The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach — Hotel in Honolulu

So for Ritz Carlton Residences this property has the name, but not the full service you come to expect...Residency it seems is different than standard hotels. For people that do not know, these rooms are owned by people that live albeit for shorter term than standard condos, and own either fractionally or outright. When you stay in a room, a portion of the profit gets handed to the owner.

Now to the brand, when you think of Ritz Carlton what do you think of? Is it the locale, the design, the value? No, it's the service, the ambience, and hospitality. There are many hotels around the area and for this review, I'll break down a couple of key areas I look for in a hotel.

Location: You are in Waikiki, but a good distance from the beach. Be preprared to walk 15min and unlike the hotels on the beach, you will need to go into public areas to find a place to put down your towel. Shops, restaraunts are within 2-3 blocks, but that is no closer than many other hotels like Marriott and boutiques costing a fraction of this hotel. Nothing special.

Service: Ah the highlight of the prestigious Ritz Carlton. Literally worth in my belief the 25-50%- markup in stay. Lets be honest, the name caught you, but Residency actually should mean a RC Lite. It's less service. Lets start with entry into the hotel. There is no individual escort from entrance to lobby. Only to elevators. And no room tours. Also absent is room upgrades. Upon entry you will get a Lei (beaded necklace) whatever that's worth to you, and a drink either alcoholic or non- pretty sweet. Is this all nice yes. Is it different- no not really I mean the other 5 stars do this.

Rooms: These are standard 5 star style rooms. I don't think you can say they are amazing in terms of quality and style, but they work! It's classic and minimalistic. Is it beautiful? I didn't find it instagram worthy beautiful, but it's pretty nice. I think that should be the caption of this review "Pretty nice hotel." To be fair, many of the hotel rooms in hawaii are small with scruffy carpets and a touch of bleach and mildew due to water. Luckily these rooms are hardwood floors which although is easier to clean, I like carpet. All in all, the rooms are nice and compared to others on the island right up there with the best.

Amenities: Breakfast is extra, complementary water if I remember, and slippers is a nice touch! Nothing else is free.

Food/Bar: Got some drinks and it's pretty standard. There was no one at the bar at the time which might be nice if you like privacy. Also ordered some snacks like chips and salsa and something else...must have been meh. Nothing really great bar side. I didn't get breakfast there.

Price: If you go with this hotel, you do expect to be wow'd. This is a brand that banks on service, when there isn't any above and beyond service besides what you get from every other hotel.....well kinda hard to feel like its worth the extra mulah.

Conclusion: What needs do you have? What are your expectations? If you adjust your expectations this is a solid hotel. Remember, I said Residency stands for "lite service." You are paying a lot of money to be here so if you adjust for the Ritz Carlton lite hospitality (Left alone more), you will have a nice private experience. But unless you do this, you will not be satisfied. I recommend you go in with some friends to maybe have the name and feel of Ritz. It definitely feels more open and party for those groups. For me, the lone James Bond type traveler, I think it works well to go in and out. But for the romantic, looking to celebrate with cocktails and having an exclusive worthwhile experience I can't recommend this location. Again adjust your expectations with the "Residences" and it...

