Entries tagged 'hotel reviews'
Hawaii Hotel Execs Expect Visitor Decline of 10-30% - Luxe Hotels Going Hat in Hand to State
This reported in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin today:. Local hoteliers, who expect to see a 10 percent to 30 percent year-over-year drop in fall bookings for the industry's bread-and-butter hotels, plan to ask the Hawaii Tourism Authority for emergency action, including...
From Bedbugs to Positively Presidential: Halekulani to Host Obama Event in Hawaii, Waikiki
Hawaiirama sure knows how to pick'em. I posted yesterday about bedbugsat the posh Halekulani. The hotel said it took care of them plus its bedbitten guest in April. Now it looks like this grand dame hotel is going to take...
Hawaii Hotels: Bedbugs at the Halekulani? A New Upgrade Strategy
The only thing worse than getting bitten by bedbugs in a hotel room is getting bitten by bedbugs in a really, really expensive hotel room. Try adding that this room is in Hawaii (possibly for your honeymoon) and at one...
Test Drive Our New Hawaii Search Engine -- The Best Way to Search for Hawaii Info, Or Not?
Check it out here at search.hawaiirama.com. Tell us what you think and what can be made better -- or if it totally rocks, tell us that, too. Hint -- this thing is best for detailed searches into Hawaii topics. We...
Room with a View: ResortQuest Waikiki - Partial Ocean View in Hawaii Beats Most Views
Turn down the sound (painful commentary) and check out the views from the ResortQuest Waikiki on this video. This is a partial ocean view. Doh! You'll get this room for a pittance compared to far less tasty fare in...
Hawaii Honeymoon Hotel Tours -- Halekulani Honeymoon Suite
Here's a link to a nice, amateur tour of the honeymoon suite at the Halekulani. They won't let us embed the video but follow the link. It's a solid effort and the lady is lucky to stay in such a...
Blogging at HotelChatter.com -- Aqua's New Gem in Waikiki
Here's my post on HotelChattter.com regarding the new Aqua property in Waikiki. We love this feisty little Hawaii hotel chain, Aqua Hotels, for taking a modern spin on Waikiki resorts. Alas, they've only been able to grab second-tier (and sometimes...
Hawaii Hotel Pools: Grand Wailea Video Tour
This is the best hotel pool in Hawaii and among the best in the world. It's almost a water park. Kids force their parents to spend exorbitant sums to stay at this hotel primarily to have easy access to...
Microsoft Mobile Post from Kauai: Princeville Report Renovations
And here's the after image. This is what the rooms will look like at the Princeville after all is said and done. They will also have LCDs in the bathrooms, which is much for my taste but whatever. At...
Microsoft Mobile Post from Kauai: Princeville Resort Makeover
This post is underwritten by Microsoft, which took me this time to the Garden Isle of Kauai and the paradisical little town of Hanalei. Here's a treat for Hawaii hotel freaks -- a before and after series. Here's the...
A Decent Hotel in Hawaii for Under $140 -- Podcast
My friend (and Hawaiirama blogger) Bruce does a nifty podcast on how to get cheap Hawaii hotels. Surprisingly, there are a decent number of totally decent cheap hotels for this price. And if you want to dip into condos, then...
Waikiki Parking Sticker Shock: Hawaii Hotel News
The good travel agents over at Travel Hawaii have done some homework on what guests pay to park at different hotels in Waikiki. It's a definite eye-opener. Rates range from free at the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower to $25 per...
Hawaii Hotels: Aqua Waikiki Wave, A Relative Bargain
Aloha, Bruce here form Hawaii Aloha Travel, I am a local based travel agent who specializes in helping people plan Hawaii Vacations. I contribute reviews to Hawaiirama and also have my own blog, podcast and vodcast with lots of information...
Hawaii Hotel Review: Pacific Beach Hotel
Bruce blogging over at Hawaii-Aloha.com has a great video review of the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki. He's all over this puppy and Bruce makes this visits unannounced so there's no way to paper over any problems. This hotel is...
Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Aloha, Bruce here from Hawaii-Aloha.Com. I am a travel agent who specializes in helping folks plan their Hawaii Vacations. I contribute to Hawaiirama by doing hotel reviews and this week I am reviewing the Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa on...
Hyatt Regency Maui missing the "small things"
Aloha, Bruce here from Hawaii Aloha Travel. I am a travel agent who specializes in helping folks plan their Hawaii Vacations. Have you ever been bitten by an elephant? What about hippopotamus? How about a mosquito? Of course you have,...
