Kuhio Banyan Hotel

THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE
Arrived from a 48 hour flight to attempt to book into this hotel at 11pm at night, and they were locked!!! There were no warnings that this hotel does not have an all night service desk. When i called the next day to get a refund the woman who answered the phone was INCREDIBLY RUDE, when I asked to speak to her manager she told me she was the manager but she did not sound remotely professional. She refused a refund of my $ 150 completely, and did not even offer to refund half of the amount I paid. I walked across to the Aqua Waikiki across the street that night (a saturday night, jet lagged and dragging two huge suitcases through the crowds in Waikiki, not fun at all) and had excellent service. Although all in all I ended up paying $ 350 for one night and could have stayed in a much nicer hotel. VERY DISAPPOINTING.

1 star for the hotel + 1 star for the friendly hotel staff
My boyfriend was able to get us a deal to stay here using timeshare points even though it was somewhat last minute. Our week stay here was almost equivalent to a night stay at some of the other hotels down the street. Based on the pictures, we figured we weren’t going to spend a lot of time in the hotel anyways so we didn’t need anything super fancy but wow. Don’t expect fancy anything from here at all.
ROOMS — Super outdated. Dark green old carpet which made me feel uneasy to walk around barefoot so I kept my flip flops on the entire time. The bed pulls out of the wall but if you pull the bed down, don’t expect to be able to watch the tv because the closet doors dont fold in and block your view. Old tv, 19″ tube tv in which I couldn’t even make out numbers on football players jerseys when trying to watch a game. It’s probably just there for background noise. Shower pressure is super weak but does the job. They don’t provide shampoo but do have a body wash and hand soap dispenser. The room comes with a small fridge, microwave and a stove. Free wifi but it is SUPER slow and disconnects all the time. At some points I became frustrated and just used my phone data. You have to carry 2 keys, one key to get through the main door and another key to get to your room. They have an A/​C that runs EXTREMELY loudly.
SERVICE — The lady at the front desk was extremely nice. Upon check in, they greet you with fresh flower leis. Check-​in times are limited because they are only there from specific times. If you’re trying to check in when they are closed, you are S.O.L. They do have beach towels, chairs, mats, boogie boards for guests to use. I would say utilize it because they have a resort surcharge of $ 18/​day. Rooms are only turned over Tuesdays and Saturdays but I think they room maids do come in every so often because we found a random roll of toilet paper on our counter one day. If you want your towels changed on a day that isn’t Tuesday or Saturday then you will be charged.
PARKING — HORRENDOUS! I could’ve dealt with the run down hotel room but parking seriously made our trip a headache. Hotel DOES NOT HAVE ITS OWN PARKING GARAGE/​AREA. They don’t really tell you where u can park so you’re basically on your own. We found a public parking lot down the street on Nohonani Street which you can buy a pass to park up to 24 hours. The first day we committed to paying $ 16 for 24 hours but came back after dinner to find the lot completely full. Even though we had paid for parking up til the next day, we ended up having to look for street parking just because the lot probably only has 12 spots. One of the nights, a car parked right next to us had their window smashed and broken into. So don’t leave any valuables in the car if you park there. Ala Wai Blvd has street parking but you cant park there on Mon/​Fri from 8:30−6pm or so. There are other parking garages in the area but we were unable to find any that you can park overnight. Parking situation got better during weekdays but I can’t imagine how it is like during the peak season.
LOCATION — Great location to say the least. Walking distance to Waikiki Beach, shopping, restaurants, etc. There is a bus stop right outside the hotel which u can catch to get around. The popular Marakume Udon spot is downstairs from the hotel room which made it super convenient for us.
Overall this hotel is good if you are looking just for a place to sleep. Don’t expect anything fancy, in fact theres tons of drunks and sketchy people hanging around the corner. Ideal place for anyone who is not renting a car or planning to just stay in the Waikiki area. They do have a bus stop right in front to take you the Ala Moana shopping center. For us, it did not work out because we had a rental car to drive around the island. Every time we came back we had to stress about the fact of where we had to park if the small public lot is full. If we’d known, we would’ve looked someplace else that had a more promising parking situation.

Bad service. I can see why most of their reviews are bad!!! That’s so sad. Guys, you better save your money and go somewhere else! It’s in Waikiki!!! there are more affordable places to stay!

