I just stayed at the Waikiki Beachcomber and I couldn't believe how much they nickeled and dimed its customers.

$3.39 for using your safe in the room That's an extra $1337.35 a year in extras over and above room rental.
$1.00 per tea bag
$2.00 for coffee brew in your room (2 cups per serve)
Non Smokers only have floors 2,3,4 and 14 all the rest, so they told me was for smoking.(25 floors)
Over all I was not immpressed with the hotel, location wasn't too bad only 1 block from the beach.
Food was typical, nothing to write about, just real standard fare.
Don Ho still preforming at this hotel, must be near 75 now maybe older.
I thought $99 a day was real rich for this 3 star worn out hotel, but then I met a couple from Sweden who paid $159 per night for 14 nights at the same hotel. Somebody made a killing on that booking. They didn't smoke but had to do with a smoking room anyway.
I Just saw recently someone only paid $59 at Priceline for same dates as me.
If you're going to Hawaii-take a pass on this hotel.
Regards,
Robert

A good many Hawaiian resorts have required daily resort fees - usually about $15 a day - to pay for things like the in-room safe, coffee and tea, newspaper, etc. I think they came about, in part, because people complained about being nickle-and-dimed for everything. Yet many people, including me, hate these resort fees. I'd likely spend less if I was charged per item as I don't drink coffee or use the safe. So at least you had a choice in this case. I suppose the best solution is if the resorts simply had all of this in their room rates and it then appeared the safe, coffee and whatever else was free/included.

Thanks for the info, however this was not a resort hotel nor did they offer any papers.
The resort hotels were up the street.

I guess my ponint was not so much that this was/wasn't a resort (I've been at a good many places that I wouldn't call resorts, yet they had resort fees), but that with individual pricing at least the fees aren't forced upon you. You could have gone to the grocery store and purchased coffee and tea for a fraction of the price they charged and still made it in the room, for example.

Good guess, I-flybynight!

Don Ho is 73 and was born on Wednesday, August 13, 1930. I've seen his show once, on a June 1973 evening and he seemed old to me even back then.

Two things I distinctly remember from that June 1973 performance were that one of the young attractive dancers lost her top during the performance and went running off stage very embarrassed. Her top must have come unsnapped or untied. The other was my date getting a full open-mouth and lengthy kiss from Don Ho after the show during an autograph signing session. I believe she forgot all about the autograph. I'll have to ask her the next time I talk with her. We are still regularly in touch! She sure was in a good mood and eager to return to our hotel room. Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays at their finest!

Sorry to digress.

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You can't miss something you haven't had.

[This message has been edited by MRLIMO (edited 11-10-2003).]

There is nothing worse than the nickel and dime fees. I personally prefer the resort fee as long as it includes a sufficient number of amenities. For example, at the Sheraton Studio City in MCO, the $3-$3 per day resort fee includes local and 800 number calls, etc.

Even though the Beachcomber is across the street from the beach...I'd rather stay @ the Royal Hawaiian or the Moana Surfrider...

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Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

Looks like everyone doesn't like been nickled
and dimed.
Why do Hotels want to leave such a bad taste in customers mouths. Don't they get it that we can and will cross the street.

I think having Don Ho french-kiss one's date is more of an isolated incident.