I am seating in my suite while I write this review before departing tomorrow. We considered ourselves regulars since this is our 3rd time in this hotel. We love the location and the residence setting and how special this hotel used to make us feel. However, things have changed! What used to be an elegant experience does not exist in this hotel. My experienced was ruined with the check-in and check-out policies. On a good note, housekeeping and valet staff were great. ||Problem #1. The checking process took 2 hours from beginning to entering the suite. Why? Well, first they had a line of people and it took forever to check-in each person. The new process for check in is lengthy, practically they look for a room at the moment and proceed to tell you how they will add a $200 for incidentals, while everyone hears it behind you…this cheapens the experience. Every communication I had prior to arrival was ignored, which caused confusion, disappointment and caused unnecessary delays. The staff had to begin the process of searching for the room that I requested, it turned out it wasn’t in the rental agreement any longer, however there was a similar room in different floor, eventually we accept that one but waited an additional 45 minutes to be able to enter due to “required inspection by housekeeping”. All of this could have been avoided if the requests had been read by front desk staff and had changed room to new floor since it was the only available. We waited at the pool bar to have a drink in the scorching sun since the bar doesn’t have any shade even with umbrellas at the tables. After 45 minutes of cooking ourselves under the sun, we received a call to pick up the room key. We waited in line again while staff finished other check-ins so we could get our key. ||Problem#2 no transparency - instead of being up front and telling me that they WILL CHARGE for late check outs, the staff let me to believe that I would be granted a free late checkout, like in previous stays, and told me to “call 2 days ahead to confirm if a late check out was possible.” Well, when I called the staff began to tell me the list of charges depending on the time. I informed staff that my husband is part of the bonvoy marriott rewards with higher status than mine, but they refused to accept it and told me that my name was on the reservation. Well both of us are on the reservation but Ritz rather nickel and dime customers because that is the new policy. Again, this is what a 3 star hotel would do, but again things have changed. If you informed me of the fees up front then I would not have an issue; I have a problem when you don’t have transparency - I rather have an email with the full list of costs upfront, not just a “you may or may not be charged.” communication. Again disappointment and now I will have to stay a half a day at the airport before my evening flight. ||Problem #3, room service app would not accept an order before the time of opening at 7am! Also, the food takes 45 minutes to get to your room, so I opted for store downstairs. If you get up early then you better go outside to buy food. ||Problem #4, no hair salon services at the spa. Room only has a hair dryer and no flat iron for straightening hair. This causes one to have to find a hair salon out in Waikiki. ||Overall, this was a disappointing experience. Perhaps an Airbnb in Waikiki will be sufficient in our next visit. Nobody went the extra mile for me the paying customer, they went the extra mile for the business The...

Unacceptable Experience at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach (July 29–August 2, 2025)

I want to express my profound disappointment with our stay at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach from July 29 to August 2, 2025. My wife and I checked in on July 29 at 3:45 PM for a critical visit, as she was scheduled for surgery on July 30, requiring fasting from 9:00 PM that evening. The mismanagement of a state-declared tsunami warning on July 29, combined with a lack of guest support, made our experience stressful and unacceptable for a property of your caliber.

Upon arrival, we were informed of a statewide emergency for a possible 1-3 meter tsunami wave expected at 7:17 PM, with instructions to remain above the 4th floor for safety. We were assigned Room 2010 on the 20th floor, well above the safety threshold. However, by 3:45 PM, all dining options—restaurants, poolside service, and room service—were closed, despite the restaurants being located on the 6th floor. We searched nearby blocks for open restaurants at 4:15 PM but found none operational due to the emergency. The front desk promised sandwiches at 6:00 PM, later delayed to 6:45 PM.

At 6:45 PM, an intercom announcement instructed guests to remain in their rooms, as elevators would be shut down for safety. This prevented us from accessing the promised food, leaving us without a meal before my wife’s fasting deadline. From our 20th-floor balcony, we observed guests at the neighboring Marriott Vacation Club enjoying rooftop dining on their 9th floor, highlighting the stark contrast in management decisions. With elevators disabled and uncertainty about stairwell access, we felt confined without options.

Further disrupting our rest for my wife’s surgery, intercom announcements at 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM woke us after we went to sleep early. These were unnecessary, as TVs in every room broadcasted tsunami updates. The premature closure of services, lack of food access, and disruptive communications reflect poor planning and disregard for guest needs during an emergency.

Having experienced hurricanes in Florida, tornadoes in Nebraska, snowstorms in New York, haboobs in Arizona, and earthquakes in California, I have never encountered such mismanagement for a potential event—a 1-3 meter wave half a mile from the shoreline, buffered by buildings. The Ritz-Carlton’s response was disproportionate and neglected critical guest needs, particularly given my wife’s medical situation.

As our stay continued through August 2, the initial mismanagement set a poor tone for our experience, undermining the trust we placed in your brand for exceptional service. Whoever made these decisions at your property needs to understand the consequences of their mismanagement. They went well beyond the Experts and Governors requests by closing services and shutting down elevators.

I have video evidence of the 6:45 PM intercom announcement and can provide it upon request. I urge you to address this matter promptly to restore confidence...