My complain:
1. The bed is inside the wall, and it’s very old bed (like 20 – 30 old style). 2. No parking for guests at all. I had to spend $ 20 for 20 hrs parking in a parking lots, while lots of other hotels have parking garage for their guests 3. No shampoo and conditioner offered to guests. 4. The receptionist only works till 10pm, meaning that if you arrive at hotel after 10pm, no one can help u check in, in other words, either you find another hotel, or sleep on a street. 5. TV is 19″, super small and old (can say almost black and white TV). 6. The AC has loud noise. 7, found someone’s hair in the bedroom when we first used bathroom. 8. Require to check out by 10 am.

I read the reviews and was a bit worried about staying here. However, once I arrived I realized those that complained were looking for a high end establishment with fancy amenities.
We were greeted with fresh flower leis upon arrival the desk staff was fast and friendly. Checkin was easy and frankly took little time to complete. We were provided with a wifi passcode and free wifi was included, it wasn’t the best but it worked for us.
We were assigned a room on the fourth floor and although there is no ocean view, the city view was nice. The room is simple but if you are looking or a place to sleep, it is clean, it was quiet and the bed was comfortable.
The room had a 2 burner stove, coffee maker microwave and a mini fridge (perfect for chilling water and hiding leftovers).
Our shower drained slowly and the maintenance staff addressed it right away and there was no cuter problem. This is a timeshare hotel so maid service (tidy service) is done mid week the staff was all so very nice.
If you want an inexpensive place in Waikiki a few blocks from everything (shopping, restaurants and the beach) this is your place. I would stay here again! If you want swimming pools, valet parking etc, then pay the high prices and go stay elsewhere.

Cons: –super outdated, from the furniture to the decors to the pink tiles and the boombox that I havent seen since the 90s
–Dirty!!! We saw cockroaches! Lots of rust on the closet, etc.
–they only ‘clean’ the room on Tues and Sat, so if you are staying in between those days, sucks for you… And by ‘clean’ I meant they only change your sheets and towels. They didnt even throw away the trash! Not sure if thats our responsibility, but if it is, no instructions where to throw it and they did not provide us with extra trash bags. If you want your sheets changed on non-​cleaning days, you will be charged extra!
–no shampoo, just a soap dispenser
–loud noise, I can hear room next door and theres also a bar downstairs
–front desk/​manager not really customer friendly. They are there to police the customers, not try and make our stay comfortable.
–bed: you have to pull it from the wall, not safe!
–kitchen: honestly, we originally chose this place because we wanted a kitchen, but the kitchen is so small and pretty much a foot away from the bed that every time we cook something, the smell sticks to the sheets and stuff. Oh, and theres no vent above the stove!
–No parking!!!
Pros: –close walking distance to heart of downtown and the beach
–lots of good eateries nearby
–they have a coin laundry in the 2^nd floor, convenient when you want to wash your swim suit asap. $ 2.25 for wash and dry and you have to buy a packet of powdered soap downstairs for $ 2. I suggest you just bring your own powdered soap.
–fridge and microwave plus utensils, but make sure to wash them or you will get charged
–security guard during the night. They lock up the place at 10 but they will give you a key (btw, dont lose the front door key! They will charge you $ 45!)
Overall, this place may be cheap, but not worth it. I suggest paying a little bit extra to go to another hotel.

This place is kinda ghetto.
Upsides–
1. It’s quiet
2. It’s fairly close to the beach and downtown Hawaii
Downsides–
1. The bed is a Murphy bed. It’s terribly hard, squeaky and all around uncomfortable. I can stay at the ghettoest place there is as long as there’s a comfy bed. I wasn’t even able to sleep next to my husband on our honeymoon here.
2. The housekeeping only comes twice a week, and when they do, they don’t do a very good job.
3. They charge for everything, including towel changes or not washing your dishes before you leave.
4. No blackout curtains
5. PARKING IS HORRENDOUS
6. No pool or jacuzzi

Pros:
–Great prices for Honolulu
–Full Kitchen
–Walking distance to a lot of awesome places, including eats like Marukame Udon, the beach, shopping, farmer’s markets, etc…
–Bus stop nearby at Kuhio Ave. and Seaside.
Cons:
–Limited desk hours. If you come after hours, tough luck. You need to find somewhere else to stay for the night.
–No late check out. Check out is at 10 am.
–No baggage storage. Check in is at 4 pm.
–Only soap in the hotel. No conditioner, lotion, or other amenities.
–Pull out bed that collapsed on us, once.
–Broken, dangerous barstools. (Nails came out of the wood, and might have collapsed on my husband if he didn’t notice)
–No free wifi.
–No parking

