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Home-Grown Hawaii Boutique Hotel Chain

Where: Honolulu, HI, United States

[Ed. Note: Alex Salkever of Hawaiirama gives us the low-down on Hawaii's boutique hotel scene, or what little there is of it.]

With the boutique hotel boom striking just about everywhere, it's hard to believe that Hawaii has a shortage of boutique hotels. But it's true. Most properties are run by super-mammoth companies like Starwood or Hyatt. Even among the indies, few properties are small enough to be considered boutique. Far too many others are just plain tired.

Aqua Hotels and Resorts hopes to fill that niche with an archipelago of 10 properties in wicky, wacky Waikiki. Six fall under the budget Aqua Lite flag and four are regular boutique hotels. All have modern touches (as in furnishings that don't scream aloha print) and mimic boutique Mainland chains like Kimpton.

They offer lots of freebies that a big chain would charge for - high speed Internet access, for example. Several of the hotels have on-site spas that are quite affordable but the rest of the service offerings are not as comprehensive - room service is limited or non-existent, for example, in many properties.

So far, we liked what we've seen in Aqua rooms, with more muted color tones and angular, modish furniture. However, mone of the Aqua properties have superb locations - they are generally off beach or slightly off the beaten path in upgraded hand-me-down properties that are quirky enough to work.

Our faves to check out would be the Aqua Bamboo and the Aqua Waikiki Wave, (pictured above) both of which have very central locations in Waikiki. Rates start at about $200 and at $100 during the summer months.

Related Stories:
· Alex Salkever's Hawaiirama reports [HotelChatter]