Wayfinder Waikiki

As a traveler who stays all over the world, I had a fantastic experience at Wayfinder Waikiki.Wayfinder Waikiki is located about 3 blocks from Waikiki Beach, it's about a 5 minute walk. Unless you're set on a beach stay, this is a great spot off the main strip, with accessible pricing. I love that it has such easy access to Ala Wai Blvd for day trips.You'll be greeted with a token for a complimentary piña colada at the pool! I didn't realize until my last day that they offer a GoPro for guest use, and that they have complimentary towels & beach gear for guests. I had a double room with a lanai that faced towards other buildings and Ala Wai Canal. It was nice to have a little bit of a view. The room size was to be expected for a double. I loved that they gift you two free bottles of water and an orchid in your room.The team gave an old hotel a really cool facelift transformation that has wonderful tropical foliage and aesthetics that nod to Waikiki throughout. I ate at the Redfish Poke Bar Restaurant more than once because the vegan tofu poke bowl was so darn good. It's so nice to take it poolside, so I did that twice - but the restaurant is open air. Also highly recommend trying the Fresh Hawaiian Pineapple at Lost + Found, the poolside bar.Be sure to take advantage of the schedule of wellness classes & music that they have. The poolside stretch class with Nick was JUST what I needed after the flight, and his energy was the best. He was happy to stay after class to recommend spots around town. I didn't get to take Brent's E Ola Koa Circuit class, but will be making time for it next time because I got to chat with him a bit, and he is so nice.Pros ::- The staff is outstanding - everyone is thoughtful to be sure that your stay is above and beyond. I read some reviews about them being inattentive, but experienced the complete opposite. I was constantly welcomed by staff, and every single experience was positive, truly going out of their way to be sure that I was happy and taken care of.- They have beach gear available for guest usage- Great location just off of Waikiki- Incredible facelift transformation from the hotel that used to be there. The aesthetics & vibe are unique and on point.- As a DJ, I adored the soundtrack. It was fresh & completely fit the vibe.- I love the natural bathroom products. The shampoo infused with black pepper feels great after a day spent getting sand in your hair.- There is a filtered water fountain for you to refill water bottles with.- The onsite B-Side Coffee Bar is so convenient with great local brews and snacks.- Wonderful pool area complete with tropical foliage, suntan lotion, aloe, bar & bites that have great happy hour specials, and fresh island tea- Calendar full of great wellness and music events- Awesome poolside eats and restaurantCons ::- The walls are pretty thin. I did hear some outside noise throughout my stay. I was next to the elevator, however and was surprised to not have much noise from it!- Valet only, with only one lane in the driveway - their valet was incredible, this truly isn't a con - but leave a few extra minutes when you need your car in case there is a backup. Valet runs you $45+/day, but this is typical in Waikiki.I love a beachside stay, but would stay here again in a heartbeat when staying off of the beach!

We stayed here for 4 days and 5 nights in January. It was a good price point and looked great in photos! I have a few feelings about it so it'll easier to give pros and cons.Pros:- Close to Waikīkī Beach, convenience stores, International Marketplace, restaurants- Restaurant and coffee bar downstairs- Regular bar by the pool and in the restaurant - Upgraded rooms- Fun activities poolside- Towels for the beach - Decently pricedCons: - Valet parking is pricey which is why we didn't rent a car- Can get noisy (they know this because they gave us ear plugs)- Rooms only have a single lock (we're used to hotels having at least a swing bar lock in addition to a deadbolt)- Paid extra for a lanai just to have a view of apartments next to us (nothing photo worthy)- Small lobby area, can't really sit and hang out I have a few things to say about the staff. A lot of Yelpers have commented on some of them being rude/ignoring them. I've found some staff were really helpful and nice. Our bartender was really nice in Lost+Found and when we checked in the staff was nice. For the most part we were greeted when we left and came especially valet staff since they're always there. There was one staff member who I noticed was always talking to her coworkers. When anyone would come up and ask her a question she made it seem like they were inconveniencing her by interrupting the conversation. So service can be hit/miss, but honestly this is can happen anywhere.

