The Waikiki Edition: Room 636 City View with a Terrace

(all images: TheHopefulTraveler)

King Bed with Frette linens.

Closet storage.

There's a saying that "the anticipation is always better than the reality" which could be applied to our expectations when staying at a hotel for the first time. At 340 square feet I was not anticipating much from the city view room I was assigned for a "kama'aina rate" (Hawaii resident rate). But upon entering this corner room I realized how well arranged and designed the room appeared to be.

Unlike the standard rooms at The Waikiki Edition, this corner room situates the closet between the door and the bed so the closet is the first thing a guest sees upon entering. A sharp left and then right leads to the rest of the room. Guess this is a good thing with the closet serving as a buffer from any noise emanating from the hall.

The closet separates the bed from the door in this corner room.

Generous desk space and additional seating.

Door to bathroom and full-length mirror. 

The most conspicuous aspect of the room design is the color white. So white that one hesitates to sit down at first for fear of defiling any fabric. The room ultimately constitutes an ideal version of a relaxing and comfortable personal living space. I always felt a hotel should feel and be treated as a home away from home and this one fits the bill albeit a luxurious one with a soothing atmosphere.

A custom teak sliding screen with adjustable louvers and curtains along the sliding doors to the terrace modulates the natural light entering the room. The oversized terrace is furnished with a pair of comfortable lounging chairs and an accent table. Of course with city view rooms situated at the north end of the hotel, the noise from the busy intersection below drifts upward. But the traffic would subside as rush hour eases slowly throughout the evening. Until then the sliding doors sufficiently muffled the discord of vehicles below.

This is a room also made for working with a large generous desk space and chair. Bright custom lighting features around the room makes up for the lack of a central lighting fixture. Some of these fixtures have dimming switches. With no armoire or drawers, most of the storage is relegated to the closet with a shelf column. Combined with a full-length closet shelf, this is more than adequate to keep personal effects organized in one singular space. An upholstered armchair with ottoman offers additional seating.

Corner bathroom and flat screen television.

Furnished terrace.

Shelf column.

The custom king size bed with imported linens by Frette, down comforter and pillows and luxe bed throw provides a relaxing destination for a quick nap or an evening's rest. The appearance of the limited square footage is diminished by a full length mirror securely leaning against a wall and floor space is ample to prevent bumping into furnishings. Although not suggested to actually do I often measure extra room area by the number of places on the floor one could open a full size piece of luggage of which there is appropriate space.

The Waikiki Edition is 18 floors with 322 rooms and 31 suites. All city view rooms range from 340-390 square feet. Ocean view rooms are 390 square feet. Ocean front (485 square feet) and ocean view (665 square feet) one-bedroom suites also available. The 1,400 square foot penthouse includes an additional 1,500 square foot terrace.

This is one post in a series about the Waikiki Edition. Click HERE to view the full series of posts.

View into bathroom.

The quiet dimly lit hallway provides a relaxing path to guest rooms.