

If I had to guess, the management company over promised on revenue to get the contract and the property will be reflagged again in a few years.

What a shame. I went to St Regis Princeville just before it was deflagged, and while it was literally falling apart and one of the ugliest buildings I'd ever stayed in, the setting was absolutely spectacular - genuinely one of the most memorable of any of my travels. Breakfast with the ultimate view was hard to top, though the sunset sabering probably came close.

If 1 hotels are not luxury, that suggests to me this thread should be moved out of this forum (it would go to the "Other Hotel Chains" forum). Before I do that, however, I'll give you members a few days to weigh in on this.

Thanks,
RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels and travel

The brand hasn't officially been designated into a chainscale according to STR (maybe it isn't big enough):

https://hotelnewsnow.com/Media/Defau...hainscales.pdf

However, if brands like W Hotels, Edition, Andaz and Thompson Hotel are officially "Luxury," then so is 1 Hotels IMO. Though it seems like very few sub forum participants would all any of those brands luxury...

Personally for me, Andaz, Thompson and W Hotels aren't luxury at all. EDITION only charges like a top luxury hotel.