|
TheBuzz
Erika Engle
|
Hawaii hotels earn ‘Best Value’ ranking from guests
Two Hawaii hotels have made the first Top 100 Best Values ranking as compiled by Budget Travel magazine and the Trip-Advisor travel Web site, based on guest satisfaction.
At Nos. 68 and 75 are the Aqua Waikiki Wave and the ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores.
The Budget Travel Best Values list includes "the world's most reliable hotels with an average nightly rate of $250 or less," the magazine wrote.
The rankings, in points, are carried out to hundredths, using what the magazine calls TripAdvisor's proprietary algorithm to quantify traveler satisfaction.
With 100 points, the No. 1 hotel is the Park Hotel Tokyo, with an average nightly rate of $227.
The Aqua Waikiki Wave scored 90.35 points and has an average rate of $147 a night. The ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores netted 89.77 points and has an average nightly rate of $225.
"This is big," General Manager Lynette Eastman told employees. "This is an acknowl- edgment of everything you have done together as a team."
Many of those employees go back to when the property was called the Coral Reef, when it was owned by Andre Tatibouet and rooms went for $30 a night. It's come a long way, but value is still "part of our mantra," Eastman said.
Free WiFi, complimentary coffee, not just in-room, but in-lobby -- and $5 continental breakfasts are among the hotel's amenities.
A strength of ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores is its "broad appeal and I think that's what showed up in this survey," said Shari Chang, senior vice president of sales, marketing and revenue management.
It is popular for families with children and multigenerational families, she said.
It is a beachfront condo resort with hotel-type amenities including daily maid service, "with the luxury of having a full condo unit."
Budget Travel and TripAdvisor also broke out the best values by region.
Hawaii's top five include the Aqua Waikiki Wave, ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores, Wai Ola Vacation Paradise in Lahaina, Waikiki Parc Hotel and Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa in Kailua-Kona.
If you do the click-through to the list online, here's a little Buzz bonus. Read if you dare, the story on the left side titled, "10 Celebrity Trashed Hotel Rooms." It seems room-trashing is not just for rock stars, anymore.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
eengle@starbulletin.com