This hotel is alright, it definetly ain’t no Hilton lol. Me &’ my girlfriend decided to have a mini «staycation» here being we are local. It’s right in the heart of waikiki, walking distance to every where. Kinda hidden behind the famous udon place. Only thing about this hotel there’s fees for EVERYTHING. On days that they aren’t scheduled to «clean» they’ll charge you for changing sheets, charge you for towels if you want it on days that they aren’t issuing it. It’s not a 24 hour hotel either. The room is a decent size &’ the bed comes right out the wall lol. Old school. On top of that you have play bar right downstairs…

Reasons why you should stay here:
Excellent location with a bus stop right out front. You’re located in the middle of Waikiki about a block away from the beach. If you plan to not rent a car, you can take the bus and almost anywhere you’ll need to go to is within walking distance. A decent popular place to eat at, Marukame Udon, is right out front as well. The daily rate is usually very affordable. The room comes with a kitchen with plates, glasses, cups, utensils, and a fridge. The people at the front desk has always been pleasant the two times that I’ve stayed here.
Reasons why you shouldn’t stay here:
It is pretty noisy at night, throughout the wee hours of the night if you happen to stay in a room just right above the bar that’s adjacent to the condo. So if you’re a light sleeper either stay somewhere else or ask for a room as far away from the bar! This place is not the best looking place on the outside or the inside. Everything inside looks like it’s from the 1970’s. The water pressure for the shower is low. It is definitely not a modern building.
Other things you should know: The beds are Murphy wall beds. They can be hidden into the wall when not in use. This may be a pro or con depending on the person. Take care of the TV remote. They give it to you at check-​in and you’ll need to return it along with your keys when you check-​out. This place does not have a 24 hour front desk.

It has been two months and we still haven’t got our deposit back. We booked a room here last minute because it was one of the only reasonable rooms available in Waikiki. We have called them twice already and the first time they said that the deposit was refunded. We waited a week to check the credit card and it still wasn’t returned. Called a second time and they said that they didn’t have the records available and to call back later. That’s ridiculous. We are forced to file a dispute with the credit card company.

I’ll give them 5 stars if they have parking. We can’t complain at all. With a family of 5 and just want to get a way for short period of time and want to spend our money for souvenirs and FOOD (if you dont want to spend too much for food either, the rooms have mini kitchen, which i think is awesome, more money for shopping ladies!) This is the place to be, it’s in the center of everything! Restaurants, shopping mall, ABC stores left and right: D, a 1 block from Waikiki beach. And Bus stop right in front of the condo unit, if you don’t want to rent a car (remember no parking.) they’ll lend you beach towels, beach chairs, boogie boards, I mean what else can you ask for? They have awesome staffs! Parking is $ 15 for 24 hrs, in one of those private parking lots. Again it’s good for short period of time stay, nothing fancy. yes, it gets loud some nights (there’s a bar below). Suggestions, ask for the 4^th floor rooms, To avoid any «noise» Other customers complain about. :D overall my kids are happy, we’re happy. We were there for the beach and souvenirs. we’re definitely coming back!

3 stars. If your looking for a quiet place, I’d advise looking elsewhere. I’m not sure what the hell is above our room (level 3), but it sounds like some conveyor belt or machine keeps going off randomly. And we are on the opposite side of the laundry machine and elevator. If you have someone above you as well with the a/​c on, the water from the condenser drips onto your a/​c unit and make a loud splat! Quite annoying. I’m picky about my background noise, especially when trying to sleep! Also if you have a time share here, becareful. My grandma passed away earlier this year and my dad ended up having to take care of all her things she left behind, time share being one of them. They charge you X amount of $$ for «renovation fees» (Believe it was $ 1700). This place doesnt look like it has been renovated since the late 80s-​early 90s! I was here last year for my vacation, and the only thing that’s been ‘renovated’ is the locks on the rooms and soap dispensers in the bathroom. How about some new furnishings and some free WiFi?!

The front desk staff, housekeeping and Kyle the parking guy are awesome! It isn’t the most luxurious accommodations in Waikiki, but it was a great deal. The rooms were clean but very outdated. Think– ‘Golden Girls’ décor. The bed was comfy and it was great for cooking. We stopped by Costco on the way in and Kyle helped us with 3 loads of groceries from Costco! The place is three star but the staff made it four star. The club was noisy, but the loud air conditioner blocked out most of the club noise.

This place is horrible!!! Nothing like its pictures online!!! My husband and I came here for our honeymoon and I cried after we got in the room! The room was gifted to us from a friend through her timeshare. It was dirty, I seriously felt like I was staying at a 5 dollar hooker hotel! We left to look for another room at another hotel and we found one thank goodness… when we got back there were cockroaches running on the counter of the kitchen!!! This is not how I wanted to spend my honeymoon! I wouldn’t give it any stars!!!

