The Equus — Hotel in Honolulu

This place is charming from a certain perspective, however the cons were too great for me to honestly rate it highly. The hotel stands right next to what is apparently the busiest and noisiest multi-lane road in Honolulu, and the traffic noise is severely disruptive to all but the deepest sleepers. All night long, every night, loud honking and other traffic noise and apparently it's a popular street for late night drag racing too (both my spouse and I would wake multiple times a night due to the noise). The balconies face the street and the balcony door doesn't seal well, so it sounds like the noise is right next to you. The walls are also paper thin. I could clearly hear every word our neighbors were saying even though they were speaking at a reasonable volume, so pray you have neighbors who don't stay up too late.

The interior furnishings were old and worn. Carpet and bathroom floor looks grimy. The shower is closet-sized, so tiny you can barely turn around or bend over. I'm a small person yet I couldn't bend over to wash my hair without flattening my back to a wall. It's really not a "4 star hotel", the rooms open up to the outside so it's actually more like a motel.

It's not the best location. Although it is technically near Waikiki, it's at least a 20 minute walk from the heart of the action on Waikiki Beach and Waikiki's restaurants and shopping areas. It IS however right next door to Ala Moana shopping mall, but I don't imagine most people travel to Hawaii to shop at Macy's and Neiman Marcus. We got in our first night after 8pm, exhausted and hungry, and there was almost nowhere to eat within walkable distance that was still open, so we ended up getting McDonald's because that was all that was easily available. Their parking area is VERY small, maybe space for only 10 cars, and it's impossible to squeeze out of if another car is trying to come in to park.

The elevator only goes down to the second floor lobby, and then you have to go down an additional flight to get to street level. It wasn't a problem for us since we're able bodied and didn't have much luggage, but it would be inaccessible to anyone in a wheelchair or with physical disabilities.

Also, if you think you're getting a budget rate, think again. After all the non-transparent junk fees and taxes tacked on at the checkout page, a $130/night stay (what they advertised on their website at the time we booked) actually comes out to more like $210/night. If you hate surprise last minute fees like I do, brace yourself for this.

There were some pros. The housekeeping was consistent and reliable, despite the inherent griminess of the room. The bartender was friendly. The front desk staff were pleasant. But if I come back to O'ahu, I'll choose a...

My husband and I stayed at the Equus Hotel late November 2025. The Equus was exactly how it was initially described to me. Perfect for us. A short climb up the front steps from the main boulevard bought us into the quaint Paniola Bar where we were greeted with warm “alohas” from the staff and locals. Auntie Renee checked us in, told us to get settled on the ninth floor using the elevator and to come back down for a welcome drink at the bar. Our room was clean, basic and comfortable. Fridge, keurig coffee machine, safe, iron/board. TV and aircon. The street noise is there but what do you expect when you pick it for the location and location was everything for us. The traffic noise normally died down after ten and came back in the morning. Not a problem for us. The bar and small reception are the heart of this hotel. You can grab a light breakfast in the mornings with coffee and in the evening a toasted sandwich and a refreshing Cocktail. Music at the weekend in the evening. The staff are amazing. Full of information and very friendly. Grab a beach chair and towel in the morning if heading out to the beach. Breakfast at Goofy’s a five min walk. The Namaste Indian Restaurant was very good and not far from the hotel. Lots of ABC’s store around for small items you might need. Car hire from Enterprise close by in a small mall and handy for a days rental. You can even park overnight in the parking for $15 in the mall if you get back late. The Equus happens to be one of the oldest owner owned (since the mid 1990’s) and operated hotels on the Alo Moana Strip that borders the famous Waikiki area. One block from the beach, on the direct bus route (20 from airport) to the whole island and within walking distance to everything. Two blocks to the right from the hotel is the infamous Alo Moana Shopping Mall - home to the likes of Gucci, Cartier, Channel, Tesla, etc. on the first floor. It is also home to a possible hundred foodie joints on the ground floor. Most restaurants close at 8.30 pm. However on the top floor you might find a few that are open till later. Across from the Mall is the Alo Moana beach. Beautiful white sands and calm clear blue waters make it a pleasure to swim. A five minute walk from The Equus. The Alo Moana beach is filled with locals and is fairly quiet compared to Waikiki. It is a short walk to the Waikiki beach that is a lot busier. The weekly foodie market is also a short walk from The Equus just past the Mall. So if you are looking for a friendly small hotel with location then I can highly recommend The Equus for you. Thank you to the staff for making our stay one...

The fact that this is listed as a 4-star hotel on Google is a joke. Having lived in Hawaii for some years now, I am very aware that you don't get the same quality as you might at on the mainland. But this was pretty rough.

The room was dark, dirty, and very dated. All the bathroom fixtures were dated, covered in mineral deposits, and frankly just dirty. The towel hook was falling off. The grout was stained and dirty. You couldn't pay me to iron something on the provided ironing board. They also forgot to give us any shampoo. The walls looked like they hadn't been cleaned in ages, and many had mystery stains/stuff on them. TV was small. HVAC was a mini split that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in ages. I didn't dare open it to look at the filter...

As someone that does property maintenance, maybe I just notice these things more, but there were just a lot of blatantly sub-par things. I also know that many of these things could be fixed in 15-30min at pretty low cost, and would think that it would be in their best interest to do so.

Overall the room was functional, and that's about it. Would put it on par with a 2-star hotel off a highway.

The service was nice. Didn't have too much interaction, but the lady at the desk was nice, and the bartender as well.

We stopped by the Paniolo on Sunday morning at 10 and we're told they weren't doing breakfast because they were baking muffins. They only have one oven/toaster combo. That was, well, pretty disappointing. I would think that they could invest in a second toaster. Or not have it in use at peak weekend brunch time. Coffee was also real disappointing. Can't say that I expect too much, they're a bar/cafe combo, not a nice coffee shop, but a decent latte would have made me feel a little better about the lack of breakfast.

We did not venture in the pool, and honestly on first sight I thought it was out of commission because it looked very dirty.

All in all, a very disappointing experience. I think at one time this was probably a nice hotel, but a consistent lack of maintenance and deep cleaning has turned it into a bit of a grungy place. If you get a good deal, and don't plan on spending time here other than to sleep, it might be worth a stay, but please don't go expecting a 4-star...