Ka La'i Waikiki Beach, LXR Hotels & Resorts

I was really looking forward to staying at the Ka La'i Waikiki Beach because of the great reviews. The check- in was smooth but as a Hilton Diamond member I was only offered a minimal upgrade. The hotel was not very full and the manager finally agreed to an upgrade to a partial ocean view room which was a building view with a side ocean view which was fine. The room was comfortable but the ice maker kept making ice all night and woke us up. The breakfast buffet was good which included ordering menu items such as a choice of eggs, avocado toast, etc. I thought the food quality was good but not sure it was worth the $50 plus mandatory service charge and taxes. I was really looking forward to using the pool but it was closed due to a recent storm. The main restaurant was also closed due to remodeling and we could also hear construction noises from our room throughout the day. I would not return to the hotel during construction and probably won’t return again because my stay did not match my expectations.

We loved our stay here. We booked with Amex FHR program. Check in was easy, we were offered a corner 2 bedroom unit for a small up charge and decided to take it since we had our teenager with us. Best decision ever. We were very comfortable. Great location, wonderful staff all around. We were offered a 6pm check out since our flight was at 9. Everything was perfect. I highly recommend this hotel. Would definitely stay here again.

Where do I even begin? A perfect stay from check in to departure. Saori Suzuki warmly welcomed us at check in and informed us that as AMEX FHR members, we were being upgraded! Our room was not ready (we were early) and she said she would call me in one hour. She gave us some places to walk to for lunch and one hour later, we got the call to return to our room...or should I say palace? The most stunning room with a view of Honolulu Harbor and the beach. Two bathrooms both appointed with a gorgeous walk in shower and plenty of fluffy, white towels and handtowels, an office area with sleeper couch and desk, a full kitchen stocked with water, a welcome fruit plate and a bottle of champagne, a gorgeous dining table for 6, a living room with 70 (ish) inch TV, sleeper couch and two chairs, two lanais - one in the living room and one in the bedroom, table for four in one and chaise and chair in the other, full closet area with shelves, hangers, in-room safe and a stacked washer and dryer with soap and dryer sheets. We asked only for a tea kettle and one was sent immediately and it was incredible (we want to buy one now)! The king sized bed was so comfortable and made with crisp white sheets. There is a Toto toilet in the bedroom bathroom and a large soaking tub. Honestly, a stunning room that was cleaned daily - please leave a tip for these amazing people! Speaking of people, Michael and Tiari at the concierge were so kind and helpful. They arranged for some fun activities for us and were just generally lovely every single day. The hotel is finalizing the last of their renovations and truly, there was literally only one minor inconvenience for us (which was absolutely not a big deal) - we had to take the elevator to floor 8 and walk down to 6 for the breakfast which was included in our stay. Another small issue was food temperature at the breakfast buffet. They are serving it in a lovely location that is open air adjacent to the pool. After our second breakfast, I received a text from the hotel asking if there was anything they could do to improve and I noted that the hot items on the buffet were not at a food safe temp. This was rectified the next day. We thoroughly enjoyed the several afternoons we spent at the pool. There were always places for us to find two chaise lounges together and the staff was so attentive. They are so nice to circulate around often with small smoothies and ice cream cups! Yes, there are kids in the pool, yes kids splash. That's what pools are for! We enjoyed our time there - especially the view! Overall, every single person were had contact with at this hotel was professional, friendly and eager to help. The proof is that I can't WAIT to book Ka Lai again!

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.