I’m giving this hotel 5 stars, not because it is a five star hotel but because of the price you pay and what it offers.
When me and wife go on vacation for more than 3 days, we look for a decent affordable room to save money to spend elsewhere. This hotel was perfect! No it does not have parking, but there is a paid parking lot on the street to your left side if you are facing the office, 12 $ for 12 hours, there was always at least 3 open spots. As in any place in Hawaii, dont leave valuables in your rental car. The room is very spacious for 2 people. The murphy bed isn’t all that great but after a long day at the beaches and a long nightout partying I swear the murphy bed feels like a sleep number!!! Which brings me to my next point, the Playbar is right down stairs so it can get a little noisy, (i will also be reviewing this club). The location is just amazing, specially if you like to go out at night, you have playbar downstairs, Maddogs Saloon and Upstairs Waikiki right across the street, plus other bars as wells. You also have a subway mini restaurant as soon as you walk outside. The best thing about this place IMO is the fact they have a kitchenette and a mini fridge, you have everything you need to cook small meals and pack some lunches. The bathroom is big, but the shower is tiny. The closet is also inside the bathroom (kinda weird), but it has a Huge mirror (a must for the ladies). You can check out boogie boards, lunch coolers, umbrellas and beach towels, your’e suppose to return them at the end of the day but I told the nice lady at reception that we were going to be nowhere near waikiki beaches for our stay, to which she replied that I can keep the items all week, big plus! They dont make up the rooms everyday, so keep it clean, please don’t complain about this, theres a reason why this hotel is such a low price. So all in all, we had a great experience at this hotel, but its not for everyone, specially for super picky people, come on you get what you pay for:)

Any second i thought Crocket and Tubbs were going to kick in the door and find five kilos of cocaine in the bathroom…
If hooker on hooker violence at 3am and bar fights spilling out onto the front doorstep of this hotel is what you’re after, then book now! This is your kind of place! No joke. As a security nut, I found myself checking stairwells and blind spots after about 9:30pm around this place.
Look, if you need a bed, a small fridge, and an air conditioner, this will do. The location is good (just across the street from the backside of the international marketplace and (more importantly) puka dog (now hula dog). Other than that, and the nice staff members, you can do better.

I don’t necessarily have any objections to this hotel. The only pit fall (Like everyone else said) is the parking. Prior to visiting, I gave the hotel a call and asked if there were any suggestions on parking lots close by. The woman suggested this guy that does deals with the hotel across the street. I jumped on the offer but when we got to the hotel, I met the guy and seemed HELLA SKETCHY. None the less, he did deliver and nothing went wrong throughout the trip.
The hotel is a few blocks from Waikiki beach, adjacent to a Starbucks, close to a few clubs, and extremely close to the international market. Keep your room and hotel entrance key on you at all times when you leave. Apparently they have a charge if the workers have to come back and let you onto the property.
The hotel was well kept and clean. Nothing fancy or anything. A hotel perfect for tourists to come back to, shower, sleep, shit, and leave.
There isn’t any wifi but like I said, there’s a Starbucks adjacent to the hotel. Also, there’s a small udon restaurant on the bottom floor that always is busy! I suggest that place if you’re nearly broke as a joke at the end of your trip!

It’s been four years, but not much has changed. The wifi is gone, so my little LG phone has become my facebook lifeline. Starbucks just across the street can be our internet rendezvous.

Two stars for the establishment and an extra star for the helpful front desk.
If you ever book this place through Priceline, make sure that you choose an EARLY FLIGHT — because this is a timeshare with rooms available to rent, there is no 24 hour concierge at your disposal and if you come in any time after 10, you WILL be locked out as we were. It’s a $ 45 fee to have a staff member commute from home to unlock the door for you, but because they obviously live elsewhere on the island, this could be as much as a 2 hour wait. We didn’t go this route, but that is another story for another review.
Décor is dated, but it’s clean, well kept, air conditioned, ceiling fan above the bed, the kitchenette has all the supplies you need (except a big salad bowl, but I was OK with making salad in a saucepan), front desk is helpful, beach equipment is free, location is central…
Cons: We had a couple of issues with our smoke detector randomly going off, and we could smell the cigarette smoke from people downstairs drifting upwards, Play Bar is in the same complex so you get some of the loud music and people chillin outside.
Take the $ 15 a day parking package, this is not a location where you want to drive around looking for parking.
Overall, you get what you pay for.