Hi Sebby, which room did you book originally before you got the upgrade? I am planning to book a 2 bedroom suite with my plat amex but it costs up to $1300 per night. I was hoping to book a cheaper room and get upgraded instead. Thanks
Thanks a lot for your review. As locals, we are often asked for hotel recommendations but honestly we know the least because we never stay at hotels on Oahu except for the occasional staycation (we usually stay in Ko Olina and not Waikiki). This is a very nice property that includes a very nice kitchen or kitchenette setup and that can make a big difference. Plus it has the washer/dryer inside the room which are not easy to find in Waikiki. At $567 per night, I think you did very well because you got so much value for the buck. Large suite, early check in, room upgrade, free breakfast, $100 credit, and 4 pm late checkout at that price was a great deal. I will definitely recommend this place if asked. It looks like you had a great stay in Hawaii.
Hi sebby. My family and I really liked the ka laʻi Waikīkī because of the kitchen. It had most of what we needed and we still made it work. I would definitely recommend it.
🐮 Loved the Ka Lai hotel for the room and kitchen/large fridge convenience but our family still felt the view from the oceanfront balcony at the Sheraton Waikiki couldn’t be beat. They have a Mikiya open in Santa Clara now and one supposedly coming soon to San Mateo!
Most expensive place we’ve stayed in Waikiki is the Hyatt Regency - older but very clean and friendly staff. We haven’t been in years; our budget can’t keep up with Hawaii prices. Some day… 🤔
I had 3 long stays at this hotel before it became Ka La'i. It used to be Trump International. About the short bath tubs, these were designed for Japanese guests and Japanese bath tubs are much shorter as they are used differently.
@@SebbyFung Blue "Hotel Collection" vs. Silver FHR Collection. They're color coded on the FHR website. The benefits do not overlap. You don't get silver benefits for a blue location.
Got it. "Silver" is FHR. "Blue" is Hotel Collection (HC). Silver/FHR are usually 5 star hotels. Blue/HC are usually 4 star hotels. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely a notch below. FHR = more expensive, min 1 night, more perks HC = less expensive (but can still be $$$), min 2 nights, less perks i.e., for NYC, Ritz-Carlton is FHR, JW Marriott is HC.
In Waikiki I normally stay at Halekulani. The Ka La'i, formerly the Trump Waikiki is just not good. The pool is horrible, completely non-functional. Might be great for Instagram selfies, but not for anything useful. The dining choices are awful. Twice you swept over the Embassy Suites next door and their great pool area. I'd much rather stay there and use or get Hilton points than Ka La'i.
I’m very disappointed that you failed to mentioned that the building name was wrongly changed recently that bore the name of our 45th President of the United States Donald John Trump.
…the issue was the change to the Wakea Waikiki Beach and the use of Wākea being a cultural appropriation. You don’t want anything with Trump’s name - it’s toxic.
Interesting read; didn't even know about the Wakea name. Thanks for the rabbit hole :) asamnews.com/2024/02/08/cultural-appropriation-native-hawaiian-hilton-lxr-resort/
Hi Sebby, which room did you book originally before you got the upgrade? I am planning to book a 2 bedroom suite with my plat amex but it costs up to $1300 per night. I was hoping to book a cheaper room and get upgraded instead. Thanks
Thanks a lot for your review. As locals, we are often asked for hotel recommendations but honestly we know the least because we never stay at hotels on Oahu except for the occasional staycation (we usually stay in Ko Olina and not Waikiki). This is a very nice property that includes a very nice kitchen or kitchenette setup and that can make a big difference. Plus it has the washer/dryer inside the room which are not easy to find in Waikiki. At $567 per night, I think you did very well because you got so much value for the buck. Large suite, early check in, room upgrade, free breakfast, $100 credit, and 4 pm late checkout at that price was a great deal. I will definitely recommend this place if asked. It looks like you had a great stay in Hawaii.
Thanks! Glad it's helpful :)
Hi sebby. My family and I really liked the ka laʻi Waikīkī because of the kitchen. It had most of what we needed and we still made it work. I would definitely recommend it.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
When we went last year, we stayed at Moana Surfrider and The Laylow on points and certificates
Nice! Heard good things about both properties. On the list to try next time.
🐮 Loved the Ka Lai hotel for the room and kitchen/large fridge convenience but our family still felt the view from the oceanfront balcony at the Sheraton Waikiki couldn’t be beat.
They have a Mikiya open in Santa Clara now and one supposedly coming soon to San Mateo!
Super excited for the San Mateo one to open! Santa Clara feels too far from SF.
🐮My favorite restaurant in Waikiki is the Side Street Inn. The Side Mui cocktail (with li hing mui) is delicious.
Favorite food item? Pork chops and boneless kalbi both look great on Yelp 🤤
Most expensive place we’ve stayed in Waikiki is the Hyatt Regency - older but very clean and friendly staff. We haven’t been in years; our budget can’t keep up with Hawaii prices. Some day… 🤔
Yeah, didn't realize Hawaii was that expensive until we visited lol
🐮 Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I had 3 long stays at this hotel before it became Ka La'i. It used to be Trump International. About the short bath tubs, these were designed for Japanese guests and Japanese bath tubs are much shorter as they are used differently.
Interesting! I noticed that a lot of the other guests (probably 33% to 50% depending on day) were Japanese.
🐮 Are the blue "hotels" in the FHR collection silver-level FHR quality?
Can you rephrase the question? Not sure if I'm understanding correctly :)
@@SebbyFung Blue "Hotel Collection" vs. Silver FHR Collection. They're color coded on the FHR website. The benefits do not overlap. You don't get silver benefits for a blue location.
Got it. "Silver" is FHR. "Blue" is Hotel Collection (HC).
Silver/FHR are usually 5 star hotels.
Blue/HC are usually 4 star hotels.
Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely a notch below.
FHR = more expensive, min 1 night, more perks
HC = less expensive (but can still be $$$), min 2 nights, less perks
i.e., for NYC, Ritz-Carlton is FHR, JW Marriott is HC.
In Waikiki I normally stay at Halekulani. The Ka La'i, formerly the Trump Waikiki is just not good. The pool is horrible, completely non-functional. Might be great for Instagram selfies, but not for anything useful. The dining choices are awful. Twice you swept over the Embassy Suites next door and their great pool area. I'd much rather stay there and use or get Hilton points than Ka La'i.
Agreed that the food could definitely be improved!
I’m very disappointed that you failed to mentioned that the building name was wrongly changed recently that bore the name of our 45th President of the United States Donald John Trump.
You can take that up w/ Irongate Corp for the licensing. Excited for the renovations next year!
Imagine being mad at Sebby for not saying this 😂🤡
…the issue was the change to the Wakea Waikiki Beach and the use of Wākea being a cultural appropriation. You don’t want anything with Trump’s name - it’s toxic.
Interesting read; didn't even know about the Wakea name. Thanks for the rabbit hole :) asamnews.com/2024/02/08/cultural-appropriation-native-hawaiian-hilton-lxr-resort/