Our 10 night Hawaii vacation was anchored by a 5 night stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach.
Zuzu and I had never been to Hawaii so when we saw a 30% sale on Southwest Airlines, we knew we would be able to afford the airfare. But where to stay?
Hotels in Hawaii aren’t cheap so we had to find a Hyatt where we could use points along with my Hyatt Globalist status to stay for free and, hopefully, eat for free.
Spoiler alert:
We got a 5 night stay in Honolulu worth $2,373 at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach for FREE by redeeming 100,000 Hyatt points (20k points per night).
Why Stay at the Hyatt Waikiki Beach?
Best Hyatt Location on Waikiki Beach
There are 3 Hyatt properties in Honolulu but only the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa is beach front. It’s immediately across Kalakaua Avenue from the most famous spot on Waikiki Beach.
Nothing but palm trees between the hotel and the beach.
On the other hand, the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach is a 4 minute walk to the beach.
For our final night in Hawaii, we stayed at the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach for less than 7 hours. It was also about a 4 minute walk to Waikiki Beach.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Address
Want to map yourself to the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach? The street address is 2424 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone number is 808-923-1234.
Best Hyatt Points Redemption on Waikiki Beach
If you’re looking exclusively at the value of Hyatt Points (we weren’t), here’s the breakdown per night for the 3 Hyatts in Honolulu:
| Cash | Points | Value/Point | |
| HR Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa | $246 | 20k | 1.2 cents |
| Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach | $235 | 15k | 1.6 cents |
| Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach | $294 | 12k | 2.5 cents |
First impression says that you should stay at the Hyatt Place to maximize your World of Hyatt points value in Honolulu.
That would be a BIG mistake.
First, the Hyatt Place is further from the beach with no beach view.
Second, compare the Hyatt Place’s view of the city to the view of Waikiki Beach from the Hyatt Regency. Or rather, there is NO comparison.
And third, you won’t get a resort experience at the Hyatt Place.
Finally, focusing on the published point value doesn’t consider the available upgrades if you are Discoverist, Explorist or Globalist in the Hyatt loyalty program.
Best Hyatt for Globalists in Honolulu
As a Globalist, Zuzu and I got free parking, free food & drink in the Regency Club Lounge, and a free room upgrade at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach.
If you’re not a Hyatt Globalist, you can buy that room upgrade & club access for $180/night + tax & fees. Valet parking was $300 (+tax) or you could self park for just $250. So that’s ~$1500 value right there.
That brings the value per point from 1.2 cents to 2.7 cents. Most people value Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents so 2.7 is a strong redemption rate at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa in Honolulu.
While it might not be the best Hyatt in Hawaii, it’s easily the best Hyatt in Honolulu.
Other Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Reviews
Our research to find the best Hyatt in Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach area looked at several other reviews. Here are the 4 reviews of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach that were most helpful.
- Miles to Memories – most comprehensive of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki reviews
- The Miles Genie – List of all the best Hyatt in Hawaii properties
- Golden Age Traveling – great perspective from Martha
- Single Flyer – Alan has lots of great pictures
Booking
There were 17 different room prices available when I was booking the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach. Here are the cash prices for the room I booked and the cash price of the room that we stayed in with my Globalist upgrade.
If you’re booking with cash, the boking process on Hyatt.com is pretty intuitive. Just decide what room type that you want and follow the prompts.
If you’re booking with points (like I was), you need to select “View Points” and find availability. As with most Hyatt properties, they only have so much inventory available for booking with points.
Redeeming Points
I typically don’t keep alot of points in my World of Hyatt account. So I transferred points from my Chase Ultimate Rewards account to have the 100,000 points needed for this 5 night stay.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Location
Like I said, the location was a major reason for booking the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach vs the other Hyatt properties in Honolulu.
The Hyatt is right across the street from the most famous part of Waikiki Beach. Cross Kalakaua Avenue and you’re right at the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue (Duke’s the father of international surfing) and the Stones of Life.
There are some buildings on the actual beach but they stop just before the Hyatt. Check out the picture I took from our lanai that shows the Westin Moana Surfrider and the Honolulu Police Department.
There are no buildings on the south side of the HPD building so there’s nothing but palm trees and beach when you look at Waikiki Beach from the Hyatt.
The view from the Regency Club and the Shor Restaurant was super. Some pics of that below in my section about the Regency Club.
Lobby Checkin
After a long day of travel from Nashville, we arrived at 9:30 pm. There was almost no line at the registration desk.
There was a dedicated line for World of Hyatt members.
Checkin was fast & efficient. We got a friendly welcome, a thank you for being a Globalist and we were told about the Regency Club.
Although we never used their services, the concierge and activities desk was right across from the main registration front desk.
