Prince Waikiki — Hotel in Honolulu

Beware of the dust in the rooms and the in -room refrigerator thermostat is set so low that it freezes everything. After I checked in and went to the room I noticed a film of dust on all the tables, the leather headboard, the marble top below the TV, and on top of the baseboard surrounds in the bathroom. I called housekeeping and someone came with a black glove and and seemed surprised to find so much dust. A short time later I received a call from the front desk and was told the room was uninhabitable and was offered two different rooms to change to or I could stay in the current room and a deep cleaning would happen the following day. I had flown 11 hours non -stop to Honolulu and I was quite tired. The room is situated in the middle of the hotel and has an excellent view of the water and spectacular sunsets. I decided to stay in the room.

I did speak with the housekeeper for the floor and was told that the room was not occupied for a week so this is why there is so much dust. I mentioned to a manager at the front desk who contradicted this and no the room was occupied just prior to me and that there would be dust. It seems someone is truth challenged and I really don't care to explore who.

The dust was removed from most of the surfaces but there is still dust on the bathroom marble baseboards.

I purchased a pint of milk the next day and put it in the room mini -refrigerator. This morning I made hot tea in the room. When I discovered that the milk in the refrigerator was completely frozen. In addition prescription medication that is administered with an injectable pen was also frozen. The medication is now ruined and I did not bring an additional pen. I showed the pen to someone at the front desk and said I would like to speak with the general manager.

I have so far not received an adequate apology beyond a $100 credit that can be applied to some of the hotel restaurants.

This is not my first trip to Waikiki but my first time as a guest at the Prince Waikiki. I can't blame the floor housekeeper for being a bit unfriendly and the front desk staff doesn't seem to care about my dissatisfaction. I have traveled in Japan and there is very little that recommends the Prince Waikiki as part of a Japanese hotel company.

I read the response from "the owner" and my initial reply is really? It seems the sentiment is better luck next time? Although I remain disappointed in my overall experience at the Prince Waikiki there are some positives.

What I did like is the large bathroom with a separate water closet and a separate shower. The bathroom is quite large in comparison to most other Waikiki hotel rooms. The pool is large enough and faces the marina. The hotel is a short walk to Ala Moana Mall. Room 1116 is in the center of the hotel and has a superior view as the hotel is concave so rooms on each end have a limited view. There are USB C outlets. I enjoyed the breakfast A la carte menu at Sails as well as the breakfast buffet. The air conditioning works exceedingly well in the hotel room and is not loud. The mini refrigerator has a thermostat in the back and if I had pulled it out I could have lowered the temperature instead of the icebox setting. The lobby is beautifully decorated for the Christmas holiday. There is plenty of seating at the pool and in the late afternoon there is live music at the pool restaurant. The singer is excellent.

A few more things that weren't so good. There were a lot of older children in the pool throwing a small football. Two of the kids were in the deep end of the pool and spaced so far a apart throwing a ball back and forth that this part of the pool was not easily accessible. The lack of pool etiquette among the older children was regrettable. There were two other "kids" tossing a ball to each other in the deep end another day. Would I trade this for the postage stamp pool at the Royal Hawaiian actually no. The pool at the Sheraton Waikiki is larger but there are even more children. The families with young children seemed to enjoy the shallower end of the pool...

Prince Waikiki is a haven amongst the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. Situated in a serene location at the edge of the Ala Wai Boat Harbor and bordered by the Ala Moana Regional Park on the north side of the property staying here you feel as though you been transported to a world of calmness.

Walking into the lobby a glimmering school of copper fish(which were made by employees), suspended from the ceiling, greets you-casting rainbow glimmers and shimmers on the walls and floor. You will also notice the feeling of tranquility that immediately overcomes you. A member of the hotel’s reception team will quietly approach you, ask for your name and guide you to the reception desk. This is quiet luxury. Even with the soaring ceilings of the lobby and great expanse of floor space you don’t feel overwhelmed. This property has taken great care to create numerous conversation nooks and comfortable gathering places throughout the lobby. The use of natural materials and abundant natural light as design elements lends beautifully to the peaceful and tranquil vibes of the hotel lobby.

If you don’t immediately feel relaxed in the lobby, wait until you open the door to your room and take in the view. I audibly gasped. You’ve seen the pictures online. I drooled over the pictures online and never imagined that the in-person view would be just as incredible. When I opened the door to my room, I was greeted by the most breathtaking view of the Ala Wai Boat Harbor through floor to ceiling windows that run the expanse of the room. The glistening shades of turquoise waters, crisp white of the sails, and surfers on the break restored the serotonin levels of my brain and I was at peace. I booked an Ocean Front Premier room. The room was spacious, filled with natural light and decorated in a modern coastal palette-which encourages your mind and body to slow down, take in the view, breathe deeply, and relax. The bathroom was well appointed, natural materials and an added benefit -Maile Organic bath products. And can we talk about the robes??????? I could live in that robe. An environmentally friendly perk at Prince Waikiki are the reusable, durable double-wall stainless steel water bottles that you will find in your room, and throughout the property you will find water stations for refills. Love this! I brought both bottles home and continue to use them daily.

