My husband and I vacationed here as part of a business trip he attended. We had been to Oahu (Waikiki beach) while on our honeymoon 20 years ago and did all tourist things then like Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor (worth it) and then we went back again to Maui shortly after that. The reason my review has that title is that if people think of Hawaii in their minds and think of paradise, Waikiki falls short of that image. It's a busy city, much like Miami. Having said that, The Hyatt Regency is smack in the middle of that city. It is a high rise hotel and the beach is across the street from the hotel. There isn't very much sandy beach to lie on so you have to get there early to get a spot. While we were there they were dredging and replenishing the sand. A lot of construction is going on at this time. The hotel lobby is beautiful with waterfalls and fountains but a bit oddly laid out. You have to take an escalator to the 2nd floor to the check in area. The elevators only go down to the 2nd floor and you have to get off and take the escalator or walk down to get street level. Speaking of the elevators, I'm not sure if it was just a problem while we were there, but they were SLOW! We had to add 15 minutes to our plans to allow for the time it took for the elevators to arrive. There are 4 of them in the Diamond Tower and everyone packed in when one arrived because you didn't know when another would come. Forget about coming down...that was an even longer wait! We had a room on the 16th floor with an ocean view. The view was beautiful but a bit noisy if you kept the door open as you heard all the traffic below. The room was pretty much standard, nothing to brag about. The toliet and shower area were very tight. The air conditioning never got cool and we thought it was just our room, but the other people traveling with us had the same experience with their rooms. The pool is very small but the chairs around the pool are nice and the service by the pool is great. The pool restaurant has very good food with an unusual array of foods on the menu. You can get a beach chair and towels at the pool area to bring down to the beach. We attended the luau at the Shor restaurant and that was excellent. The hotel is filled with boutiques and shops including Uggs, Coach, Sunglass Hut and some high end jewlery stores. There is an ABC store on the premises for any incidentials you may need. Friends of ours rented a car for the week we were there and used a lot down the block to park as it was much cheaper than the $35 per day to park at the hotel. You can get around by trolley easily for $2 each way. It's not the fastest way to get around, but I got an entertaining driver and it is a nice way to see the city. You must eat breakfast at Eggs n Things just down the block. The food is fresh and delicious! There is a KimoBean in the lobby for coffee and muffins and another place for fruits and smoothies. There are a ton of restaurants in the area and shopping galore. I recommend going to the International Marketplace for souvenirs. If possible, take a drive to Hanuma Bay for snorkeling. The view alone is worth the trip! When you envision Hawaii, THAT is what comes to mind...

Upgraded to mountain view room top floor - happy.
Pool was nice and we always got a seat in the sun - happy.
Rooms were cleaned thoroughly - happy.

Location is perfect. Right across from the beach.

There are birds on site which made the hotel a bit different - loved it.

Would return if got a good deal.

My partner and I spent 6 nights at this hotel visiting from Australia in October 2011. From the moment we walked into the foyer the service was exceptional. We booked a deluxe ocean front room and this was allocated as expected and on the 27th floor of the hotel. The room was extremely spacious, clean and well-appointed and the view over Waikiki Beach was spectacular.

The hotel itself is in a prime location. It is right across the road from Waikiki Beach and each day we walked up and down the main strip taking in everything Waikiki had to offer. During our stay we used the Na Ho’ola Spa and were treated to a very relaxing massage (especially needed after our 9.5 flight from Australia) and also ate at Shor restaurant which was also a great experience. There are many good other eateries and shops within easy walking distance from the hotel, and Honolulu Zoo is also a very easy stroll away (this is a must see as well).

Once thing that stood out in particular at this hotel was the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff. Each day we were happily greeted by staff as we passed them in the hallways, and the service offered at the pool deck, reception, activities desk, housekeeping and even the laundry was simply amazing and staff always went above and beyond what we would normally expect from them.

We will certainly stay at this hotel again. We had absolutely no complaints during our stay in relation to the hotel or its location.

We had stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki before, so we thought we knew what we'd be getting when we made reservations for a Regency Club level room. The first time we were in Waikiki, they had lost our reservation, and for the troubles we went through, they gave us access to "The Regency Club." Basically we were given free breakfast and evening cocktails during our stay. Well, between our stay in 2009 and 2012 they re-worked the Regency Club, it's location, and what it offers.

Some pros and cons to the changes:

- Instead of overlooking Waikiki Beach from one of the top floors, you can sort of overlook it from the 3rd floor. . . . but no more watching surfers, etc . . . now you can barely see through the palm trees to the water. Don't get me wrong . . . it is still a nice view . . . just not what we were looking forward to.

- The old Regency Club had small balconies . . . The new Regency Club has very large patios with large fire pots for snuggling next to at night.


-The Regency Club is now accessable from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. so you can stop in and get conceirge service, or a cup or coffee or juice pretty much all day. (It use to be open only for a few hours each morning and evening)

-Beverages other than Juice and Coffee cost extra, and they weren't cheap.

-Breakfast and evening appetizers/desserts were as good as we remembered.

So, is paying for The Regency Club worth the extra $110 a day?

Breakfast
All the coffee (lattes and cappuccino included) you can drink all day long.
Snacks
Appetizers
Desserts
Exclusive Patio

We probably broke even or came out a little ahead compared to the money we would have spent on those things otherwise. Added bonus, is that it was pretty quiet in there too . . .

All-in-All, I think we'd do it again.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki.