Accommodations Tips
1. Traveling with Children
Hawai’i is a family friendly place. Restaurants offer keiki (child) menus, and the resort hotels have keiki programs to keep the kids busy while the adults relax. In most hotels, small children can stay in their parents’ room at no extra charge. Condos are a good, less expensive choice for families.
2. Visitors with Disabilities
Hawai’i extends a warm aloha to travelers with disabilities. Due in large part to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), hotels, restaurants, and attractions provide wheelchair ramps, special parking places, and accessible restrooms. Braille translations of elevator button panels and other important signs are commonplace.
3. Hidden Extras
Accommodations are subject to a sales tax and room tax, so be prepared for an additional 14 percent on your bill. Most accommodations charge more than the standard rate for phone calls, faxes, and internet access. There may also be a daily parking charge.
4. Rates
At the low end of the spectrum are campsite permits, and at the high end are luxury resort suites, villas, and bungalows. Mid-price range hotel rooms are about $250 a night, while one-bedroom condos are about $200. Inns and B&Bs often have lovely rooms for $100 to $150 a night.
5. Travel Packages
Travel packages typically include air and ground transportation and accommodations; some even include inter-island travel, activities, and some meals. The price usually depends on the accommodations and size of rental vehicle.
6. Deciphering Local Descriptions
The description “oceanfront” means you will have a panoramic and unobstructed view of the blue Pacific. And you will, of course, pay a premium for it. Other descriptions include “ocean view” and “partial ocean view”. You will not be able to see the ocean from a “garden” or “mountain view room.” Some rooms have no view at all.
7. Discounts
Frequent flier programs, corporate identification cards, and fraternal organization memberships are just a few of the ways you can avail yourself of discounted room rates. The websites of chain hotels will often offer these kinds of deals, and so will many travel agents.
8. Reservation Services
Most of the resort hotels are part of famous chains, and reservations can easily be made on-line. Travel agents can book most accommodations available. Many hotels, condos, inns, and B&Bs have their own websites and accept reservations directly. The O’ahu Visitors Bureau can also help.
9. Tips & Taxes
Tipping hotel personnel is usual – averages are $2 to $3 a day for housekeepers, $1 to $2 for parking valets, $1 to $2 per piece of luggage for baggage handlers, and 15 percent for room service servers. Most guests tip the concierge, as well, if they use their services. Everything in Hawai’i – all goods and services – is subject to 4 percent sales tax (4.5 percent in O’ahu). Hotels also charge a room tax of 9.25 percent
10. Laundry & Dry Cleaning
All the resort hotels offer laundry and dry cleaning services, but these are usually very expensive. Most condominium complexes have coin-operated laundries on the property; it will cost a few dollars per load to wash and dry. There are also coin-operated laundromats scattered around the island.