Wayfinder is a cute hotel that's close enough to downtown Waikiki, but removed enough that it's not super crowded in the immediate vicinity. Personally, it reminded me of The Laylow by the International Market Place in terms of aesthetics. We had an issue after checking-in, but after alerting staff and management, the problem was quickly remedied in a professional manner. The rooms are decent, however, the walls are thin. I was woken up by our neighbors chatting loudly at 6am - annoying, but I realize it's not the staff's fault. Thank goodness it only occured on our last night there.The gym is pretty small, but was mostly empty whenever we wanted to squeeze in a work-out whereas the pool area was busy majority of the time. I'd say 95% of the lounge chairs were occupied while the pool itself was not. Maybe because the pool isn't heated so it can be quite cold!We booked through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, so we got additional perks like dining credit and early check-in or late check-out. The food is decent, and they have good happy hour deals. I also like how it's not grossly overpriced for Waikiki. Thanks for being fair!

Stayed here for 3 nights in January. We got a corner room facing the golf course and Ala Wait Blvd. The road was very noisy as the hotel doesn't have double paned windows. Thankful for the end corner room as we didn't hear much from the hallway or adjacent doors banging.Pros:-Convenient location to Waikiki downtown without being in downtown.-Great Central location to be in.-Pool and gym available onsite. Some stretch and HIT classes available in the morning.-Beach towels, chairs, and boogey boards can be borrowed daily.-Fridge available in the room. Microwave can be requested.Cons:-Unfriendly staff. No one except for the valet service greeted us as we entered or left the hotel.-Hours for the poolside bar were incorrect, they close early and opened late.-Complimentary drink options: draft beer or Pina colada. The virgin Pina colada was pure sugar and undrinkable.-$50/day valet parking charge + tips.

Stayed here for 3 nights over the holidays. Checked in really late, after 10pm and was happy there were folks at the front desk to greet us.Nick the GM is awesome! He really made my fiancé and I feel like we were back in town visiting old friends. Prob b/c were all from the Northeast, we just vibed! After not being in Oahu for a few years he caught us up on the local grindz (lol) and really just became the friendly familiar face around the hotel. Loved all of the social hours and events they have going on here as well. The hotel restaurant Redfish was fireee! Short walk to the beach, right by all the restaurants, target etc. great walking area. 10/10 would stay here again. Bigger pool than I expected too and a really tasty piña colada welcome drink.

I really enjoyed my stay here with my wife while vacationing. Check in was very smooth and fast. Room was very updated and clean. We had a corner room with a lanai overlooking a busy street to enjoy a coffee and people watch in great weather. Noise from other rooms were nonexistent so we got good night sleep every night, and so will our neighbors. Valet here is pretty quick when you request vehicle and they are friendly. When we are on the island again hopefully we stay here again as I will recommend to friends and fellow Yelpers.

Bartender Bryan Made Our Trip!During our stay, we decided to check out the hotel bar--and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. Bryan, the bartender, was absolutely incredible. From the moment we sat down, he greeted us like old friends and made us feel so comfortable.I mentioned I wasn't sure what to order, and Bryan asked a few thoughtful questions about what I liked. He ended up creating the perfect cocktail for me--it was so good I had to order another! My partner tried one of his recommendations too, and it was equally amazing.What really stood out, though, was Bryan's energy. He has this way of making everyone feel special, like they're the most important guest in the room. He even remembered us when we came back the next night and asked how our day had been!Bryan, thank you for being such a highlight of our trip. We'll definitely be back to this hotel--and your bar--next time we're in town!

Wow I'm so glad I got to see it first hand what they did with this place! Former Waikiki Sand Villa has completely transformed into a retro, hip resort called Wayfinder Waikiki. It's all in the DETAILS!! From the Gyotaku (Japanese fish painting) shower curtains to retro style kitchenette with GMEG branded fridge and kettle, everything is well thought out. Sofas with palaka (Hawaiian checker design) motif, beautifully designed pool towels, pikake & mokihana garlands on the lamp cables, historic Hawaii photos in the walls, thoughtful surprise hidden inside the record cover(Spotify playlist for your paradise vacay vibe)... it goes on and on with every detail. Downstairs has a surprisingly large and quiet pool surrounded by a lush tropical greens that you almost forget that you're in the heart of Waikiki. Love that they didn't skimp on the furniture and went all out with the wooden lounger. Not using the typical stripe pool towel like everyone else, they provide the beautifully designed lush Hawaiian green towels instead. Nicely done! Everywhere you look there's a special touch at this place and I was pleasantly surprised to find it tucked away right at Ala Wai & Kanekapolei. Bonus- there's a restaurant downstairs, Red Fish, by Foodland. You know what that means!! Poke is on point‼. There's a poke flight with three choices.Look at my beautiful spread of two orders of poke flights, garden salad and rice The valet parking is $6 if you're dining there... definitely with the try

