Let me start by saying that I’m not usually a huge Hawaii fan. Nothing against the islands as such, but I’m not really a beach person, and I hate the timezone, as someone that centers their schedule around the mainland east coast timezone.
While I’ve flown to Hawaii quite often, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually spent time there. The good business class fare I booked on American was valid to Honolulu, so I figured I’d keep things simple and just spend my three nights there, rather than adding even more flights to an already crazy travel schedule.
Of course when I told people I would be visiting Hawaii and going to Waikiki, the reaction was somewhere along the lines of “why on earth?!”
It has been about six years since I’ve last spent time in Waikiki, so I was curious to see things have changed.
I decided to book the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, which I hadn’t researched much about. I had fairly low expectations a) given what the hotel looks like on the outside and b) given that it’s in Waikiki, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised. My rate was about $180 per night, which I thought was quite reasonable for Hawaii this time of year.
For what it’s worth, this is a Category 5 Gold Passport property, meaning a free night would cost 20,000 points. I value Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents each, so paying cash was a much better value.
The hotel is about a 25 minute drive from the airport. It was quite possibly the most amusing 25 minute Uber ride I’ve ever had, as our driver was absolutely insistent on engaging in small talk the entire way.
The Hyatt Regency has two towers — the Ewa Tower and Diamond Head Tower.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki exterior
Hyatt Regency Waikiki exterior
Hyatt Regency Waikiki entrance
Reception is located between the two towers, in the open air lobby. After having spent some time in Europe, it was so nice to be in warm temperatures.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki reception
The check-in experience was lovely, as the associate couldn’t have been friendlier and more sincerely “Hawaiian.” She explained that as a Diamond member the $30 resort fee would be waived. This fee usually covers the following:
Hyatt Regency Waikiki resort fee benefits
Not only do they waive the resort fee for Diamond members, but they also offer all kinds of other Diamond perks:
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Diamond benefits
Like, those are actually some pretty awesome offers. While they usually charge for alcohol in the Regency Club, it’s complimentary for Diamond members. And the 15% discount on many of the restaurants doesn’t suck either.
The associate explained I had been upgraded to a partial ocean view room in the Ewa Tower, which is in the opposite tower of the Regency Club.
While the open air lobby felt straight out of 1980, it was still charming and nice, in a sort of twisted way.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki open air lobby
Hyatt Regency Waikiki open air lobby
I took the elevator up to the 16th floor, where my room was located.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki elevators
Hyatt Regency Waikiki hallway
I was assigned room 1613, which was the door all the way to the right at the end of the hallway, which had four oddly closely placed doors.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki room entrance
Hyatt Regency Waikiki floorplan
Perhaps the most pleasant aspect of the hotel were the rooms. From the outside of the hotel you wouldn’t expect them to be especially nice, but they’re both huge and newly renovated. I thought the decor was gorgeous for a Waikiki hotel, with a king size bed, daybed (of sorts) by the window, and a desk and TV across from there.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King room
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King room
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King room
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King room
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King daybed
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King TV/desk
Amazingly enough the desk was better equipped than many business hotels I’ve stayed at. The Wi-Fi was fast, and there were six conveniently placed outlets on top of the desk. Awesome!
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King power outlets
Next to the desk was a mini-fridge, which had two bottles of Aquafina water in it.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King mini-fridge
The bathroom was back near the entrance. The sink area was in the main part of the room, while the shower and toilet were in a separate room.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King bathroom
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King bathroom
For the shower, the water pressure and temperature control were excellent, and the shower featured both a fixed showerhead as well as a handheld one.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King shower
There was even a Japanese toilet (one of life’s greatest pleasures, if you ask me).
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King toilet
Toiletries were Na Ho’ola branded, which is the name of the hotel’s spa. The scents were lovely — much better than the June Jacobs toiletries you’ll find at many Hyatt properties.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King toiletries
The room also had a balcony on it, which had a small table and two chairs.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King view
It boasted a nice view of the ocean and Waikiki Beach.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Partial Ocean View King view
Another aspect of the hotel which really impressed me was the Regency Club. The Regency Club is located in the Diamond Head Tower on the third floor, just past one of the hotel’s main restaurants.
The lounge is physically a beautiful space, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club
The outdoor terrace is especially nice, given the beautiful views of the ocean.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club terrace
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club terrace view
Breakfast is served daily from 6AM until 10AM, and consisted of possibly the best spread I’ve seen at a US club. I realize maybe it’s not fair to compare this to other domestic properties, since about 90% of the guests at this hotel are Japanese, and therefore standards are probably a bit higher.
The spread consisted of fresh fruit, pastries, croissants, cold cuts, oatmeal, cereal, hard boiled eggs, etc.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
The highlight of the spread, hands down, was the miso soup.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Then there was a rotating hot dish every day, which was consistently excellent.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club breakfast spread
Complimentary soft drinks and coffee were available throughout the day. As a matter of fact, the Regency Club is open 24 hours a day. Given that I got up at 3AM every morning, it’s awesome to be able to immediately grab a cup of coffee.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club drinks
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club drinks
The evening spread was available from 5PM until 7PM. While not quite as extensive as the breakfast spread, it was still quite good. It featured veggies with dip, cheese, cold cuts, etc.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Then there was a “make your own salad” station. The hotel had a great attention to detail. While I realize this might sound minor to some, I loved that they had a bowl where you could mix your salad before serving it on your plate. I didn’t use it because from a hygiene perspective that seemed gross, but I appreciated the effort at least. 😉
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Then there was also a rotating hot option, which was consistently tasty.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Alcohol was also available for purchase, though the fee was waived for Diamond members. That seems a bit backwards to me since Diamond members already get free lounge access, but I wasn’t about to complain. 😉
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening spread
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club evening cocktails
Then throughout the day there were three kinds of cookies available, which were far too tasty for anyone’s good.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Regency Club daytime cookies
One of the other things that’s interesting about this hotel is just how much retail they have on the premises. There are actually multiple convenience stores from the same chain, which is sort of funny.
I’m not the typical Hawaii visitor in that I don’t like the beach. And as a result I actually really liked Waikiki much more than I was expecting to. It’s a bit Vegas-like, but at least there are plenty of places to walk around, vs. just being captive at the property you’re staying at in other parts of Hawaii.
And since I was mostly just working from the hotel, I thought the room was awesome and the Regency Club was top notch (if you wanted to you could probably just eat at the Regency Club and nowhere else and still be full).
Hyatt Regency Waikiki bottom line
This hotel greatly exceeded my expectations. Despite the dated exterior, the rooms are gorgeous, service great, and Regency Club among the best I’ve seen in the US. While the public areas aren’t nearly as modern, they’re sort of run down in a charming sort of way.
Would I vacation here if I were taking a “once in a lifetime” trip to Hawaii? Nope. But for my purposes — relaxing, working, and being able to walk around outside — this was a great option.
Am I crazy for sort of liking Waikiki? If you’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency, what was your experience like?
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