Holiday Inn Express Waikiki by IHG

I spent most of my vacation waiting for the elevator

No hot water in the morning 2 days in a row. Tiny rooms, barely enough space for 2 people to cohabit. Parking can be an issue they say and I can see why. Left the car in the parking and used uber for fear of not getting a space if returning late. Very overcrowded hotel, felt like a cheap cruise. Not super expensive because of the great location but overall not a good value. I would not use again.

Came back a year later and we had a different experience. Our room was nice and clean, the breakfast continues to be more than enough, and the customer service is fantastic. This go around, we stayed 5 days with my only complaint being that one of the elevators was down, making it very crowded and slow to move around. This hotel came in clutch when our flights got canceled with the tsunami warning. The price was right (low) for a last-minute booking, but it is older and somewhat dirty with a broken closet door.

The room was extremely small, with hardly any space to move around. Overall, I was very disappointed and felt misled by the booking. I specifically reserved an ocean-view room, but you can barely see the ocean from the room. To make matters worse, the room door was difficult to open when we arrived. We were locked out after coming back from dinner and I had to take the elevator—which had no air conditioning—down to the front desk, only to be told that the door handle needs to be lifted in order to open the door. The staff explained that this is a known issue and that "90% of the time" the trick works. If that's the case, guests should be informed about it during check-in rather than having to figure it out after being locked out of their room. The internet was also extremely slow. I was unable to reliably watch YouTube or even use my social media apps, which was very frustrating during my stay. The location is fair, but not ideal. While it is one of the few positive aspects of the property, it is not enough to make up for the other issues. Another major problem is the elevator situation. There do not appear to be enough elevators to accommodate both guests and staff. During busy times, staff frequently use the elevators while transporting large trash bins, which further increases wait times and makes an already crowded situation worse. Overall, the room did not match expectations, the advertised ocean view was disappointing, the internet was unreliable, and the hotel seemed poorly maintained and managed. I would not stay here again.

Everything is great, except th elevators. And waiting 15 minutes every time to go up or down really impacts the experience.

I usually try to leave positive reviews whenever possible, but I feel compelled to share my honest experience this time. As a Hawaii resident, I recently stayed at this hotel for one night using my IHG anniversary night certificate. While the check-in process itself was smooth, I was informed that a $100 deposit and a $39.17 resort fee would be charged. While the deposit is refundable, I was highly disappointed to learn that the resort fee was mandatory. When using points or free night certificates in places like Japan or South Korea, I have never been charged a resort fee. In fact, I visited both countries just three months ago and paid no such fees. I didn’t even use the pool, nor do I even know if this hotel has one. To me, charging a "resort fee" at a property located far from the beach makes little sense. If a hotel insists on charging a resort fee, it should at least provide the basic amenities to justify it. My room did not have a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, slippers, or a bathrobe—absolutely nothing. Paying an extra fee for a "resort" experience when even the bare essentials are missing is, frankly, unacceptable and frustrating from a guest's perspective. If this hotel wants to charge a resort fee, they need to properly equip their rooms and services to match that standard. I am highly disappointed with this stay.

Close to the ocean. Clean , updated rooms. My room had a beautiful view of Waikiki beach. The breakfast included had a great variety and GF options as well. Staff were so friendly and helpful.

Room smelled like musty damp basement. Room very small. (I was upgraded and still the size of a shoe box of a room) Parking is horrible. Staff is very nice.

Our family of four enjoyed our stay! Highly recommend this hotel to all, very family friendly! Complimentary breakfast included. Great customer service. My kids had a blast at the pool and on the mini golf putt. Thank you Gladys at front desk for making our check out so quick and easy, we can’t wait to come back!

Very welcoming, hotel amenities exceeded expectations, and Gladys magic is real! (She gave an excellent 1st impression and set a positive tone for our entire stay…mahalo!

It was the best stay ever, and Gladys made me feel at home from the moment we arrived. Gladys at the front desk made us feel welcome and at home!

Spa/jacuzzi not hot. Learned that it has been cold for weeks. We are local celebrating a birthday and time off. They offered $30 off… we literally only booked this hotel for the night and a hot tub.