First time staying here - this will be broken into positives and negatives:POSITIVES:-Slightly off the beaten path and closer to the Ala Wai Canal but still short walking distance to everything in Waikiki. Literally 10 min from shopping, the beach, great restaurants, lovely lounges and live music. Good points of interest: international market place, duke statue, the beach, the moana, royal hawaiian center, lots to see and do nearby. -Convenient and affordable, you'll end up paying at least double elsewhere.-Super cute decor, stylish design, boutique vibes but at very approachable pricing. The pool is beautiful, salt water and larger than expected, lots of lounge chairs, very comfy, the spa/jacuzzi is hot and well maintained. The gym is open 24 hours. The amenities are nice. -The restaurant is amazing, breakfast was phenomenal, lunch was superb. The poke is really fresh and the prices are slightly cheaper than places one block down the street. -Checkin and checkout were quick and efficient.-Valet is also quick and friendly.-Room was clean, well stocked, they also have things like makeup remover, blow drier, black cloth to use for your face if you wear makeup, bottles of water, shampoo conditioner body wash, robes, etc. -Complimentary welcome drinks were delicious, it was like a pina colada but on the rocks and super yummy at the pool bar.-Pool attendant also came around with free popsicles midday. Nice touch. -They also offer interesting offers poolside like live dj, music or ear piercing. -Hip vibe but also family friendly.NEGATIVES:-Parking is limited and valet only, the driveway is really tight and some of the vehicles are parked in the driveway or sticking out. It is $45 a night + taxes and tip to park. The availability is rather small and not confirmed. If you have a really nice big luxury car it is at risk of being dinged. -It can be slightly noisy in the room due to the Ala Wai canal roadway, speeding cars, trash pickup trucks, barking dogs, hotel guests that can be louder. But with that said it is also noisy in Waikiki in general. In Kalakaua you'll have party goers and shouting and honking people. But this hotel doesn't have thick walls nor double paned windows. -The staff are all very immersed in talking to each other and no one greets you. It became a joke for us as guests to see if anyone would greet us, say hi, aloha or smile. My partner went to the front desk and the girl was literally stuffing her face with food and unable to speak as her mouth was full of food when she was asking for assistance. I noticed every single time I walked past the front desk, went to the pool, went to the coffee bar or went to the restaurant - no one greeted me or us, no one said hello and no one took any hospitable initiative. In fact 80% of the time they were all talking to each other. It was almost like you had to interrupt their conversation to get some assistance, or patiently wait there for them to notice you. This happened numerous times over 3 days at the pool, at the front desk, at the coffee bar and at the restaurant and at the end of it all we just laughed about it because there is no travel industry management training happening here at all. One person who was accommodating was the bartender at the pool bar, but that is because she was the only one in there, so she had to be attentive to the guests. LOL 3 times I visited the pool and the staff were talking to friends so I grabbed my own towels and never received the green towels for the lounge chair. Even when you are returning your pool towels no one says anything or acknowledges you ever. So many excited conversations with friends and coworkers but no acknowledgement of guests at all. (Service when seated in Red Fish restaurant is good tho). Overall this is a great place to stay for a posh, cool, hotel that is hip, the right price point and very convenient. Just don't expect extraordinary service or to feel a great sense of welcome. It literally is a location to leave your stuff, hang, head out and rest your head at night. I would stay here again, just know that it isn't the Four Seasons or even 4 stars worthy.

Stayed here for 4 nights. Front desk NEVER picks up the phone, ever. That's wild to me since I always see someone there as I leave the hotel for the day. Valet usually has one person working and it makes it inefficient because there is only one lane to get out of the hotel and you're waiting in a line of 2-3 cars in front of you. Lobby is cute, but the rooms look like they got the manager special, paint over old blemished wood, toilets and bathtubs are rusted. The sliding door doesn't have a good seal so the wind howls at night. Rooms are DIRTY. Stickers on furniture from previous hotel guests. I even found old wristbands from a club next to chairs in our room. They're doing the bare minimum here which is probably just changing out towels and making the bed, i'm afraid. There is a nice and clean gym. I also liked the pool area. Other than that, would not stay here again.