The Kaanapali Ocean Inn was an incredibly frustrating experience. We knew what we signed up for when we were researching the inn in terms of not having an AC and it being an older building.
We did not sign up for the surprises that came with the rooms we stayed in. Night 1 and 2, we stayed at a room on the third floor. When we walked in, all looked great! 2 beds, small fridge, balcony, phone, and TV. Until we looked in the bathroom and discovered black residue from the vents, ants all over the sink, and a broken rocking chair on the balcony.
When we brought these issues up to the hotel, they never came by and fixed them. We had to call and speak with a hotel manager to switch rooms. They promised it would be a better room. They had the bell hopper move the luggage we left in the previous room to the new room and we thought all would be fixed.
The next room was LITERALLY next door. We now only have one bed (when we paid for two) and this Queen size bed is held together by two twin bed foundations. You sit on the middle of the bottom of the bed, the entire top raises from the foundation…. Oh, and the bathroom still has so many ants.
We then immediately called the front desk and customer relations which sent us to voicemail 5 times and 3 times, respectively. When we finally got a hold of the front desk, we waited on a 7 minute hold and requested a manager. We got transferred to the manager-on-duty, Alexis, who was at least helpful.
They sent a bell hopper over to take our bags to the THIRD room, now on the second floor. When we got there, our trust in the inn was already shattered and we had to double check and make sure all was exactly what we paid for before the bell hopper could go. 2 beds, a balcony, a clean bathroom, a fridge, and a sink. Finally, after 3 nights, we got what we came here for. The third room we were placed in was really nice and exactly what we expected when we arrived here. By then, the damage had been done but we were just happy to be have a solid room.
Third time’s the charm, I guess.
For further details, we were very respectful and patient as Hawaii is going through a lot of pain due to COVID. We understood that things weren’t going to be perfect but we did pay a price and it’s not wrong to expect what was said to be in that price. Their customer service reps and front desk were extremely disengaged. Had no interest in our needs and couldn’t care less that we stayed in a room with those conditions. Had to go up to management to get anything done