The Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach has been famous as one of the two worst Hyatt properties for playing games to prevent points redemptions. However a last minute trip had me heading to Honolulu and needing a place to stay for several nights. I found a cash rate that was less than $200, and there would be no resort fee as a Globalist – so the price was very right compared to other options available.
They call it a resort but I’m not sure that it really is. There’s almost no service of any kind. There is a restaurant associated with the hotel only sort of. It’s not on the beach. And there’s just a small wading pool. It’s an urban building with no resort grounds. Still, it’s a few blocks from the beach and an easy walk. It fit the bill.
The first thing to know about the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach is that not only have they done their best for years to avoid allowing points redemptions, with a limited number of rooms on offer only for specific lengths of stay, but they do not honor Globalist breakfast.
- They claim that their restaurant is closed. It never re-opened after Covid.
- But there is a restaurant that they advertise in the elevator. You can charge things back to your room. It’s not inside the hotel proper.
- Despite the ability to charge to your room, they do not honor points-earning for your spend there.
- I asked Hyatt weeks ago whether this was compliant with the program, and with brand standards, and they did not respond.
Instead they provide 1,000 World of Hyatt bonus points per night in lieu of breakfast. That’s worth about $14, which is miserly when it’s breakfast for one. For a family of three or four it’s downright absurd. I had to chase down points in lieu of breakfast after the stay.
Also, don’t expect service at this hotel. Housekeeping was very friendly when I saw them, which was only sometimes. They didn’t always come, and didn’t come when requested either. I needed some luggage assistance, and I called several hours in advance to set up the time. I also followed up closer to the time. They never came, and I managed to get things down the hall and into the elevator myself.
Still, there were some real high points.
- Even though they are a resort, so 4 p.m. elite check-out is subject to availability, they were willing to confirm it for me in advance – very helpful since I’d be on a 7 p.m. flight out.
- My wife and daughter were with me. My daughter joined me at the check-in desk, which is seven floors up. They have fish behind the check-in desk. There were 3 fish bowls there when we arrived (though at other times during our stay they did not have any). They will lend you a fish for your stay, delivering it to your room along with instructions and fish food. My daughter was over the moon.
The room was basic but comfortable. I paid $30 extra to confirm a city view suite which was really just a small room attached to the living room that had a sofa bed and television and which closed off with a sliding door – so perfect for my daughter to sleep.
The hotel’s pool area is small, but was uncrowded while I was there. It is 3 feet deep in the hot tub but otherwise nowhere deeper than a foot and a half and in some places less than a foot.
There’s a Starbucks Reserve in the lobby and it opens a 4 a.m., which is great when you’re coming from a time zone five hours ahead.
Ultimately I’d say that I got my money’s worth for the stay, if I simply pretended it wasn’t a Hyatt and accepted that service and program benefits just aren’t part of this hotel’s DNA. It’s a nice enough room in the heart of Waikiki easily walkable to the beach, and they have fish to lend you. I guess the fish are what make it, in their telling, a boutique hotel.
Proof the grass isn’t greener on the other side. While they offered you 1,000 points for no Globalist breakfast benefit, there is no requirement under Hyatt terms for compensation. While Marriott is hardly great, you can at least claim compensation of $100.00 if the hotel does not offer you a choice of breakfast or at properties in some brands a choice of breakfast or 750 points per day. Even with Joe Biden’s inflation, $100 is still significant. It’s enough of a penalty to force most owners or franchisees to open their restaurant or club lounge.
And … I don’t think I have EVER received points at a Hyatt property for restaurant food or drink spending. Hyatt just claims this isn’t eligible spending.
$230 for a decent enough looking suite in Waikiki? Not bad. At least you should get the points for the cost of the room and qualifying nights.
Great review Gary. I love the fact your reviews are to the point and not filled with useless information. Great pictures as well.
Very confusing. Knowing in advance that this hotel doesn’t follow the rules of the brand’s points game, you go there anyway and complain about it? Seems like you got a good price and value and your child loved the fishbowl thing.
I’ve recently moved into a job offering a lot of international travel and am a total noob about building up and using points so I was hoping this site would provide advice and reviews so I could make some good travel decisions.
What exactly is the purpose of posts like this?
Taking one for the team staying there
For 150 I would probably stay there too 200 prob not
So you had fresh goldfish in a glass bowl for your non existent breakfast?
How did your thousand points taste you had to chase down?
