The Hyatt Place Waikiki is indeed a Hyatt. It is indeed a place. And yeah, it’s located in the heart of Waikiki. They’re definitely not lying about the name.
That said, I should’ve known better. It was my fault for thinking that this was going to be better than it actually was.
Mental note: be more wary of Hyatt Place properties next time. It’s basic accommodations, that’s all. Luxurious it is not.
Location
This is a very nicely located hotel actually. It’s right in the heart of Waikiki, on the far eastern end, just a few blocks away from the beach. All the shops and restaurants that Waikiki has to offer are within easy walking distance.
Hold on a sec. Friendly Hyatt hotel? Or Honolulu County Jail?*steps back 100ft*“Well, I’ll tell ya, I ain’t quite sure yet. Didn’t I see this place surrounded by police cars on Magnum PI once?”*steps back in for a closer look*“A-ha! Hyatt Place confirmed.”
The lobby (and checking in)
This place will scream “budget hotel!” at you the very moment you step into the lobby. That’s not a bad thing if you’re expecting it IMHO. All I’m saying is that you should probably expect it.
The lobby. Even if this isn’t the county jail, the sight of that tied up luggage filled me with doubt. I wonder what they’re in for?
Unlike the lobby of the Waikiki Malia (another budget Waikiki hotel I’ve recently stayed at), the one here at the Hyatt Place feels somewhat dated. It’s nice enough though.
The reception desk. This place starts to look like a pretty nice hotel once you get past the fact that they have no qualms about zip tying objects to the walls in here.
Checking in took all of five minutes. The woman who checked me in was as cheerful as she was helpful. No complaints from me.
Attached to the reception desk (on the other side) is this really nice looking bar and café. I couldn’t quite hear it exactly, but I think that guy was on the phone with his lawyer trying to bail out his luggage.This is the lounge area located directly across from the bar. And I heard this guy loud and clear BTW. The profanity was downright vulgar as he stomped around being mad at himself mistaking this place for the Waikiki Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa just down the street.
Getting to my room
It’s a bit of a walk to reach the elevators after checking in. First you’ll walk through the café and bar area. Then you’ll pass through a business center and tour booking desks. The elevators are all the way at the back.
Good luck being able to resist booking a helicopter tour from the guy at the desk up ahead. He’s a pretty good salesman IMHO.You’ve made it to the elevators! Whether or not you’ll actually make it to the 5 AM sunrise helicopter tour you just booked is another matter altogether.You will not die of thirst in this place. I hadn’t even stepped on the elevator yet and this was the second filtered water dispenser I came across. There were probably more, but I wasn’t about to go looking for them (mostly out of fear of ending up with another helicopter tour reservation).Afflicted with a texture fetish? You’re going to love these hallways.I’m not into texture at all, but helicopters? Hoo boy.Room 1409 is mine for the night! Those of you with a thing for texture can take all the time you need before scrolling to the next section.
Room overview
I booked a King Bed Ocean View Premium Sofa Bed room for this one night stay. I didn’t realize that I was going to be a suite, so that was pretty sweet. #rimshot
I very clearly remember trying to think of what I’m going to say in the review as I was taking this picture. “I’ll for sure be able to think of something clever and witty by then!” I even composed a picture with a descriptive hand gesture to be used in the review to make it look like I’m pontificating the pros and cons of the situation I was in at that very moment. I still got nothin’.Oh well. When in doubt, zoom out. At least this time I’m not trying to determine if it’s a jail cell or not (cuz this looks a lot nicer than the room that I had at the much pricier Sheraton Princess Kaiulani once).Bed.Room.Bedroom!Actually, I think the CEO of Hyatt would prefer that I call this a mini-suite, but whatever. “You’re doing a pretty lousy job of selling our most popular room type, my man.”That couch? It was a pretty nice place to sit and ponder all the reasons why I didn’t book a suite at the Royal Hawaiian instead.“I’m such an idiot.”A very clean and convenient refrigerator for all of your Hawaiian refrigeration needs. Ain’t nothing Hawaiian about the Arabica coffee and English tea situation however. You might wanna pop down to the nearest coffee shop for something slightly more native to the current location.Another posed picture for the review (caption to be determined at the time of writing). Nothing has come to me yet, so let’s accept defeat and move onto the section about the view…
The view
They certainly weren’t lying about the ‘ocean view’ thing. I could indeed see the ocean. Unfortunately, not only were there a lot of other buildings in the way, the patio door in my room was permanently locked. They were doing maintenance work to the exterior of the building, so the balconies were off limits. Oh well.
Looks a lot different in here with the blinds open, doesn’t it?The very jail-like feeling of a permanently locked patio door. Looks nice out there on the outside (but I wouldn’t know).“You still had an ocean view though”, said the CEO of Hyatt (who seems to be doing a much better job of selling this room than I am).
The bathroom
Going to the bathroom required walking down a short corridor from the main room. It was nowhere near as baller an experience as it was in my room at the Shangri-La Far Eastern in Taipei of course, but I like the fact that it was separated from the rest of the room.
I count four doorways leading to the bathroom. That’s it. That’s the caption.Carpet? Under the vanity? I wanna hear the Hyatt CEO defend that!“Our customers will love the feeling of soggy carpet under their feet as they dig beach sand out of their deepest of bodily crevices.”OK, he got me. That was pretty good.Any sand you can’t reach out there on the carpet will be easily blasted away by the powerful rinses and sprays provided by this Japanese style toilet.And if for whatever reason there are parts of your body that your hands or the toilet can’t reach, the water pressure here in the shower was pretty decent. “You ain’t leaving this hotel sandy”, said the CEO.
Pros and cons of staying at the Hyatt Place Waikiki
If all you’re looking for is basic accommodations in central Waikiki, the Hyatt Place is a good choice. I actually enjoyed this visit more than I did at the equally budget-priced Vive Hotel a few years ago.
Pros
Excellent location! There’s hardly anything in Waikiki that will be difficult to reach on foot from here.
The café and bar area in the lobby is very convenient. They even serve hot food.
Incredibly happy and helpful hotel staff. They all really seemed to love working here, that’s for sure.
Cons
It’s not all that much cheaper than other (much nicer) hotels in the area.
The ocean views aren’t all that great. Lots of other buildings in the way.
Scott has been traveling the world since 1997, and is the founder and author of SleepAndReview.com. He never had any aspirations of being a hotel reviewer, but one thing let to another, and...well...here we are.
Spoiler alert: after reading this review of the Grand Naniloa Hotel, you might get the sense that I’m a grumpy traveler who can’t appreciate anything….
