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Hotels for a $100 or Less :: Aqua Hotels in Hawaii

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: HI, United States
April 24, 2009 at 5:05 PM | by juliana | 3 Comments

All this week, we'll be profiling hotels for $100 or less. Yay! Know of any other bargains? Send 'em to us.

Hawaii, like New York, used to be an expensive getaway only affordable when big-time bonuses rolled in. But no longer. Thanks to the recession, Hawaii is actually on our To Do list. While the big resorts are still charging rather pricey rates, you can stay here on a budget.

The Aqua Hotels of Hawaii, which have always featured reasonable room rates, now has rooms under $100. A hotel employee told us that during the week of May 14-May 20, the following hotels have rooms going for as low as $60 a night:

· Aqua Aloha Surf & Spa
· The Equus
· Aqua Island Colony ($60 a night!)
· Aqua Waikiki Beachside
· Park Shore Waikiki (pictured)
· Aqua Waikiki Tides (newly renovated rooms at $70 a night!)
· Aqua Continental

Even better, many of the amenities at these hotels include free WiFi, breakfasts and manager's receptions. But be aware that most of these rooms belong to the Aqua Lite collection of Aqua Hotels, meaning the rooms are quite small. However, we really hope you didn't come to Hawaii to spend time in the room.

[Photo: Flickr user derek728ia]

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It's Nifty to be Fifty in Hawaii

December 19, 2008 at 9:48 AM | by KatieK | 3 Comments

If you hadn’t picked up on it, turning 50 is totally in vogue this year (see: Madonna, Prince). It’s all about empowerment, people.

That’s why we’re 100 percent behind Aqua Hotels & Resorts’ birthday bargain deal in honor of Hawaii’s 50th anniversary of statehood. (Also, we like cheap hotel rates.) Offering a “Nifty to Be Fifty Statehood Special,” the 12-hotel chain in Waikiki is charging just $50 for the first night of a three-night stay — valid all the way through Dec. 30, 2009. And since additional nights are only $119 at Aqua Boutique hotels and $89 at Aqua Lite properties, well, color us impressed (not to mention lusty for a jaunt to Hawaii).

And to prove just how nifty it is to turn 50, Aqua also offers a free amenity for guests 50 and older (per room), plus a complimentary 1959-inspired “Aloha from the 50th State” postcard and an optional 30-minute mini-massage at the spa for $50.

[Photo: Flickr user derek728ia]

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Hotel News Briefs :: A Look at Gwen Stefani's Uniforms for W Hotel Bars

September 17, 2008 at 5:57 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.

· L.A.M.B. Uniforms for W Hotels' Female Bar Staff: This is what they will look like. While not as boring as we first thought, those employees better have some great gams to wear such short dresses. [StyleList]

· Dial-up a Religious Text: Gone are the days of Gideon bibles in hotel nightstands. Spiritual menus are the newest religious amenity to hit hotels. [Canadian Press]

· Hilton Sells Pet Friendly Items: Not only is Hilton ok with you bringing your pets into their hotels, but they want you to buy Hilton-branded pet gear. [Hilton to Home]

· Aqua Hotels Says Aloha to Twitter: The Aqua Hotels group in Hawaii is now Twittering. [Twitter]

· CityCenter Slowing Down: So remember yesterday how the Aria Resort at CityCenter was topped off? Well, now there's a new report saying that corrective work being done on the Harmon Hotel is slowing down the overall construction. Yikes. [SF Chronicle]

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HotelChatter Flickr Pool :: The Aqua Bamboo Hotel in Waikiki

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 2425 Kuhio Avenue [map], Waikiki Beach, HI, United States, 96815
August 11, 2008 at 4:46 PM | by juliana | 1 Comment

The Aqua Bamboo Hotel & Spa certainly lives up to the "bamboo" aspect of its name. This here snapshot was dropped into the HotelChatter Flickr Pool by Derek728ia. For a budget boutique hotel in Waikiki where studios start at $110 a night, this places doesn't look too bad. So far, guests reviews are pretty good too. Now, if only we could afford to actually get to Hawaii.

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Aqua Hotels To Open First Boutique Beachfront Property in Waikiki

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 2586 Kalakaua Ave [map], Honolulu, HI, United States, 96815
June 30, 2008 at 4:49 PM | by ASalkever | 1 Comment

[Ed Note: Alex Salkever is the founder and editor of Hawaiirama.com, a travel blog covering Hawaii.]

We love this feisty little Hawaii hotel chain, Aqua Hotels, for taking a modern spin on Waikiki resorts. Alas, they've only been able to grab second-tier (and sometimes extremely second-tier) locations to showcase their chops.

But that will all change as the chain announced yesterday it would take over management of the Park Shore Waikiki , a property that has had some renovations done and has a super-primo location but has always been relegated to the B-List.

If past is prologue, Aqua will do some nice renovation to mod out the place, put in a spa, ideally bring in a nice restaurant, etc.

Having a decent operation managing this place will be awesome -- I personally can't wait to test drive the Aqua take on the pool deck, one of the best in Waikiki and one of the few with 270 degree views taking in both Diamond Head and the western end of Waikiki.

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Home-Grown Hawaii Boutique Hotel Chain

November 28, 2006 at 10:16 AM | by ASalkever | 0 Comments

[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]