Waikiki Grand Hotel

We were staying in an owner’s unit through Airbnb and paid to park in the hotel garage. After we’d left the car, hotel staff noticed the lights were still on and alerted us. Their heads-up saved us from a costly jump or repair, which would’ve been difficult in that secure garage. The staff were attentive, friendly, and caring, and I really appreciated their help.

The bar downstairs turned into a midnight gathering spot when people came out, even though the hotel’s quiet hours start at 10 pm. We kept reporting the noise to the front desk, but they said they’d tell security. When I called about it, they transferred me to Mark, who said there was nothing he could do because it was up to the bar. The water was another ongoing problem: for three of our eight days, we only had warm water for showers. The desk kept saying they’d tell someone. The last person was nice, but that didn’t fix it. We’d initially liked the location and people, and the dated rooms were fine since we only planned to sleep and shower there. But the poor response from the desk and from Mark Howard made this the worst place we’ve stayed. If you only need somewhere to leave your belongings and sleep for half the night, maybe it works. I wouldn’t recommend it if you want a decent shower before dinner or a good night’s rest.

The location was the one real plus: half a block from the beach, with an ABC convenience store on the corner and the W-Line bus stop opposite. But this felt like a badly run Airbnb despite “Hotel” being in the name. I booked six nights through Chase Travels in May of 2026, on my first trip to Hawaii after an almost 12-hour flight from New York. At check-in, reception asked whether I’d received the room passcode by text or email. I hadn’t. He said he’d contact the owner, then explained that units have different owners and are run like Airbnbs. After about 20 minutes with no reply, I asked if this was normal. He said he often had trouble communicating with this owner, then gave me old codes to try. Luckily one worked. The bathroom toilet was overflowing, with water across the floor. Reception shrugged and said he’d text the owner again, so I asked for the owner’s number. My call went to automated voicemail, but when I started leaving my name and number, the owner picked up. He said he’d send a worker. The worker texted that he’d arrive in an hour, but took almost two. Fixing the toilet took around 20 minutes, then he used most of the room’s towels to clean the floor. I’d spent three hours waiting for the toilet and bathroom to be dealt with. He gave me the manager’s number and said she’d arrange towels and have the bathroom floor bleached the next day. The manager told me she hadn’t received an email from Chase, so she couldn’t contact me with the passcode. She also knew about the toilet because the cleaner had reported it overflowing and said a plumber would fix it before I arrived. That clearly hadn’t happened. I asked for extra towels for my six-day stay and a wastebasket, since there wasn’t one. She said the cleaner would bring them that day, but nothing came. When I asked again the next day, she said she was sending towels through Uber. At 11pm, just two towels were left outside my room. The wastebasket took three days to arrive, so I piled my trash on the desk. The worker never came back to bleach the floor or bring more towels, and didn’t answer my texts the following day. Don’t expect a hotel stay with a made bed or fresh towels every day. The light’s remote didn’t work, and it wasn’t connected to a wall switch, so I had to unplug it to turn it off and plug it back in to use it. The fridge smelled bad from food left by previous guests. The Wi-Fi password card was blank, so I had to look behind the router to find the network and password.

After a day of hiking and touring, I was glad to come back to a really comfortable mattress. I didn’t spend much time at the hotel since it was my first trip to the islands and I wanted to explore. The location is prime, just steps from Waikiki beach, and an ocean-facing room can have great views of Diamond Head Peak. My shower drained incredibly slowly. I suspect sand from being so close to the beach may have built up in the pipes, and it was pretty gross to return after a night out and find water still sitting in the tub. For LGBTQ guests, Hula’s is on the second floor and, in my opinion, the best gay bar in Waikiki. I’d stay again.