Staycation at the Hilton Waikiki Beach: The Hotel

Beach side of hotel.

In these tough economic times and drop in tourism in Hawaii, hotels have target advertising towards residents of the Aloha State for a 'staycation'. Instead of losing revenue on empty rooms, hotels were advertising extras such as free parking to encourage Hawaii residents to take a vacation in the state where they live.

In light of a termite extermination at my residence, I took this as an opportunity to take a two-night vacation in Waikiki. I chose the Hilton Prince Kuhio now simply known as the Hilton Waikiki Beach. Hilton took over the property that previously was managed under the Radisson name and before that under the local Outrigger brand.

Kuhio Avenue fronts the hotel. (image credit: HKPuiPui)

The hotel's website offers an interesting history of Prince Kuhio for which the hotel was originally named. Many forget that the Hawaiian Islands were a monarchy. Located in the heart of Waikiki, the hotel is located one block from beach and near the Honolulu Zoo, Kapiolani Park, Waikiki Aquarium and lots of shopping and eating options. Kuhio Avenue fronts the hotel and is the main thoroughfare for city buses from Waikiki to locations island wide. Parking is only via valet for all guests at $25 per day. This should be factored when choosing the hotel and considering the room rate. The hotel rises 37 floors with 601 rooms. Room rates start at about $200 per night.

This property located on the east end of Waikiki is one of two Hilton hotel brands that is separate from the mammoth Hilton Hawaiian Village (7 towers on 22 acres) in Waikiki. The other is the DoubleTree Alana Waikiki. The Village and Alana are located on the west end of Waikiki.

Note: This is the first in a series of posts about the hotel based on a stay from 2008. The look of the hotel has not changed but quality or services can change within that time. The hotel was formerly known as the Hilton Prince Kuhio.

The mountains of Honolulu behind hotel and Waikiki Beach.
(image credit: Hilton.com file photo)