Hawaii Hotel Reviews: Sheraton Waikiki, Pleasant Surprise
Aloha, Bruce here again! Friday night we had an opportunity to stay at the Sheraton Waikiki and to tell you the truth, I really didn't know what to expect because it's been a while since I've actually stayed at the...
Howzit Hawaiirama readers!
My name is Bruce Fisher, I am a Hawaii based Travel Agent and the founder of Hawaii-Aloha.com. So why am I posting here? Millions of visitors come to these islands every year without ever speaking to a real person...
Hawaii Hotels $100 Per Night Club: Cheap Deals on Paradise
This is fairly clever. Voyager Travel is offering a promo on a handful of Hawaii hotels with rates running below $100 per night. Most people can't conceive that hotels in such an expensive place could be so cheap but they...
How to Save Big Bucks on a Hawaiian Vacation: Tip #3 -- Stay Away from Big Name Resort Towns
This tip is closely related to a previous post on staying at off-brand hotel. The big name resort towns in Hawaii do sit astride some of the islands' best beaches. Which is why they can charge a premium on rooms....
How to Save Big Bucks on a Hawaii Vacation: Tip #2 - Off-Brand Hotels Rule
Most travelers (and locals, for that matter) prefer to stay at branded hotel properties. It's like eating at Mickey D's instead of some unknown, untested local burger joint. Except its a lot more expensive so why risk it? Enter the...
Oahu Hotels: New Years Eve - Not Much Room at the Inn (Apparently)
I've been searching for hotel rooms for a quick New Year's jaunt down to Waikki to enjoy the madness and the fireworls. And, not surprisingly, good room deals are hard to find. Many hotels are already sold out. I wanted...
Hawaii Hotels: Embassy Suites Opens In Waikiki w/$199 Ka'amaaina Deal
Call it Hawaii's own version of the Big Dig in Boston. The $625 million Waikiki Beach Walk Project has disrupted traffic, made a handful of Waikiki hotels far less habitable, kicked up dust and turned up the volume so loud...
Hawaii Hotels: The Fun and the Beachless
During the winter months, sunseekers flock to Hawaii for the beach. A good swimming beach, however, is hardly a pre-requisite for a hotel location. On the Big Island, in particular, where swimming beaches are few and far between, many resorts...
Earthquake Update: Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Closed Indefinitely -- Did County Inspectors Miss the Cracks?
Holy cow! The October quake that hit the Big Island took its first hotel casualty as the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, due to extensive structural damage to its roof, was shuttered indefinitely This information came to light yesterday after a...
Hawaii Hotel Reviews: Hilton Hawaiian Village
Pros: The Hilton sits on a stretch of rather nice beach, one of the widest in Waikiki. While its rarely empty, this beach tends to feel less crowded than the other primary Waikiki beaches. There is a great swimming channel...
NYT Travel Mag Does Oahu
Props to my good friend Lesa Griffith, who is also a lifestyle editor at the Honolulu Advertiser, for this solid piece in NYT Travel Mag covering Oahu. A good read for anyone coming to Oahu soon. One caveat --...
Hawaii Hotels: Boutique, Sleek Aqua
Hawaii has a dearth of boutique hotels. Most properties are run by super-mammoth companies like Starwood or Hyatt. Many indie hotels are still too big to be boutique, or they are just plain dowdy and underkept. Aqua Hotels and Resorts...
Hawaii Hotels: Avoid Renovation Gotcha
More than once I've bagged a hotel steal online and arrived at the property to check in -- and realized that extensive, noisy and dirty renovations were underway. Hotels go out of their way to minimize these events, booking rooms...
Hawaii Hotels: Kahala Hotel & Resort Loses AAA 5-Star Status
It's still a really nice place to stay with a great beach in a quiet setting. But we had noticed the Kahala had been slipping a bit since the management turnover there in the past year -- just little...
Hawaii Travel News: Weekend Links
Here's a roundup of interesting links. Hawaii Hotels Running Over 80% Full: Pacific Business News Kailua, Hawaii among Top 10 2007 Destinations for Trip Advisor: But Oahu or Big Island? Which Kailua? Four Seasons Hualalai one of two hotels in...
Hawaii Hotels: Royal Hawaiian Hotel
Pros: A true classic hotel and one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in Hawaii. The Royal -- also called "the Pink Palace" -- retains the charming aura of a bygone era. It sounds cliched but the long, echoing...
Waikiki Hotel Review: ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel
Pros: Not to be confused with the more upscale ResortQuest Waikiki Tower. Underwent extensive renovations several years ago. The swimming pool and common areas are very cool, kitschy Hawaiian (think Don Ho's bachelor pad). The flaming volcano above the...
