Ka La'i Waikiki Beach, LXR Hotels & Resorts

Had 2 great stays, thought we would try again since the rebranding, but alas complete disaster. Incoherent decor and furniture since the redesign, still under construction, no resort amenities, 0 bonus for loyalty, tried to give a bottle of prosecco for “anniversary” when it wasn’t our anniversary and we don’t drink wine. Valet staff were pretty good, very chill, room service and cleaning were good on some days but inconsistent. Front desk was weird, tried to upsell room during check in. Total power outage for several hours post-storm, poor communication from front-desk, we ended up staying in a different hotel across the street for the night. At checkout the next day, front desk staff pretended like nothing happened. lol

We stayed three nights at the LXR hotel in Waikiki. As a Diamond member, I used points for the hotel after finishing work. I wanted to relax for a few days at a nice hotel with my spouse as a mini-vacation. The hotel is in the heart of Waikiki, easy to find, and has a carport for parking. Note that the parking for a personal vehicle is valet only like most hotels in Waikiki. Once we parked, our luggage was taken from the vehicle, and we were given a drink and a seat to wait to be called up to the check-in desk. Once we were checked-in, we were escorted to the elevator and made our way to our room. Once we entered, we found our kitchen that led to the nicely sized bedroom. The kitchen was pretty much a full kitchen with a refrigerator, cooktop, and microwave. The bedroom had a small couch and table that led out to the balcony. The balcony is pretty important in Oahu, and this did not disappoint. We had a view of the ocean and beach from our balcony, and we did not know it at the time, but we also had a perfect view of the Friday night fireworks. The bathroom is very large, but the layout is a bit strange. It is an open shower and tub concept and I am not sure if I liked it or not. At least it had decent water pressure and hot water. The hotel was under construction when we stayed, so the complimentary Diamond breakfast was served on the 6th-floor balcony, but you had to take the stairs from the 8th floor to get there. While not a big deal for us, it might be an issue for people who have difficulty navigating stairs. Once you are at the buffet, there are a lot of items on the buffet, as well as a menu for ordering. We enjoyed our time at the hotel and would definitely go back.

This was the best hotel Ive stayed at in Hawaii. The rooms were beautiful and clearly had a lot of care put into every detail. The service was phenomenal. The staff was friendly and constantly greeting you and knew most guests by name. They often offered complimentary services like a bottle of champagne to celebrate our honeymoon or ice cream while at the pool. More importantly, they helped problem solve when issues with transportation and delayed flights arose. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone considering staying here and would never stay anywhere else in Honolulu myself.

We really enjoyed our stay. This is the nicest room we’ve experienced in Hawaii, including the Four Seasons properties at Hualalai, Lanai and Maui. We were upgraded from a 1-bedroom suite to a 2-bedroom plus den, located in the southwest corner of the 17th floor with a beautiful view out over the beach and ocean. Breakfast in the restaurant was great - a combination of buffet and made to order items that are all included in the breakfast price. Service was very pleasant and warm. There was some delay with elevator work currently underway, but once the renovation is fully complete, this property will be hard to beat in Waikiki. We thought the location a block off the beach was totally fine - the quality of the room more than made up for not being directly on the sand. We wouldn’t hesitate to come back!

I last stayed at the Ka L’ai over Thanksgiving 2024 and was sure that my experience could not have been improved. I was wrong. The recent, and ongoing, renovations have taken what was a very fine hotel to another level. The rooms & completed public areas have been very stylishly refreshed. As before, the beds and linens were very comfortable and the standard of cleanliness was exceptional. My room was silent and restful. The ventilation system worked perfectly. What remained the same was the very professional and courteous staff. Each interaction I had with them was exemplary. This is how 5 Star properties should be run. My Diamond status was recognized before I arrived when I was given an upgrade from a partial ocean view deluxe king to an ocean view deluxe king. The other Diamond perks were extended to me as well without the need to ask. Highly recommended!