Here’s a list of activities they emailed to me shortly before our visit.
Ocean View Room
As I mentioned earlier, we booked a basic Waikiki City View room but were upgraded to an Ocean View room on the 31st floor.
While not massive, the 500 square foot room had plenty of room for the 2 of us.
Besides, this is Hawaii. We weren’t in the room much anyway.
When we were in the room, everything was fine.
The décor of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Ocean View Room is a bit dated but perfectly functional. The air conditioner was intuitive and worked well. There was a safe and a coffee maker which went unused by us.
Our standard closet included slippers, an iron & ironing board, an extra pillow, hangers and a collapsible luggage rack. We didn’t use the rack since we only had our pair of carry on bags.
We try to avoid checked baggage so as to not spend extra time at the 10 airport stops on this trip.
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach should be complimented on 2 things in the closet.
First, the robes were lightweight kimono style vs the heavy terry cotton that most hotels offer. They were very comfortable.
Second, while it’s not uncommon to get a reusable bag in a Hyatt, this bag was larger & nicer than average. We used it throughout our 3 island trip and were happy to have it.
Be aware that stores in Hawaii do not provide single use bags. If you need a bag, stores sell reusable bags.
Bathroom
The bathroom, like the room, was fine with one notable exception.
The single vanity had plenty of space for the two of us. There was a makeup mirror, hair dryer, tissues and the expected towels.
The tub and shower were clean and had good water pressure.
Bathroom Amenities
We liked the Coco Mango scent of the shampoo & body wash from Na Hoola Spa.
Bidet with Heated Toilet Seat
I’ve been wondering when we’d have our first bidet experience. Thanks to the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach for expanding our horizons with this new bathroom experience.
If you don’t know what a bidet is, it’s essentially a little squirt of water to clean your privates after doing your business on the toilet.
I’m pretty sure this Toto Washlet was the mack daddy of bidets as it came with a remote to control:
- Water Temperature
- Water Volume/Strength
- Water Targeting
- Pulsating & Oscillating Water
- Dryer with Air Strength & Temperature Settings
- Seat Temperature
- User 1 & User 2 Memory Settings
After 5 days with our fancy bidet, we’re just about ready to get one at home. And if there’s another supply chain toilet paper shortage, we’ll be ready!
View from our Room
From our room’s lanai, we had a great view of the beach and the beach front action along Waikiki Beach.
Yes, we’re across the street (Kalakaua Avenue) from the beach. I’m normally disappointed to not be on the beach, but 2 things:
First, there’s nothing but beach across from our tower at the Hyatt. No buildings, just beach.
Second, our room on the 31st floor was high enough that you had to really try to see the street from our balcony. We had a great sight line to the beach and ocean while in our room or while we were outside on the balcony.
Centered around the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue, this is probably the most iconic section of Waikiki Beach so there were alot of people there.
Not as crowded as a busy Florida beach like on a holiday weekend at Hyatt Regency Clearwater, but it was a long way from “deserted.”
Every day, we saw a large number of surfers in the water just off Waikiki Beach. The gentle waves looked like it would be a good place to learn to surfboard.
Breakfast
One of my favorite perks as a Hyatt Globalist (Elite) is the free breakfast.
At Hyatt properties that do not have a Regency Club, which is most Hyatts, Globalists get a full, free breakfast from the main hotel restaurant.
At a nice Hyatt, the bill for Zuzu and me to have breakfast can easily be $50 or $100. So we really value this free breakfast perk.
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki was the first Hyatt we’ve been to with an open Regency Club. After hearing so much about the clubs, we were really looking forward to comparing a Regency Club to what we had experienced at other Hyatts.
Waikiki Beach Regency Club
On the third floor, walk thru the Shor Restaurant to get to the Regency Club doors. You’ll need a key card with Club level access to get in.
There’s a small front desk inside the Regency Club but it was never staffed during our 5 night stay.
While the prime outdoor seating spots were often full, there were always plenty of seats inside.
If you don’t care about that, there was never a wait for a seat. We waited a couple of times simply because we wanted to eat outside every time.
As I said, this was our first Regency Club so I had no point of reference for comparison.
In some ways, I liked the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Club Lounge less than an average free Globalist breakfast. But it was better in several ways than the average free Hyatt breakfast.
Not As Good as Globalist Breakfast
While the food was good, it was not as good as I’ve had at most high end Hyatt properties. There wasn’t anything that was bad, there just wasn’t anything exceptional or memorable.
This is especially true compared to the free breakfast at the Andaz Maui. The Ka’ana Kitchen at the 5 star Andaz Maui is, by far, the best free Globalist breakfast we’ve ever had.
There also wasn’t much of a selection.
