The Kahala Hotel & Resort

Soooo... Ill start with the good - The Kahala Resort remains the grand lady of Hawaii. Very Nostalgic feeling in a good way and an iconic property that we would return to as we dont want to be on Waikiki or other Oahu resort areas. Big rooms, decent pool, nice beach, etc...and the Arancino Restaurant is still a 10! The bad - well I think its time for a full refresh starting with the grounds, pool, spa, beach area, etc...The rooms are still big and nice so those hopefully stay with just a refresh. The Ugly - Upon check in we had a reservation for 6 full nights and asked about upgrades, discounts, extra night stays and were met with a lot of resistance that ended up being manipulation and deceipt. Its quite common in our experience that even with a reservation that a helpful front desk can move things around and be flexible. In this case Yuki at the front desk failed to help us and in fact said the hotel was completely booked and no rooms and no offers available. So Ok fine we went to the assigned room which was arguably the worst in the hotel 716 and only had a single sink and not separate shower. We complained and did get a larger room with a full bathroom with two sinks a tub and shower which is typical for the Kahala. Again we asked for a Lanai/Patio/Balcony but were shut down. Early the next morning 7am I felt that we had not been given al the facts so I decided to go on the Kahal Reservation website and sure enough plenty of rooms available and at large discounts. I called down to the front desk and James the manager made the adjustment that saved us $1,500! and offered an upgraded room. Still it left a bad taste as this is what should and could have been done upon arrival as the the reservations did not change over the course of a few hours... So just be careful to check online when you are checking in as to availability so that you have all the information to work with the front desk to have the best outcome. Secondly, their concierge is a total mess and its really not concierge but rather outsourced third party Blue Hawaiian high pressure sales to get you to fly in a helicopter or go whale watching or something expensive. No dinner or sight seeing suggestions or help with even tennis reservations at the Wailae Club next door. So hope this helps someone looking to stay here. Its a great old hotel in a great off waikiki location with big rooms, nice beach, good service but I think in some ways a bit desperate to stay relevant

Sayuvi and yuki were both exceptional with the perfect amount of pressure asked and were also wonderfully accommodating-best in Honolulu hands down! Facility is fantastical, clean, and so relaxing

This well run beautiful hotel goes out of its way to make you welcome and comfortable. With four different restaurants all your food desires are answered. It is comfortable for families and for singles and away from the chaos of Waikiki Beach, but close enough to indulge if you excitement. Perfect vacation.

Let me start by saying your staff is wonderful and could not have been more responsive and accommodating. Unfortunately, this hotel is dated and in need of major refurbishment; it is not a five-star property and is not worthy of the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts designation. The room I was originally assigned was not ready to accept guests. The carpet was filthy and stained. The coat closet had no hangers, an iron but not an ironing board, no hair dryer, or luggage stands. The TV as inoperative and one of the table lamps could not be turned off without unplugging the cord because the on/off switch was broken The were only two towels in the bathroom. Through the courtesy of the duty manager we were moved to another room the following day. Our newly assigned room was not added to the housekeeping cleaning schedule and we received no service for two days until I complained once again about the multiple failures at every customer touchpoint. The food at the restaurants was mediocre at best with very limited choices. The Prix-fixe 5 course menu was heavily endorsed by the servers at most restaurants and that it is not the style of dining most people prefer at a beach resort. A- La-Carte options were limited and overpriced. It was not unusual to have to wait nearly an hour for a table to enjoy the complimentary breakfast buffet offered through the American Express program. With the exception of the wonderful staff and responsive management team, this was not the experience I expected after having stayed at the Halekulani for many years. There is simply no comparison between the two properties.

Our stay was amazing, but expensive. The rooms were very spacious, our view to the golf course spectacular.