Hotel Renew - Review

A Aug 16, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Excellent hotel staff - very responsive, very friendly. Hotel is very intimate so if you're looking to be amongst the ... anonymous masses, this is not the place. Breakfast was very good (fruits, breads, granola, yoghurt, juice, coffee, tea). Was not keen on the fact that one cannot take steps versus the elevator unless in an emergency. I mentioned (above) that the hotel is noisy but I should add that all of Waikiki is noisy; perhaps Hotel Renew is at a bit of a disadvantage since it has less floors and one cannot escape street noise by having a room on the 30th floor, for instance. Hotel generously and easily signed out beach towels and equipment. Rooms were nice - good lighting, modern, attractive, wifi (included) / TV / telephone. The double bed is a bit unfortunate; seems like a queen would be appropriate as a smallest option but... some of the rooms are small. The king room I stayed in had a clothesline in the shower - nice / practical touch. It did not exist in the double room I had although the addition of a lanai made up for it. I was disappointed that the room only had a "cooler" versus a fridge... very impractical for those who don't eat out at every turn. I do commend the hotel on caring about recycling / energy usage, however. That is a very refreshing attitude, and a long overdue one on the islands.

Pleasant Stay

Shaka Bra Aug 6, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

My wife and I went for our 1st anniversary and were greeted with a nice welcome drink, a free upgrade to a King Room (wasn't ... available through Orbitz) and a bottle of champagne with a personal note in the room...a nice beginning. Pros We stayed for 8 days, the staff was very kind and helpful. The hotel is beautiful but much smaller than I expected. A short walk to the beach and one block from cheaper parking :) (7 days for $60). Free surfboard storage. Comfy beds, nice bathroom, nice tv. All in all pleasant and without major problems. Cons Bathroom is nice, but there is no fan. :( We clogged the toilet 3 times and we didn't put that much down. Although the front desk was quick to send help, but still not fun. The breakfast was nice the first two days but got old fast, nothing really hot or salty. Don't expect it to satisfy. In the end, I have no real complaints and would stay there again. The car + room + $200 promo code from orbitz was hard to beat. Definitely nicer than other run down hotels that we have seen, for a better price.

as billed

traveler Jul 26, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Overall very nice and as described. No pool but the beach is just across the street. The hotel is in the middle of all the ... action of Wilkiki.

Summer vacation

Rich Jun 26, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The customer service at this hotel was excellent. At the check-in counter, we were provided with wet hand towels and a glass ... of orange juice. The valet guy recommended a cheaper alternative to the valet parking at the hotel. The staff always greeted us when we walked through the lobby and held the front door for us upon entering/exiting. The rooms are great and modern looking even though it was an older hotel that was recently renovated. The hotel offers free beach towels and beach chairs for hotel guest use. There is a free continental breakfast, which is better than your typical continental breakfast and includes muffins, crossants, fresh fruit, cereal with regular or soy milk, and coffee/tea. The only downsides, which were relatively minor in nature, were 1) the website is a lot nicer looking than the hotel actually is inside. While the rooms do look like they do in the pictures, it's still not exactly at the level that the website depicts it to be, 2) the hotel is slightly further down the main street, Kalakaua Ave., than we would have preferred (further from the shopping and nicer part of Waikiki beach), however, this could be a good thing if you prefer being away from the crowds, and 3) the rooms only had these super thick comforters...unusual for a warm weather destination so you had to turn up the AC on high in order to compensate for the heavy blankets. We asked at the front desk and that was all they had.

Great place to stay!!!

jthoo Jun 15, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Answered any questions that I had. Room was very comfortable and spacious. Great ... location. Beach is right across the street and many dining options within walking distance. Free breakfast every morning. I would definitely stay here again.

Great hotel, but poor maid service!

Bob Jun 12, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

It's a beautiful hotel, newly renovated. Very clean and nice rooms. The hotel staff was very freindly and helpful. Don't ... expect to find a gym, pool, or vending machines like a normal hotel though. The only downsides to the stay was the bad maid service and the noisy rooms (due to being close to Waikiki). Half the time, the maid forgot to give us pillow covers, shampoo, conditioner, wash clothes, etc. She also touched and moved our stuff around, which is unacceptable. Other than that, the stay was great!

GREAT Place

JDK Jun 2, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

The staff at the hotel was great! They made me feel right at home and relaxed, assisted me with finding a local Kinkos for ... work, reviewed security tapes when I lost my credit card, they were great. They allowed me to look at other rooms to upgrade to and check in early so I could do some work. I loved the rooms, modern, clean, comfortable bed and quiet. The decor throughout the hotel and rooms was also great. The location was one block from the beach making it convenient to everything. There is no restaurant or room service, but plenty of places just outside the hotel. I would definately stay there again.

Lovely little hotel

Single Vacationeer May 17, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

All the staff was friendly, the room I was in was very restfully designed and pretty, and the morning continental breakfast ... had tasty pastries, fresh fruit, good juice, and some of the best granola I've ever had. On the other hand, the lighting in the room was extremely dim -- even at it's brightest, I felt like the room never reached well lit. The room was also very small (my fault -- I requested a double to save money). So small that there were no drawers for clothes -- instead there were some awkwardly shaped low shelves in the side of the poorly lit closet. The hotel is a very short walk from the beach, on the quieter and IMO nicer side of Waikiki, although of course, there's no part of Waikiki that's really quiet. It's close to a bunch of useful bus stops for getting around town, and only a 2 mile walk from the Diamond Head State Park. I didn't use them, but I'm told that the hotel had beach towels, beach mats and beach chairs to lend out. It did not have snorkeling gear to lend out, however, and there was no pool or fitness center in the hotel -- the only amenities were the pretty rooms, the friendly staff and the great breakfasts. They did have free wifi in the rooms, which I used, but it was very slow/spotty. This may be better in other parts of the hotel (I was in 801), but of course, I don't know. It's a no smoking hotel, and the fire alarm did go off several times one of the nights I was there -- reportedly someone was smoking in their room and spoiled the night for the rest of us, but I can't blame the hotel for that. Would I stay there again? Possibly. I'd want at least a king sized room and better lighting.

the VERY BEST!

Mr. and Mrs. Fozzie Apr 22, 2009

Would recommend to a friend!

We were totally amazed at how pleasant our stay was. ...

Disappointing

Peter Aug 21, 2008

The location is fair and the building itself is very modest, boxed in by larger buildings in all directions. The rooms are ... nicely remodeled, but still average. The first room I had face the back of the building and a refrigerated truck parked below my window (iwas on the 4th floor) was so loud I could not sleep with all of the windows closed. Even after moving to another room on the same floor it was still audible. It stayed there with all night for at least two days, maybe more. The staff is nice and the price is reasonable.