Travelers wishing to save money on their hotel in Waikiki should consider Hotwire as an option. In many cases, hotels often have excess capacity and sell of their rooms at low prices through liquidators such as Hotwire. However, it is important to note that when a hotel purchase is made on Hotwire, the reservation is non-refundable and cannot be changed. If you are considering purchasing your Waikiki hotel on Hotwire, it may be worth reading an introduction to Hotwire before bidding.
Overview of Hotwire In Waikiki
Getting Oriented: As Waikiki falls within the city limits of Honolulu, Waikiki falls within Honolulu on Hotwire. In Honolulu, there are 7 areas: one near the airport, one in downtown Honolulu and 5 in the tourist zones of Waikiki. In Waikiki, there are many different rental options for accommodation, and Hotwire is only one of them. It is well worth checking out the plethora of other options including vacation rentals etc. Although there are many choices, Hotwire quite often has the lowest price for hotels and is definitely worth considering.
Map of Waikiki showing the Hotwire neighborhoods.
Beware of Resort Fees: Resort fees are also very prevalent in Waikiki. In addition to the rental rate for your accommodation, many places are charging a resort fee of $30+ per night. This can add up quickly; a 2-week stay can cost an extra $500 is resort fees alone. Here is a list of hotels charging resort fees in Honolulu and Waikiki. It’s worth mentioning that the resort fees are not only applicable to Hotwire purchases but whatever method you use to book your hotel.
Hotwire Hotel Bidding Zones in Waikiki
As per the Waikiki Hotwire Map above, Waikiki is broken out into 5 different bidding zones (areas). Each of these areas has their own pros and cons.
Waikiki Marina: Located on the far west side of Waikiki, this area features a marina and is only a short stroll to the beach. If you can get a hotel close to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, you will do well in this bidding zone. The closest hotel to the Hilton is Ilikai Hotel. This older hotel has a pretty nice pool, views of the ocean, and just a short 5-minute walk to the Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon and fireworks, which take place every Friday night. There are a few other hotels nearby but some are found locations you’ll want to avoid. It is worthwhile to spend some time to identify the name of the hotel before using Hotwire in this bidding zone.
Upper Waikiki & Downtown Waikiki: These two areas offer good value. Hotels are further from the ocean and are therefore much better value. Depending on your budget, these areas are worth considering. One thing to note, however, is that the walk to the beach is 5 to 10 minutes. If you are ok with the tradeoff (cheaper hotels but further from the beach), these zones are worth consideration.
Lower Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head: On the east side of Waikiki toward Diamond Head, this bidding zone is perfect for anyone wanting to be on the periphery of Waikiki’s bustle while enjoying a bit of quietness and relaxation. Only a few hotels have been reported on HotelDealsRevealed as showing up in this bidding zone, and both of them quite nice — 4-star Aqua Lotus and Hilton Waikiki Beach. One thing to be aware of: many of the hotels in this area are not immediately on the beach. Look for the symbol in the hotel amenity listing on Hotwire that says “near the beach” versus “beach front”.
Waikiki Beach: This is generally where most people who come to Waikiki want to stay. From the north end of Waikiki Beach (Hilton Hawaiin Village) to the south (Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel), this stretch commands the vast majority of Waikiki waterfront. Prices can be expensive here, but then again, that’s why you’re using Hotwire.
How Do I Identify My Hotwire Hotel In Waikiki
If you’re considering reserving a hotel in Waikiki on Hotwire, it will be helpful to you if you can learn the name of the hotel before bidding. In many cities where you’re staying for a few nights on a business trip, a hotel located within a general vicinity is okay. But in Waikiki, I highly recommend you try to reveal your hotel name before bidding because a hotel could be right on the doorsteps of the most popular beach in the world, or it could be a half mile away. It would suck if you got to the beach only to realize you forgot your sunscreen.
For anyone trying to reveal their Hotwire hotel, I recommend the following approach:
- Check out the Waikiki Hotwire Hotel List. This is a list of hotels reported to be available on Hotwire based on the Hotwire Forum. Simply compare the list with what Hotwire is offering and look for a match. Find a hotel in the same area with similar amenities and hotel rating, you probably have a match.
- Ask for help identifying your hotel on the Hotwire forum for Hawaii. Forum members are a bunch of Hotwire enthusiasts who would love nothing more than to help you ID your hotel.
- Help others identify their hotel. The idea here is that we all help each other and through our collective knowledge we are a smarter and better bidding community. You can help by signing up to the forum and participating in Hotwire discussion, or by simply sharing your winning bid.
Enjoy your travels, in Hawaii or wherever you find yourself.