And you paid for your upgrade
You could nave used 20,000 points and gotten more ripped off
and paid 360 dollars a night approx value what the points are worth
Hyatt ain’t what it used to be
Did I say this properties gym sucks too?
Ok granted for 200 bucks it’s ok.but still better newer property choices for a bit more and a proper elite breakfast evening out some of the price difference.
BTW they probably own Basalt lol
I find the fact that hotels and airlines are more and more “shortchanging” their elites. Perhaps they are not so subtly telling you that your allegence is not really that important anymore.
I am most amused reading about elites ranting and raving how their “importance” counts for a diminishing value. And to think, much of this value comes from the employers paying for your business trips.
Globalist entitles you to breakfast inclusive of tip. Eat at Basalt, pay the bill, note the amount. When you check out of the hotel, tell (do not ask) the clerk to remove the Basalt amount from your folio. When they say they don’t do that, say to the clerk, “I understand this is not your fault, you’re doing what your supervisor wants. I am certain Globalist includes breakfast. If you cannot remove the charge, I can do it myself later by chargeback, but that costs the hotel extra.” The clerk might comp you breakfast right then and there. And if not, file a partial chargeback claiming duplicate charge.
@Andy St. Onge “Knowing in advance that this hotel doesn’t follow the rules of the brand’s points game, you go there anyway and complain about it? …What exactly is the purpose of posts like this?”
For people to know what to expect.
I am not complaining, I knew what to expect, I even say that I got my money’s worth – but I am sharing the experience because that is what I do here?
” I was hoping this site would provide advice and reviews so I could make some good travel decisions.”
Then isn’t that exactly what you got? 😉
Not a bad location, and a great rate.
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani to me is the ultimate non-beachfront Waikiki location. It is quite dated – all attempts to tear down and replace over 20+ years have been defeated – but they provide good rate opportunities and honor Bonvoy benefits. I like the Princess Tower, corner room, 2-side balcony, pool view which also has ocean views.
I always take the redeye back to the mainland, and typically rent a car on the last day and go see some part of the island.
I was there a few months ago and 2 of the 4 elevators were out of service. It caused extremely long waits!
Some IHG hotels do something like this to IHG Diamonds: “our restaurant hasn’t opened since the pandemic, so here are 600 points as your Diamond amenity”. This includes some IHG hotels that even sell breakfast-inclusive rates at a premium over rates for the very same room types without breakfast.
@st.onge, au contraire
rather than write a hearsay article he *investigated* to *confirm for himself*
@sfo/ewr
/sam kinison to rodney dangerfield: “i like the way you think”
How is it possible to not lose the hyatt branding here? They’re not following the terms of their contract
@ Gary — Hotels suck so much in Hawaii that I don’t even want to go there. This is a perfect example.
gary – please write an article on honolulu hotels that don’t suck – it would be highly appreciated
Nice review Gary. I believe I had that same room a couple years ago. A nice area and that Basalt restaurant is great but the lack of customer service and Globalist benefits is ridiculous. I won’t stay there again until they adjust their policies towards Globalists. I complained to corporate which got me 5000 bonus points I believe. But every time I see someone ask about it on Reddit I highly encourage people not to stay there. I wish I could discuss with their General Manager but they probably just don’t care.
Rough property. My sympathy.
Gary,
Have you approached your concierge about the breakfast issue? It would be helpful to know how/when concierges can provide assistance and to hear of experiences using them. Mine is extremely helpful though I’ve not had any breakfast problems.
@Tom Zook – there’s really nothing a concierge can do in the moment about this property, and hyatt corporate did not respond to my inquiry.
Thank you for the hotel update. I was planning on staying there over the holidays. I will stay elsewhere!
My “trick” for earning points on food and beverage spend, is to book a rate that included a daily food & beverage credit. Those rates are usually significantly higher but so is the # of points earned and if you have your AA advantage account linked, you get their loyalty points too.
You complain about the lack of breakfast, but there was an entire bowl of fish for the taking in the lobby. . .
@Gary, I recall the Pritzker family, who owns Hyatt, bankrolling anti-Israel groups last spring. I figured you would’ve shunned all Hyatt spending as a result.
@SFO/EWR – the chargeback attempt would likely be disputed by the hotel, especially since Hyatt isn’t requiring them to comply. Also they will say you got points instead. Bottom line yhe chargeback would almost certainly not be successful. Not sure if Hyatt does this but some hotels and airlines will close accounts of people that attempt chargebacks and confiscate points (which are owned by the airline/hotel company and not the traveler). Bottom line a chargeback attempt at a hotel where you have status and points is the ABSOLUTE last thing you should ever do.
