[flyme2]

I was very pleasantly surprised by this 3* property. Upon arrival at noon, I was told a room would be available within the hour, and I could put my luggage in storage. I returned exactly an hour later and was given the only non-smoking room they had ready, an oceanfront unit on a high floor. I was impressed that they accomodated my preferences to such a degree as to award me an upgraded room on a Priceline stay.

The room was a decent size and spotlessly clean. Furnishings and carpeting showed no evidence of wear and tear, a common problem in many Waikiki properties, regardless of calibre. Air conditioning was central and effective - no noisy room units to contend with. The bathroom was clad in marble, unusual for Hawaii, and very clean with little or no evidence of mold and mildew. There was a wet bar and a mini fridge that made enjoying a cold beverage or two that much easier. The only thing missing was a microwave. In room high speed internet service was available for a fee.

The balcony was small, with a couple of chairs and a table, but afforded a great view to the ocean and side views to Diamond Head and Waikiki via Kuhio. Reconstruction of the sidewalk has progressed away from the hotel, so noise wasn't really an issue.

The 10th floor pool and deck area was quite large with plenty of lounge chairs and towels. Trees and shrubbery provided shade and a pleasant break from the surrounding highrises. In spite of its 620 rooms being fully occupied, few seemed to take advantage of this little oasis. Breakfast in the morning as well as 5 various "Happy Hours" beginning at 7 AM and continuing until 10 at night were also available poolside. Prices were quite reasonable.

The property has been undergoing some renovation work, but the only evidence of this was in the lobby. I wouldn't be surprised that once work is complete, the rating for this hotel will rise. All in all, a very satisfying stay.

[gmarie]

We absolutely loved this place. Stayed here on a Friday night during spring break 2005. Called a week before to request non-smoking and king bed if available but told was sold out and would have to check on arrival. We arrived for check in 1 hour early and requested n/s, highest floor available. Though we were told there were no upgrades due to 100% occupancy, the friendly desk clerk moved us to the 9th floor, the highest available for our "standard, city view" category. She told us we could probably still see the ocean from there, and indeed we did! Our room faced straight ahead to the beautiful pacific. See the Oahu, HI section of Real Hotel Photos for our pics, but they did not do the view justice. The room had all the typical amenities, even with 2 dbl beds the room felt spacious enough, and was nicely decorated and furnished with tropical/bamboo theme. The lanai, though a lil small was just fine to seat 2 people with a small table.

As the previous poster said, the poolside bar with TV monitors was great, various deals throughout the day, including a small pitcher of Mai Tais for $8 bucks (served about 4 drinks). From the deck, through the glass walls you could see to the ocean. The pool hours had just been extended to midnight, a nice plus since we decided to go for a last minute dip in the jacuzzi at 11:30 pm.

All of the staff from the valet, to the desk clerks to the bartenders were very friendly and helpful. This place was a great bargain and we will definitely stay here again...kudos to priceline!!

[LoneStar]

I think this hotel represents very good value for money at $58/night on priceline, but go with expectations that it's a solid 3 star, and not a 4-star. Room size was OK, but by far the smallest I had in Hawaii (2 double beds fit, and little else). I didn't much care for the 10th floor swimming deck -- the pool was small and, at least on the day I was there, crowded. There was also a stiff wind at that altitude. Frankly, with beautiful Waikiki only a 5 minute walk away, I'm not sure why you'd want to spend much time at the pool. That location is, indeed, the hotel's best attribute. Overall, I would say that both the rooms and the lobby/garden area are in very good shape (the recently rennovated lobby looks sharp), but space is obviously at a premium in Waikiki, and the hotel has a somewhat "cramped" feel to it.

BTW, while the Raddison's location is good, I still preferred the location of my last Waikiki priceline stay at the Sheraton Kaiulani (right in the heart of the Waikiki strip, as opposed to the Radisson's somewhat more isolated location a few long blocks from the zoo). Of course, that's pretty nitpicky, because it's not like you're going to get an exact location choice with priceline.

My check-in experience was a little different from the others. I had called a couple nights before to get a two-bedded room for my family. The hotel reservationist I spoke to seemed extraordinarily friendly and efficient. Nonethless, when I arrived, the hotel had no record of my request (FWIW, this happens most of the time to me with priceline reservations). The hotel was able to get me a 2-bedded room, but the checkin process was slow and bureaucratic (filling out forms, my wife and I both having to show ID, etc).

The hotel has a parking garage costing $10/night (pretty standard Waikiki prices). You might be able to get street parking a couple blocks away, but I didn't try it. The nice thing about the Raddison's lot is that, for some rooms, your car can be less than 50 feet away. The downside is the lot and its spaces are incredibly small. I was always relieved to get in and out without a dent (yes, it's that bad!).

As one poster noted above, the restaurant has food and beverage options that seem remarkably cheap for a Hawaiian hotel -- things like $4.99 breakfasts and $12.95 complete dinners. I didn't get a chance to try the hotel's food, but if you've seen the exhorbitant price of food at some other Hawaiian properties, this is a great bonus.

[ongkenyong]

I have just returned from a 6 night stay at the Radisson Waikiki Prince Kuhio won through Priceline at $68 a night. I had no hiccups during check-in and was given a room with a king-sized bed. The quality of the room and furnishings exceeded my expectations for the price paid. My fiancee and I had no problems with noise, smell, cleanliness or service.

