Wild Ginger Hotel

We booked two nights, but when we arrived, the hotel was in very poor condition and the room we’d reserved was occupied. The girl who greeted us seemed high and said the hotel had to cancel our room. She offered older rooms at the same price. When I asked to see one first, she refused and said I had to pay to see it. She also said there was no hot water and we’d be better off staying somewhere else. I asked her to cancel the booking herself through Booking because the problem was clearly the hotel’s fault. She said she didn’t know how and that a colleague would handle it the next day. They never cancelled, and Booking charged me 50 for the first night. I filed a complaint and was told it would be resolved, but it never was. They require a one-night penalty if you cancel on the day you check in. Great way to scam 50, with the hotel full, under construction, and in a dirty, unsafe area full of drug addicts. We’ve traveled all over the world and never had an experience like this. *SCAM ALERT!! Read carefully to understand how they operate.*

This is a charming little place with extremely friendly, responsive staff. We loved how it captured Hilo’s magical, rustic feel, as long as you don’t expect a five-star hotel. It’s very old and clearly has seen better days, but it was meticulously clean, with no bugs anywhere inside or out. Our superior king room was one shown on the site and cost $112 a night including taxes. The furnishings matched the photo, but the room itself felt much older than the picture looked, which was fine. My main issue was the lack of air conditioning in a three-story building. Someone smoking outside woke me in the middle of the night, and smoke drifted into our room with no way to stop it. The ceiling fan’s light and fan couldn’t be used separately, either. Luckily, we’d brought our own box fan to put in the window and pull in the cool night air. They provided a tower fan, but it wasn’t useful for that. I’d suggest a box fan in every room. They’re 24 bucks at Walmart, and it takes 20 minutes, I’m not kidding. The water took a long time to get lukewarm, never hot, but that was fine, and they warned us at check-in. We’ve stayed in rougher places.

I had a pleasant stay here a while back. The room’s floor wasn’t level, so my water bottle could roll downhill, but otherwise the bed was comfy and the shower water was hot. It was a nice place to rest and fall asleep to the rain and coqui frogs, and the staff were always friendly. It’s a shame the place burnt down. I hope they rebuild.

I paid $288 for two nights, but left within 10 minutes and didn’t stay even one night. The room was cramped, barely had space for the bed, and felt suffocating. The window was filthy with years of grime, the lock was rusty and looked ready to fall off, and the towels were stained, crusty, and smelled awful. I’ve lived in Oahu for three years and know tropical weather and bugs, but there was a mosquito full of someone else’s blood in the room. That felt unsanitary and potentially dangerous. When I told the front desk, they brushed it off. The room wasn’t properly sealed, and the walls were so thin I could hear every word next door and every car on the road. Trying to sleep there would’ve been like sleeping in a cardboard box on the sidewalk. I immediately left and booked another hotel down the road for $10 more. It was clean and professional, and worth the money. This place refused to refund any of my $288, even though I never spent the night. Ten minutes there felt traumatizing. After I left, they called and offered a “suite” as compensation. After seeing that room, there’s no way I’d spend another minute there. This is the worst hotel I’ve stayed in, and the worst building I’ve ever stepped inside. Calling it a “hotel” is an insult to decent lodging. If I could give it zero stars, I would. It should be investigated, shut down, and scrubbed off the face of the internet. Avoid at all costs.