I went to Hawaii with some family and stayed 5 nights at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki in the Mountain View Suite. The property is a bit dated and lacks dining options. On the flip side, the property staff was friendly. The property is centrally located and gives a more boutique. In the past, I have always stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, so it was an interesting change of scenery. Here’s the full review.
Location
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki has been my go to hotel in Oahu for several years. Lacking suite avialability, I pivoted and booked 5 nights at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki. The hotel is located about 5 blocks away from the regency and a block away from the beach. The property sits nearby the International Marketplace with nearly unlimited dining choices nearby.
From the HNL Airport, it is roughly a 25 minute Uber to the hotel. The property is a bit hidden with only a small entrance. It can be a bit hard to find during the evening.
Check In
Maybe I’m starting a new trend, but this is the second property in a row that has the lobby on the second floor. A few weeks back, I stayed at the Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile Chicago which also has it’s lobby on the second floor. Both properties were of the Hyatt Centric brand and both lobbies well decorated and something about the lobby being a floor up means there less debris or traffic. Overall check in was a breeze and within a couple of minute I was well on my way to the Mountain View King Suite.
The Room
The room was configured in a strange manner. Since this was a suite, we had a living room which was actually a smaller room at the far end of our room which had a couch and tv. The main area was the bedroom which was on the smaller side but well furnished and clean. This is where things get even wierder. For no good reason, the bed and most of the furniture is angled, while the TV is mounted flat on the wall and immovable. This means that watching anything on TV, you had to sit at an awkward angle.
The suite was on the smaller side, but had a modern bathroom and sprawling views of the mountains behind Waikiki Beach. The room also included a standard Keurig machine, which honestly more difficult to use than expected. The machine had a long warm up time which was a bit odd for a single use Keurig machine.
Amenities
The property had a small gym where I did a light workout one morning, There was a small selection of cardio machines, dumbbells up to 50lbs. and a single bench. For a smaller boutique property, the selection was fine, but it would be great to add an additional bench. During the morning, a few guest would come in, see the bench being used and leave.
Although I have World of Hyatt Globalist Elite Status which included complementary breakfast, the on-site dining option has been closed since the pandemic with no plans to reopen. I received bonus Hyatt points as compensation.
Overall Thoughts
The Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach is certainly an interesting property that is a solid option for Hyatt enthusiast. The hotel is small and gives off a true boutique feel on a strip that’s filled with giant chains.
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