I originally booked another room in the same building (#218) and came in on check-in day, to find it smelling of cigarettes and with random stuff strewn about on the beds and floor. Alright, not a good first impression at all but mistakes happen.
I contact the host and get transferred to a bunch of rooms until there's one (this one) that also has AC, though this unit only has one bed whereas the first one had two. If I was traveling with someone else and we needed two beds, we would have potentially been sh*t out of luck. I was by myself so that didn't matter to me.
In my mind, this new room was a "downgrade" being smaller and with one less bed, and not to mention the check-in mishap, so I asked for a discount refund. The first reply to this was that because this room is the "same size" and has a "bigger bed", there would be no refund, even though the first one had two beds and was indeed bigger. I can't recall whether the original beds were smaller or not, so take that as you will.
I then checked the listing for this specific unit to find that it was in fact listed for $150 less than the first unit (monthly rate) and have screenshots to prove it. So, not only was I refused a refund for having to move to a smaller room with one less bed, I was refused a refund for moving to a smaller unit with one less bed AND because I already paid a higher rate for the original unit that turned out to be unsanitary and smelled of cigarettes on arrival, even though the new unit I was moved to was clearly listed for less. F*ck me, right?
I checked again a day after and found that the price of this unit was increased to match that of the original unit I paid for. When this was brought to the attention of the host, their reason was, "We changed the price back it's not because of your mention about the price different. We put discount for getting some booking and after we get the reservation we changed it back to original price." I don't know how that has anything to do with me, but okay.
At the end of all of this back and forth and trouble, I was offered and given a $100 refund.
I understand places are pricey in Hawaii and this is one of the cheaper ones you can get, but there is at least some standard to how you should conduct your business and treat your guests. A mistake on your part like the one I experienced should be acknowledged and made up for, and I was finally given some sort of refund, but not after spending time with constant back and forth and at the end of it all, it wasn't even to the difference of $150 that was clearly seen and documented. This is before we even consider the dirty room mishap at check-in.
Also keep in mind that the pictures of the units won't be 100% exactly what you get when you arrive, they'll just roughly match the room you get.
The following are some details about my stay following the initial episode, in the new room (this room):
Pros:
- Semi-central location very close to bus lines that'll take you to pretty much anywhere else in town
- The replacement room was clean!
- Bathrooms were regularly cleaned and they were fine to use despite being communal. Having two bathrooms on the floor also meant you rarely ever had to wait to use one
- Keypad access for the outside gate and your own room is convenient
Cons:
- I'm 5'8" and the bed was considered "big" by the host but I had to constantly push myself to the very top of the bed if I wanted to be able to stretch my legs and feet on it, otherwise I'd hit the wooden frame
- If you have respiratory issues or are sensitive to smells/smoke, the room faces the street and area where other tenants go to smoke so you'll have cigarette smells coming into your room daily, during the day and at night
- Strange banging sounds coming from the room upstairs and at night; earplugs recommended