The pool. The pool deck, at its elevated location on the 5th floor, is modern, intimate, and adult. How can you not relax, rejuvenate, renew and revitalize your soul at this pool? The west facing views, out over the Ala Wai Harbor and Ala Moana Regional Park are healing. Whether enjoying a poolside chaise lounge, sitting on the reading shelf in the infinity pool or resting your head on folded arms gazing out at the scenery from the infinity pool-you will feel one with the landscape. This is a quiet pool. This is a place designed to encourage your mind and body to rest and relax. Go ahead and order that drink and a snack from Hinana Bar and allow your mind to settle and be present in the space. I promise you will not regret doing so.

I have been to Waikiki a few times. This time a trip to Waikiki was not planned but due to flight issues to/from Moloka’i it became a necessary diversion from previously laid plans. I wanted a quiet location to de-stress, unwind, relax, and enjoy the view. I wanted a quiet, smaller, adultish hotel and Prince Waikiki was the ultimate experience. The atmosphere is incredible. The design aesthetics are curated. The people employed by Prince Waikiki are the true treasures. Everyone I met had a warm smile-the type of smile that comes from a full heart. The people were kind, knowledgeable, friendly, and fun to be around. While design elements and location are draws to booking a property, it is truly the people at the property that make an experience special. My experience was incredible. Thank you all so very much.-I felt the as though the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders...

We just returned from spending 10 nights at Prince Waikiki and had an absolutely amazing time. Normally we are no-frills and savvy budget travellers but we wanted to splurge a bit as we were celebrating early and belated 40th birthdays plus our 11th wedding anniversary (in addition to this being our first trip abroad since the pandemic!) and so we wanted it to be extra special. Prince Waikiki really delivered and I am so grateful for all the reviews that helped us narrow down our choice. Paying it forward now with our take on it…

Highly recommend an oceanfront room…who does not want a sunrise/sunset view at their leisure; our toddler loved floor-to-ceiling the marina and ocean view. The windows open up nicely and was high enough with a strong latch to be safe for our toddler to not get himself in trouble. Our room also included daily buffet breakfast at 100 Sails; what a convenience to not have to worry about waking up scrambling for our first meal, especially with a toddler. The spread is probably the best we’ve had for a hotel breakfast buffet…felt it was a nice variety, including healthy and toddler-friendly options. Scored a discount with the Extended Escapes package as well (just so happened we had already decided to stay 10 nights and that was the minimum criteria) so it sweetened the deal. Having an oceanfront room with Club Lounge access was a lovely touch! We felt like VIPs as every time we stopped by, our favourite 4-seater lounge table was always available. We took countless photos, enjoyed the snacks/lunch/dinner fare (plus great drinks selection and beer and wine on tap too), recuperated from our many excursions here, rested before a swim and even saw the Friday night Waikiki fireworks from here! Such an awesome feature. Room was spacious and well-furnished. King bed was super comfortable and we slept well. Having the corner sofa/table nook was handy as it was our toddler’s play area. The bidet was a nice touch; my husband sure enjoyed it. Only odd feature was the safe built into the dresser drawer; it did not feel substantial to a challenge at all but I suppose we hoped we would not need to worry too much with a luxury hotel… Loved that we were given complimentary aluminum water bottles to use. Refill stations in the lobby and near our floor was super handy, always fresh water for hydration. Bottles were light too so did not add much unnecessary weight to our backpack during excursions. Having a Honolulu Coffee Company shop in the lobby was handy as we were able to grab breakfast before an early excursion pickup one morning. We scoped out the two shops in the lobby and bought a last minute souvenir on the last day. Handy to have as one shop was sort of like a mini ABC Store with toiletries, snacks and beverages. Staff were all very friendly, hardworking and a joy to interact with. We tipped well to acknowledge their efforts and can tell staff appreciated it. Pools were awesome, our toddler loved it. Saltwater pool was a first for us, we dipped in the infinity pool as well as hot tub. Had read the pool was a bit smaller than typical hotels but it did not feel small at all. We usually went between 3-6 PM and it was never crazy busy, we always had pool lounge chairs. Location is perfect, a 5 mins. walk to Ala Moana Centre where you can shop to your heart’s content. ABC Store was also a block or so away; we visited it many times. We also caught the Waikiki Trolley bus at nearby stops. It is about a 20 mins. walk to Waikiki Beach so definitely doable. We walked home one evening around 8:30 PM and streets were very busy still. We received a nice complimentary sparkling wine and sweet note when I mentioned it was the occasion of our anniversary. For those who are interested, they also offer towel/floral art for an additional fee.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Prince Waikiki as we were able to relax, easily move around and explore the city and felt treated like VIPs. Would highly...