We parked the car at the hotel garage for $10 a night and always found a spot. You save a lot of hassle doing so (in-out privileges) and it will make the holiday much more enjoyable. However, spaces were small and could potentially cause problems if you had a large car, SUV or van. The location is great and there's plenty of restaurants around. I found this quaint Korean BBQ corner store called "Me BBQ" particularly good value situated 3 blocks away west on Kuhio Avenue.
The beach is only 2 short blocks away and Waikiki attractions are within walking distance. There is a useful ABC convenience store across the next by the bus stop which I used to buy drinking water and misc stuff. Other attractions on the island are easily accessible by bus. The concierge has a local map with directions to all of the island's major attractions from the hotel by bus. However, I would recommend getting a car for part of your stay as it is much more convenient to get around and saving half the travel time making the same journey by bus. Using travelzoo.com, I rented a car from nearby Budget at $18 a day.

Total for 6 nights with taxes and fees came to $470. Having travelled extensively over the past 3 years, I think this hotel represents excellent value, perfect for a hassle free holiday. Would definitely stay here again in the future.

[thereuare]

This hotel is acceptable but doesn’t really provide anything more than a basic 3 star accommodation with a very good location. Just a short one block walk to Waikiki Beach and the heart of Waikiki shopping.

Check-in took an exceedingly long time, not because of a line, but checking us in required a lot of work/keystrokes by the clerk, I would guesstimate roughly more than 10 minutes at the desk to check us in to two rooms. Rooms are small and have an even smaller bathroom… you couldn’t sit on the toilet and close the door without having your knees get in the way (not that you would want to do this, but it describes the cramped quarters well). There is a small balcony which holds two chairs, but as Priceline/Hotwire guests are assigned to the lowest floors, I’m not sure any of us would have much to look at.

I can accept the low floor assignment (upgrades were offered at $20/nite for higher floor and $40/nite for oceanview), but what is unacceptable is that the hotel has no rooms with king beds at the opaque purchase category. All rooms at the Priceline/Hotwire category have two double beds (which is better than only offering rooms with one bed), but extremely poor planning from a customer service perspective. As the hotel was not full they could have won me as a future guest by fulfilling my request for a king bed, but instead chose to let such a room go vacant for the nite. All of this occurred as 3 of the 7 elevators were being worked on for renovations, so I felt the hotel could/should have easily met my request since as a guest I was already being inconvenienced in this regard. As the stay was only for one nite I didn’t pursue it further.

The pool bar has specials throughout the day/nite, which we tried ($8 pitchers of margaritas from 8pm-11pm)… pitchers were small (2 drinks per pitcher) and the drinks were weak, but we had a good time nonetheless.

Parking was $10/nite (self-park) and use of the in-room safe is $3/day (another petty move by the hotel).

Overall this is an acceptable 3 star property, but at the bottom rung of that level; the fact that a priceline/hotwire customer can never get a King bedded room set the tone for a bad stay. Upon check-out I was hoping I’d be asked “How was your stay” to which I would have replied, “Disappointing”, but was never asked.

[LoneStar]

thereuare, on Nov 9 2005, 11:39 PM, said:

Overall this is an acceptable 3 star property, but at the bottom rung of that level; the fact that a priceline/hotwire customer can never get a King bedded room set the tone for a bad stay. Upon check-out I was hoping I’d be asked “How was your stay” to which I would have replied, “Disappointing”, but was never asked.

Wow -- you're tough!

I see you experienced some of the same pluses and minues that I did earlier this year. I wanted to be accurate about the property because it gets generally very good reviews -- reviews that frequent travellers might find a bit exaggerated. I still think that, by Waikiki standards, it's a good 3 star property. While relatively small, the rooms are decently maintained, and the newly renovated lobby and public areas are downright stylish. You don't usually get a lot of style in Waikiki at 3 stars! I also liked how the hotel offered affordable dining/drink options -- a pet peeve of mine, as most half-way decent hotels seem intent on fleecing their guests at every opportunity. In my case, this property cost half what it would have cost to stay in a Waikiki four-star. While "splurge" travellers might prefer the 4-stars, value travellers who can save half by staying here should be pleased. When the price differential drops, however, you've got to seriously consider the 4-star option -- especially since you could get stuck with a lesser 3 star (like the Park Shore).

[Keoni]

Prince Kuhio became a HILTON property January 2007. The entire property is very near completion
of a total renavation so everything I saw was Brand Spanking New! My stay was 8 Jul - 4 Aug 2007
and during that time all employees were very friendly and all 5 elevators were operational, and fast!
Update: Parking is now Valet Only and $20.00 per day. There is a restaurant on the premises that
is open 24x7 but I thought a bit pricey. They have a Business Center with 5 computers, fax, copying
machine, all complimentary. WI FI in Lobby, Pool Area, Executive Lounge, and Pool Area. Temporary
Executive Lounge and Fitness Center are on the 2nd floor awaiting final renovation of the 37th floor
to house these facilties. At 5pm they offer one hot item such as meetballs, chicken wings, jalapeno
poppers, etc... and multiple cheese/fruit plates in the lobby near the Lobby bar. Still no microwave but
my room had a coffee pot for two, mini fridge, and a safe. I wasn't charged for the safe but that may
be because I was on the exec floor. Large 42 LCD TV with digital channels but I wasn't there to watch
TV. For those with Kids there were a couple of cartoon channels that would entertain. For those looking for
night life this hotel goes dead about 10pm but a couple of blocks away and you can "dance the night away..."
I believe all previous negative comments should be lightly considered based upon the renovations
that have been completed. Having stayed a couple of times at the Hawaii Prince, I would easily compare
the new and improved Prince Kuhio to be of that caliber. Folks that want a "gentle" ocean experience
can walk directly towards the ocean about 2 blocks from the hotel to Kuhio Beach where sea walls
provide a nice ocean experience for non-swimmers and small children. Great "learn to surf" as well and
the Kuhio Beach will have lots of locals morning and evening trying to catch a wave or two...
Best deal going is to purchase an Entertainment Book from this website before you go for great discounts
on attractions and meals!

Aloha, Keoni