For example, the Waikiki Regency Club breakfast had eggs, sausage OR bacon, deli ham, cheese, sliced fruit, a small salad bar and a few pastries.
Rice and miso soup were also available all day long in the Club lounge.
Compare that to the Hyatt Regency Waikiki’s Shor Restaurant breakfast buffet which had about 4-5 times as many choices.
Better Than Globalist Breakfast
On the other hand, the Regency Club allowed us to seriously lower our overall food budget on Oahu.
Instead of just breakfast, we could eat in the Regency Club for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And there was an after dinner snack available until late night.
For example, one night we had a very nice asparagus soup, chicken on a stick, egg rolls and a pasta salad.
The Regency Club also had free drinks including soda in cans with a limit of 2 per person.
They were also happy to provide to-go boxes.
This meant that we were able to compile a significant stockpile of food and drinks. We packed these along as we ventured out across the island of Oahu to the Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor and North Shore.
Anyone can buy club access (and a room upgrade) for $180/night plus taxes.
I’m confident that that the Regency Club saved us $500 in food and drink over our 5 nights in Honolulu.
Pool
On the other end of the third floor from the Regency Club, the pool shared the club’s great view of Waikiki Beach.
The pool did get a little crowded but it was never crazy. At night, the tiki torches made it feel like we were in Hawaii… oh, right!
Hot Tub
There was an elevated hot tub next to the pool. On one night, we saw some live entertainment between the pool and hot tub.
Free Towels & Beach Chairs
There was a stand next to the pool where you could get towels for the pool and for the beach. The towels were big and fluffy, very good quality. And they gave you as many as you wanted!
While the Hyatt didn’t provide beach service on the public beach, I was impressed that they loaned high quality, folding beach chairs for free.
On the day that we explored North Shore, we took 2 beach chairs and 8 towels. Big mahalo to the Hyatt for making this part of our Hawaiian vacation so easy and so nice!
Swim Pool Bar
Immediately next to the Hyatt’s pool was the Swim Bar.
While most people were getting their drinks and food out by the pool, there was indoor bar seating with TV’s and some bar game tables.
Parking
Parking in any big city is expensive and Honolulu is no exception.
Options for parking at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach start at $50/night (before tax) for self parking. Valet parking is just $10 more at $60.
As a Hyatt Globalist redeeming free nights, we got free valet parking which saved ~$300.
Laundry
When we packed for our 10 night Hawaii trip, we decided to pack light into just 1 carry-on bag each. Having a laundry in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki made it easy to avoid taking a checked bag.
5 Washers and Dryers
The Hyatt’s laundry is on the 4th floor. There are 5 front loading dryers stacked on top of 5 front loading washing machines.
There was never a wait for a washer & dryer at the guest laundry. All washers and dryers accepted credit cards.
2 Soap Dispensers
The laundromat had 2 Soap Centers which sold Tide detergent and Bounce fabric softeners. One machine took quarters and the one I used accepted my World of Hyatt credit card. Despite the signs, they did not sell bleach or laundry bags.
Hmmm, I wonder if these charges categorized as Hyatt? I’d LOVE to get 10.5 Hyatt points for every dollar we spent in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki laundry!
Pualeilani Atrium Shops
On the 2 lower floors of the Hyatt Waikiki, the Pualeilani Atrium Shops consist of about 60 shops & restaurants in a huge open air atrium.
We ate at Furusatu Sushi and liked it pretty well. We also shopped in 2 of the 3 ABC stores in the mall. Although we didn’t ever make it there for dinner, Kirin Restaurant was highly recommended by 2 of the wonderful Hyatt Waikiki staffers that we met.
Globalist Benefits
As I said, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki is the best Hyatt for Globalists in Honolulu. Here’s a full run down of Globalist benefits at this hotel.
Globalist Recognition
The on-site Hyatt Globalist experience usually starts with the front desk recognizing your status. At minimum, there should be a “Thank you for being a World of Hyatt Globalists” and an explanation of Globalist benefits at the hotel.
For most people, it’s not easy to earn Globalist status and part of the benefit is that Hyatt usually shows appreciates that I favor Hyatt over other hotel brands.
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki staff did a good job with this.
Room Upgrade
We booked a King Bed with Waikiki City Views room with Hyatt points which costs $216/night before taxes & fees. With Globalist status, we recievewd an upgrade to a King Bed Ocean Front View with Club Access, worth $180/night more.
