Watermark — Attraction in Honolulu

Update 7/21/21: Life is returning to normal at the Watermark (albeit more slowly than at any other local building), but with a handful of inexplicable restrictions.

For some reason units are limited to a total of 6 people a time at the pool or at a BBQ, so we’re limited to small gatherings (a restriction no other local luxury buildings have). And the gym and sauna are still reservation-only, but there’s a good amount of availability now that they’ve eliminated the 2-hour “air-out periods” lol.

The management has also been more visible and friendly (the manager even says “hi” to people now!). All in all, I’m much happier, and the building has earned back another star in my review.

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Original review 2/1/2021:

Used to be such a great place to live.

I’ve lived in the Watermark for 8 years. The community was so strong, and the staff empathetic and helpful.

Unfortunately, over the past year, most of the building amenities have been shut down or made hard to use (understandably, at first, due to Covid, but which have not reopened unlike other buildings), and the building management has also changed for the worst.

Instead of the prior long-term manager who was a helpful and friendly advocate and liaison between residents and the board (such a great guy and really liked by everyone), the new manager takes a bit of a gruff attitude with residents... owners and tenants alike.

The current state is a building largely shut down (in 2021) when the other luxury buildings in Honolulu have mostly returned to normal, and with a building manager that seems to treat residents who ask about it with derision.

For instance, The Watermark is the only luxury building in Honolulu that (1) still has its gym shut down, (2) requires reservations to use a grill, (3) has no pool chairs or chaises (but you can bring your OWN chair to the pool), and (4) no longer allows basic front-desk services like package pickup or drop-off. It’s also one of the few that still prohibits guests of any kind in any common area like the pool or grills and requires reservations for each.

Perhaps in a few years, when (if?) the amenities reopen on par with other nearby buildings, and the building manager is replaced or otherwise is tasked with treating residents more like customers (as his predecessor did), the Watermark will again be a premier place to live.

In the mean time, both prospective renters and condo buyers would probably be happier at one of the other nearby buildings.

I’ll edit this review as things change to keep it up to date on developments.

Upd 2/25/21: The island has moved into a far less restricted "Tier 3" as of today, enabling 10 people to socialize together, but the Building Manager has notified us he won't even begin to consider reopening amenities for another week, and won't make them effective for several days after that.

Upd 3/23/21: The Building Manager relented a few weeks ago and finally reopened the pool, though the facility is limited to 10 people total at a time (with 5 from any one unit), with guests allowed and reservations available but not necessary if there are spots left. In practice, this works pretty well, and I haven't been turned away yet. There continues to be no deck furniture available (a rule no other condo building imposes). As of this week, packages can now be left at the front desk again. The gym reopened reservation-only (available once a week per unit, a limitation no other condo building imposes), and the sauna remains closed. Also on a happier and appreciated note, the building management has surprisingly become a bit more open and communicative with residents, and I wonder if these reviews had something to do with it.

Upd 4/17/21: The pool continues to be generally usable with minimal hassle. Grills are nearly unusable (only 1 unit per day is allowed to use a grill), and there continues to be no pool furniture. The gym remains usable only 1x a week/unit, and the sauna is closed. None of these restrictions are common at other luxury buildings (which are mostly...

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