Holiday Inn Express Waikiki by IHG

Reviews

• ST

  Scarlette Trann

  2 days ago
  5.0
  We had a wonderful stay at Holiday Inn Express Waikiki. The location is excellent—everything is within walking distance, making it very convenient to explore Waikiki. There’s a food truck park location 2 lights away from the hotel. The International Market Place is only a 8-10 min walk. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and we especially enjoyed the complimentary pineapple juice, which was a nice touch. A special thank you to Ms. Gladys at check in and out for being so warm, approachable, and welcoming. She made our departure smooth and left us with a great final impression. We'd also like to recognize the Head Housekeeping Supervisor, Gilbert Guzon, for doing an outstanding job. You can tell he takes pride in keeping the hotel clean and well-maintained. That said, there are a couple of areas that really need improvement. The elevators were by far the biggest frustration. During busy hours, we regularly waited 10–15 minutes just to get an elevator, which became inconvenient, especially after a long day. I also felt bad for the hotel employees, who have to share the same elevators with guests. For a 44-floor hotel, having separate service elevators or a better elevator system would make a huge difference for both guests and staff. The parking garage was another challenge. The spaces are extremely tight and difficult to navigate, especially for larger vehicles. Considering the size of the hotel, I wish the parking facilities had been designed to be more accessible and convenient for both guests and employees. Despite those issues, the friendly staff, cleanliness, and unbeatable location made our stay enjoyable.
• MM

  MrTarrick123

  6 days ago
  3.0
  Hotel is located in a decent location, it’s at the very beginning of the Waikiki tourist strip. I like it because you’re not in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of tourist and it’s not over crowded. You’re in walking distance to just about everything. Pros: location is decent (if you don’t mind not being right across from the beach. Hotel is clean, staff is friendly, free breakfast. Cons: Rooms are small, nothing exciting, just the basics. Air conditioning is in the wall, and since room is small, it’s noisy…the A/C is right in your face if you’re in a standard King room. The hot water is hit and miss…I was surprised to not have hot water in the middle of the day when hardly anyone was in the hotel. Sometimes you may have to wait 5+ minutes to get hot water…sometimes it’s immediate and while showering you’ll lose hot water for a few minutes and then it’ll return…hit and miss. I traveled with family and we had 4 rooms for 8 nights…my daughter stated that she never had problems with hot water, but myself and another family member did. The other family member said his wifi didn’t work, but mine was fine. The jacuzzi wasn’t operational during our stay, the staff said that a part was on order. But, they did adjust the amenity fee to accommodate the jacuzzi not working (I had to ask and push a little). The biggest con is the parking. The hotel has a parking garage attached but what is not known is that it’s first-come-first-serve…it’s limited. During the day when everyone is gone, the parking is plentiful. But if you’re out and come back after 8pm or so, the parking lot is full and you’ll have to find parking elsewhere. The hotel staff has a sheet that lists other options for parking, including street parking, but it’s a hassle. You may have to use another hotel parking garage, but the price can be $60 a night and you may have to walk a few blocks. Street parking is very challenging and limited. If you do find a space, you may have to get up early to move the vehicle before 6 or 7am or be towed. Out of my 8 night stay, at least half of the nights I couldn’t park in the garage. The 3 nights that I did park in the garage was only because I didn’t move my vehicle for those days. The hotel reimburses the parking fee for any night(s) that parking is not available, but you have to inform them every time there’s no parking space. There are 6 elevators and 40 floors…many times travel to and from your room can be a little slow during peak times of the day. Housekeeping was good, it’s just that they come pretty early…around 8:30. So, I’ve only used maid service about 3 days. Enjoy!
• KK

  Kloom

  Jul 17, 2026
  4.0
  We stayed at this hotel for one week and overall had a good experience. When we first arrived, there was a strong musty odor in the room that seemed to be coming from the window air conditioning unit. I called the front desk, and they were very responsive, sending maintenance up right away to replace the AC unit. The smell improved some, but I still noticed an odor coming from the bathroom ceiling vent/fan that appeared to also have a musty/mold smell. I contacted the front desk again, and maintenance promptly replaced the bathroom ceiling vent/fan as well. After both the AC unit and bathroom fan/vent were replaced, the odor improved significantly. The room was smaller than most hotel rooms I’ve stayed in, but since we were only there to sleep, it wasn’t an issue. The beds were comfortable, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the buffet-style breakfast was excellent. The hotel is within walking distance of the beach and is surrounded by plenty of restaurants, shops, and food trucks, making the location very convenient. The elevator could be a little slow at times, but we either took the stairs for some extra exercise or waited a few minutes. Overall, we had a pleasant stay and would definitely stay here again.
• HH

  Heat

  Jul 8, 2026
  2.0
  I really wanted to like this hotel because the customer service was great. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially the employees working during breakfast. Unfortunately, the positives pretty much ended there. We stayed on the 10th floor for two weeks, and the noise was unbelievable. Imagine being woken up at 6 a.m. or 11 p.m. by doors slamming so hard that your entire room shakes. And I honestly don’t blame the other guests. The doors are nearly impossible to close quietly. Every time someone entered or left their room, we heard and felt it. The walls are also extremely thin. The housekeeping staff would have conversations in the hallway outside our room, and we could hear every single word. Our King room was microscopic. I have never stayed in a hotel room this tiny. There was no desk, only two drawers for storage, and barely any room to move around. The bathroom wasn’t much better. There were no hooks to hang a toiletry bag and almost no counter space. We had to take plenty of cold/warm showers as the water only heated up in the morning. And the towels were so rough. The breakfast was another disappointment. The eggs apparently contained soy, the bacon was paper-thin and practically see-through, and the pancakes were chewy. After staying for two weeks, breakfast became something we dreaded rather than looked forward to. Then there’s the resort fee. What exactly are we paying for? The hot tub was cold for our entire two-week stay. When we asked when it would be fixed, we were told they were waiting for a part and that it had already been broken for a while. If an amenity has been unavailable for an extended period, why are guests still paying the full resort fee? Even the Dippin’ Dots situation was disappointing. There were no chocolate Dippin’ Dots, and before our stay was over, they had sold out of about half of the other flavors as well. The gym was also much smaller than expected. There are plenty of treadmills, but very little in the way of weights or strength-training equipment. The friendly customer service, especially from the breakfast staff, was genuinely appreciated. But between the constant noise, paper-thin walls, tiny room, lack of storage and bathroom space, poor breakfast quality, broken hot tub, limited amenities, and questionable resort fee, I would not stay here again.
• RL

  Raylyn Lalaga

  Jul 4, 2026
  4.0
  Rooms were a bit tight for a single. There is no spot to park to check in other than the parking garage they had and no instructions prior to on how to go about if you brought a vehicle and before check in. This made check in a longer process than it should be. You have to pay a parking fee just to park in the hotel parking spots and you also will be charged a resort fee even if you don't utilize it. They considered that a mandatory charge and that is like saying that you are punished with another fee for booking with the hotel. I'm not sure what regulations are and what's required but for a one night stay, that is a lot of fees to pay. The hotel location is however next to other resorts in downtown and so it can get very crowded and packed around the area. However, the staff members were pleasant and helpful within their job descriptions and requirements but I haven't had such a overwhelming experience with rules and required fees before. To ask to pay fees for things you won't utilize is completely inappropriate in my opinion. They do have complimentary breakfast and that was great! Otherwise it was almost alright.

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