Resort Fees
The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa charges a resort fee of $42/night. This resort fee includes:
- Premium WiFi – no issues
- 2 souvenir Hyatt Waikiki water bottles – these were pretty nice
- Re-usable Hyatt Regency Waikiki tote bag -came in very handy since stores charge for bags in Honolulu
- Biki Bike bicycle $4 per person credit – didn’t use this
- Frozen treats at the pool – didn’t spend any time at the pool
- Discounted surfing lessons & beach equipment rental -we didn’t use these discounts
- Cultural activities like lei making, hula lessons, ukelele lessons – didn’t make time for these
- Stayfit Gym access
- GOPro usage – I have a GoPro so didn’t need this
- Use of beach amenities and chairs – this was great. Nice chairs that we took all over Oahu.
- Use of beach toys for children – didn’t use
The $42 resort fee was waived for us by my Globalist status. That’s >$200 savings.
Earning Hyatt Points
We spent ZERO dollars on our 5 night stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa. But if we had spent anything, we would have gotten a 30% bonus in Hyatt points from Globalist Status.
Faster Internet
The resort fee (free for Globalists) covers Premium Wifi. I don’t think there was a faster Wifi for Globalists.
Free Bottled Water
Yep. There was free bottled water in our room, replenished each day. And we often grabbed an extra water or Coke in the Regency Lounge.
Elite Check-in
There was a dedicated checkin line at the front desk for guests with any World of Hyatt status. There was never much of a line so we didn’t need to use this to save any registration time.
Late Checkout
As Globalists, we were offered a late checkout. But we had an early flight to see the Volcano on the Big Island, so we didn’t need late check out.
Regency Club Access
Since we only started traveling recently, this was the first time we’ve stayed at a Hyatt with an open lounge.
It was nice to have a place to goto and we probably saved several hundred dollars by eating alot of the free Regency Club food & drink.
Free Breakfast
As I detailed earlier, we had a free breakfast every day in the Hyatt Regency Club Lounge.
Free Parking
As Globalists, we received the $50/night parking for free. The valet service was pretty good. Only had to wait a little on average.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Review: 4 of 5
We loved our visit at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach in Honolulu!
The location and Aloha hospitality was great! So what keeps me from giving a coveted 5 star review? 2 things:
First, the room was a little too small and dated. There was no real problem but the room just didn’t have a 5 star feel to it.
Second, while we very much enjoyed and appreciated the Regency Club, the quality and selection of food and drink was a little disappointing. Maybe my expectations were too high but that’s what I thought.
The Bottom Line: Would We Visit Again?
If we’re looking for a Hyatt in Honolulu, we’d love to enjoy another stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach. It’s the best Hyatt in Honolulu!
But would we stay here if it wasn’t free and we didn’t get the Globalist perks? Probably not.
There are plenty of other nice resorts in the Honolulu area that we’d like to explore if we have the chance.
How to Stay for Free at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach
Our 5 night stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach in Honolulu (worth $2,373) was FREE by redeeming 100,000 Hyatt points (20k points per night).
There are 3 different ways that you can earn 100,000 Hyatt points to get a free hotel in Hawaii like we did. Join the World of Hyatt loyalty program and earn Hyatt points by:
- Staying at Hyatt
- Getting a Hyatt Credit Card
- Getting a Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Card
For most people, the best approach is to get 2 credit cards and earn at least 100,000 points via signup bonuses in about 6 months.
First, a World of Hyatt credit card.
You can earn Hyatt points with either The World of Hyatt Credit Card which is a personal card or with the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.
If the signup bonus is 60,000 points on a Hyatt card, you’ll earn 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach for free after you’ve spent $3,000 on the card in 3 months.
For Zuzu & me, it was pretty easy to put at least $1000 of spending on a new credit card like this.
Don’t buy anything that you wouldn’t already purchase. Just put your normal spending on this new card.
Click here to learn more about the Hyatt credit card.
Second, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card.
If the Chase Sapphire Preferred signup bonus is 60,000 points, you’ll earn 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach for free after you’ve spent $4,000 on the card in 3 months.
Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Once you earn the Chase points, just transfer them to your World of Hyatt account when you’re ready to book your free stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach.
That’s what I did once I found dates that had award availability at the hotel and that we could travel to Hawaii!
A Quick Disclaimer
First things first, if you can’t pay off a credit card on-time, every single month, DO NOT get any credit card. The interest and fees will quickly outpace any benefit that you get from this credit card (or from any other credit card).
Second, if you click through my link and get a credit card, I will get a refer-a-friend bonus or a commission. By recommending what we think to be good deals like this, WE GET TO TRAVEL now that we’re empty nesters.
More from our 1st Hawaii Trip
Read more about our Hawaii Trip that only cost a total of $2,355 for flights, food, hotels, rental cars and entertainment:
- Hawaii 10 Night Trip in February
- Polynesian Cultural Center Review
- Pearl Harbor Visit
- Road to Hana
- Volcano House Lodge Review
- Andaz Maui Review
- Pools at the Andaz Maui
- Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach Review
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