I booked a 5 night stay and was able to use my Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUA) to get upgraded to a high floor ocean view room in the Ainahau Tower. While not a suite, the room still felt spacious, probably because of the balcony. The staff were all friendly. The hotel was clean, the elevators worked fine, housekeeping was great. They were doing some maintenance in some sections of the lobby/restaurant area so I assume they're continuing to steadily remodel/renovate the property. As a Marriott Platinum member, I didn't quite feel I got much benefit from my memership status but I was prepared for that going in as this is a resort property and I knew they didn't have a lounge. I don't remember if they offered a full breakfast or a $10 daily credit but I opted for the 1,000 points as I wanted to pick up breakfast while I was out exploring anyway.
Some reviewers have complained about the noise and yes I did hear some of that but honestly, it didn't prevent me from being able to fall asleep. Besides, considering the hotel's location right in the middle of Waikiki on the main thoroughfare, some crowd noise was to be expected. The convenience of the location to me, offset any noise I heard. Perhaps it was because I was on the 23rd floor but the noise to me wasn't that bad.
I'm not a fan of resort or destination fees but I did enjoy the daily Mi-Fi rental. Data usage on my phone plan is never an issue but still, it was nice to have wifi wherever we went.
I did notice the hotel does seem to cater to Japanese travelers as there was a dedicated Japanese language concierge desk. But if they really want to appeal to Japanese travelers (and probably anyone else who cares about this), they would upgrade their toilets to have bidets. Western society really needs to catch up on this front.
I had a rental car during my entire stay and didn't have trouble finding parking. The clerk at the front desk did provide me a map with directions for other parking garages should theirs ever be at capacity but again, that was never a problem for me. If you're not a big person or are not traveling in a large group, I highly recommend getting a smaller rental car as the parking spaces are very tight here. I assume it's the same at any other hotel in Waikiki.
Overall, while I may not always get upgraded to the premium ocean view balcony room, I'd stay here again for its convenient location and reasonable price point.