@FNT Delta Diamond
I went through 22 folios last week and pummeled my ” globalist” rep
They alleged that corporate compliance and “IT” are involved.
Granted… thats BULL this is my 4th rep so far this “Globalist” year .
Hyatt has never in my experience been good with IT
What a bunch of whiners here. If you need breakfast, go down the street to Dukes Lane, or go to the HR. This Globalist stays here every other week for business and it is perfectly fine. I always get an upgraded room and the staff is good IMO. It has a better self-park garage than the HR and it does not have as nearly of a crazy atmosphere as the HR. This Centric is more in-line with being a business hotel than being a resort hotel. If you need a resort hotel, go to one of the beachfront hotels in Waikiki. It is a lot better than the nearby Hyatt Place (or the PK) imo.
@ D.A. — It is NOT “perfectly fine” to be denied promised benefits.
Another insufferable entitled review. So over it. Glad to see your site hasn’t changed over the years.
@ FNT—it’s trump and the pandemic responsible for this so-called inflation you’re whining about. Actually inflation has come waaay down with Biden in office.
Why would anyone want to stay in a quote unquote resort in Waikiki that wasn’t on the beach?
These comments are insane. Jeff correctly points out (as has been repeated on FT for years) that this Centric doesn’t have a restaurant–a clear violation of the brand. And the 1k/night points offer in lieu is a complete joke and even more proof this hotel owner has gotten away with murder.
I’ve generally found that Hyatt does a decent job of policing its hotels, once alerted, but this is nuts.
My family of four just stayed here in June and absolutely loved it! I don’t have status so idk what that would really include, but I’ll tell you what we loved:
Spacious room and gigantic bathrooms.
Our second stay we got a soaking tub, first stay we did not.
Japanese toilet both stays.
Mochi and Pua the fish joined us on our stays.
Rentals for towels, beach chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards, and even a GoPro for the beach.
There’s a great hole-in-the-wall food court across the street in the alley with a place called Betty’s Burgers, which has “the best burgers in the world”according to my 9yo, and an assortment of other stalls. He ate there every day.
Thanks for the review! As much as I love Hyatt, 1,000 points is bush league (it used to be 500, so I guess they raised it).
With how high prices are in Honolulu — especially touristy Waikiki Beach — a free breakfast is needed, although that cash rate does seem reasonable.
Appreciate the review. FWIW, putting aside the issue of receiving (or not) Hyatt benefits, the price for your room seems to compare favorably with similarly-situated hotels I’ve stayed at in HNL, e.g., Vive Hotel Waikiki and Surfjack.
Fair review Gary. Seems to be a nice hotel for the price when the Hale Koa Hotel is not available.
I think Alan Z is absolutely correct and I might add that after Covid they realized their business really didn’t depend on subsidizing elites.
Gary, time is rough? Are you saving like you’re suggesting pilots should? AI will also replace low grade level reporters such as you.
Did the COVID funding end? No more free money from SBA to sponsor your pool reports? Watch out you might be gaining more lbs from the low quality food you’re about to consume
@Pilot A – why do you keep hallucinating things in the comments across different posts?
Why should the hotel honor elite status if elites will still spend their money without receiving the benefits to which they are entitled?
Elites who tolerate bad service incentivize mismanaged hotels to mistreat future elite customers.
I thought this hotel had stopped playing games to prevent points redemptions? I just checked several dates in the next few months and all had standard rooms available on points.
I stayed here for 2 nights as a Globalist on FNCs back in Jan when it was still Cat 4. While they absolutely should be held to account to honor the free breakfast, there is enough good breakfast food on O’ahu that I would never have eaten at the hotel anyway so I came out ahead with the 1,000 points.
I am genuinely curious why more properties don’t pull this trick, since Hyatt clearly shows them it can be done.
And you managed to get your bags upstairs…congrag on that…..
@ Jim Worall
Brilliant statement of yours
as elites allow hotels abusive behavior towards their best customers
we’ve seen Hyatt allow poorer quality breakfasts,no breakfasts,breakfast stinginess,charges for upgrades to suites,hotels blocking standard rooms for points etc
While raising daily rates and massively devaluing points by overcharging for redemptions
For those that rollover and play dead and not speak up means in the end that lousier experiences/stays await those
who have earned their status butt in bed with large amounts of spending and loyalty