White Sands Hotel — Hotel in Honolulu

Cute hotel under terrible management. White sands hotel really has a nice island vibe , that’s the reason why we didn’t choose to stay in a high rise hotels in Waikiki area. But unfortunately, that’s where all the good things end … I never wrote a 1 star review regarding hotel stay , never thought I will , especially in such paradise like Hawaii, that I love with all my heart . But honestly, for that amount of money that we ended up spending - I wish we would just pay a bit more , and stay in a different hotel.

Rooms are outdated, which is fine , I’m not that picky , but the smell of mold in the room is awful. We kept the balcony door open at all times , which is okay for me , but not okay for someone who can’t sleep with their door open , it can be noisy, since it’s a busy street . We stayed for 5 nights, we requested a cleaning service once , the rooms was cleaned zero times during our stay , even after asking for it … not the towels were changed , no problem , I asked for it myself , but the cleaning situation and pick up of old towels had to happen in 5 nights, otherwise it’s just not normal. I’m not going to write about their uncomfortable mattresses , and dirty bathrooms in the common area, because this are all things we can deal with, and not that critical .

What is critical in this situation, was the attitude of the people who work at the hotel , supervised of the hotel that didn’t care or manager … after having a really small issue with two bartenders at their hotel bar, and solving it normally with one of them , by just talking and apologizing to each other I am still beyond upset with another bartender, who’s name is “figure it out” … yes , that’s how he told me to call him , after I asked simply to know , who am I addressing to, never ever I would bring it up in google review , but since it was funny to him , fair enough I’ll bring it up . Anyway , the level of mistreatment , lack of understanding and complete lack of trying to solve any issues like human beings is not at this hotel . You don’t like smth - you can leave and it’s okay with them if you leave upset , sad and humiliated. And “figure it out” wasn’t even the bartender I had issue with , he was apparently just listening to the dispute we had with another bartender… anyway , I felt like am an outsider, entitled blonde girl , who doesn’t know what she’s talking abt … that’s how they tried to make me feel … good thing I know who I am , and I know that I never mistreated people on purpose, and there’s a huge difference in having miscommunication, or having and solving the arguments right away . To finalize, in the end when I was trying to explain that I work in clients oriented business, and I know what it is to be mistreated, I was asked if I am a bartender, when I said “no” the guy just turned his back to me … so apparently it’s my fault I’m not a bartender…

Anyway, this was a really sad birthday experience, that took any good that hotel had … which is basic bad , and basic room , but two or one person , can really make a difference in your vibe … I guess , figure it out , if you want to stay at the place no one cares , or even tries to apologize for them being drunk bartenders , and not listening properly to simple...

I wouldn’t book here again, and I’d caution those who are considering it. When we checked in, we were told they were booked out of the room we chose. They gave us an upgraded room, one of their suites. I think they thought they were doing us a favor since the room is bigger and costs more. We booked a room that had the balcony and sliding glass door in the same room as the bedroom, because relaxing with the door open feeling the breeze and watching daylight break is one of our favorite parts of being in Hawaii. The suite they offered us had a separate bedroom with no windows and no natural lighting. This was so disappointing for us, and I definitely would have booked a different hotel if I knew ahead of check in time. During our stay I let the staff know how disappointed we were and their only response was to say “sorry.” On top of this, the carpet in our suite was so incredibly dirty. It was very brown, especially in front of the bathroom. There were stains everywhere including on the furniture. There were balls of long black hair on the master bedroom floor. We took towels and laid them down on the carpet to create a path to walk on, and wore our shoes around the room because it just looked like the carpet had never once been washed. We never sat on any of the furniture because the room just felt so unclean. Again, I told the hotel through their online chat these things during our stay and their only response is that they’d give our feedback to their housekeepers. It seemed like the housekeeping is disorganized, because while we were told housekeeping came every other day, housekeeping came only once during our 4 night stay and they day they came was the day the front desk told us they wouldn’t come (our 2nd day there). They cleaned up our room, made our bed, took trash, and gave us new towels. But then, on day 3 and 4 of our stay, housekeeping also came in our room, but only took our towels and left some more clean ones. 3 days in a row they came, but they only cleaned up once? I didn’t care much about that though, it was just a little odd. I’m not one to leave bad reviews or get bothered at businesses, but it just makes me so sad that this was how our trip went. Paying full price for a room we wanted but didn't get to stay in is, to me, poor service and unfair. This, combined with how dirty the room felt, calls for something more than just saying sorry to fix it, in my mind. The pool area is very beautiful, and I don’t have a single bad thing to say about any of the people working there. The hotel staff were so,...

While I had some positive interactions with select employees, I regrettably have to give this establishment a low rating. My spouse and I chose this hotel because it was listed as a TLA Military-approved service. Upon our arrival, we inquired about parking for our two vehicles and were assured by a staff member that it wouldn’t be an issue. We were informed that military members had previously parked two vehicles without incurring fees, and there was no limit specified for how many vehicles this applied to.

However, 19 days into our stay, we were suddenly informed that we would need to pay for parking retroactively. Initially, the hotel attempted to charge us $700, but after the valet staff spoke with their manager, they reduced it to $200 up to that point, and we would still have to pay for additional days until check-out. We had planned to stay for another 2-3 weeks, but due to this unexpected and unreasonable demand, we are now considering an earlier departure to avoid further issues. This could ultimately cost the hotel more in lost revenue than if they had simply honored the initial promise.

Our frustration stems from the fact that we were explicitly told both vehicles would be waived, and this agreement should have been honored. If we had been informed of potential charges upfront, we could have better prepared ourselves. It is disheartening to receive a surprise bill of $200-$700 and be expected to pay it on the spot. Moving is already expensive, and being blindsided like this is unacceptable.

Additionally, some staff members displayed poor attitudes, particularly the woman at the front desk. While I understand that customer service can be challenging, it’s no excuse to treat guests as if they are an inconvenience. In contrast, the valet staff were exceptional and consistently friendly. They are the sole reason we have enjoyed our stay here.

Overall, I would not recommend this hotel for any service members seeking a long-term TLA stay. There are no elevators, so if you’re not on the first floor, be prepared to navigate stairs with your luggage. Additionally, there’s no room service for food or supplies, and my experience with the unexpected parking bill was frustrating. Given the overall atmosphere, I would strongly advise looking for alternative...