Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua Kona, HI

The location is great, facilities well appointed with a decent pool and gym - especially handy having King’s coffee and ABC store on site. Lobby and communal areas were pleasant. Unfortunately we were let down by the unenthusiastic service. Our room balcony faced the trash and swamp, we didn’t have a kettle or provided any cutlery. The hotel itself is slightly dated but priced at a 4 even 5 star level. Maybe the staff/locals are over tourists, but we genuinely didn’t feel welcomed or any warmth which was disappointing.

They desperately need to renovate the rooms. Old carpeting, stained sofa, weird smell from the AC, tired closet-sized bathroom, grimy looking shower. Our balcony faced the hotel’s other building and overlooked a rooftop. We were relieved that we were staying for only one night. Bustling with convention goers, airline staff, young families. The check-in line moved at a snail’s pace but the agent was friendly. So was the helpful agent who fixed a payment issue after check out. No room upgrade with Platinum status, not sure that they really checked. They somewhat reluctantly allowed a 2pm check out after several requests. On the plus side: good location, walkable to restaurants and shops, right on a calm lagoon. The public beach was small and crowded with cruise ship passengers, but very good for snorkeling. Our poolside lunch was tasty, but we didn’t go in the pool. Self-park is $40 daily, $45 for valet. Nice that the $22 daily resort fee covered welcome drinks, beach chair rentals for 4 hours and a 1 hour snorkel rental.

First, I would stay at this hotel again. The room was a good size, the shower was great, and the view was wonderful. The woman at the front desk apologized for the view, but she was confused. I had an ocean view room and I could easily see the ocean from the room. The desk chair was comfortable and the staff were friendly. The location is amazing! It's the only hotel with a beach in Kona and the amenities on the beach (that are included with the cost of the hotel) are great. I sat in a comfortable chair, under an umbrella, for no additional fee. However, I was told that the room would be cleaned every other day, which wasn't a problem for me. I checked in on Friday, so figured the room would get cleaned on Sunday or Monday. On Monday, when I returned to the room in the afternoon, the room hadn't been cleaned. I went to the front desk to see what had happened and was told that it was scheduled to be cleaned on Wednesday, which is quite a bit longer than every other day. I asked that it be cleaned on Tuesday. On Thursday, the same thing occurred. The person at the desk said I could have the room refreshed right away (it was late afternoon) but that the cleaning staff were gone for the day. Fine, I said. I returned after dinner to find the trash emptied (yay) and a pile of about 15 towels and two rolls of toilet paper on my bed. I'm not sure who thought I needed that many towels. I found it annoying that they couldn't figure out how to clean my room every other day. On Saturday, I called down to see if I could check out 30 minutes later. I have gold status, so I figured it was a certain yes. The woman said that there was a lot of turnover that day so I had to check out at 11. I guess I would understand but I can't imagine that every room is cleaned immediately at 11 a.m. Fine, I checked out before 11 a.m. and asked the bellman to hold my bags. When I returned from brunch, I needed to use the restroom, which requires a key card for entry (in the lobby). I went to the desk, the woman recognized me, but said I needed to leave my phone or ID before she'd give me a key car. Wow. What did she think I would be doing given that she'd checked me out hours earlier and I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Again, maybe I understand but it seemed as if there were a lot of rules for guests, but not so much organization with the staff. Finally, the hotel is loud. It's not that the guests are loud but the doors slam loudly. I live in the city and it takes a lot to wake me. I was awakened a few times over the week of my stay because a neighbor got home and the door was so loud I thought someone was knocking on my door.

After the friendly, professional and wonderful staff we experienced on Oahu, the very UNfriendly, non-smiling, downright curt and completely unhelpful staff at this hotel was a jarring surprise. People at the front desk barely acknowledged our existence and actually seemed annoyed that we were bothering them by checking in fir a 5-night stay. That response didn't change with subsequent interactions either. They offered no facility information and acted annoyed when we asked a question. The rooms were okay, nothing special and the beds in both our rooms were unnaturally high -- I'm 5'4" and almost needed a step-ladder to get in the bed. Odd. I also had no hot water in the bathroom sink for our entire stay. Shower had hot water so couldn't understand why it never got above lukewarm in the sink. They also simply turned the water off one night, for some kind of maintenance, I think. The housekeeping staff and bellies were all terrific -- with the possible exception of the bellman who got us a taxi for our trip back to the airport -- think he got a relative or something as we were charged $50 for the 6 or 7 mile trip, while the trip FROM the airport had been o only $30, with a very surly and unpleasant driver. Our "ocean view" rooms did have an ocean view -- if you leaned out over the balcony, and looked over the rooftops, as evidenced in the photo. The lagoon near the pool was great, but the people who were supposed to be supplying us with snorkels, beach chairs and umbrellas simply closed up at odd hours, or refused to provide anything if it was an hour or two before their closing. Not nearly as delightful an experience as the Outrigger Marriott on Oahu.

This is our second time staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Kona. This time I booked an ocean front room not depending on my Marriot Titanium status for an upgrade. We tried to check-in at 2:00 pm and we were told that check-in time was between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. I looked at the Marriot website and my confirmation clearly stated that check-in time was at 4:00 pm. I spoke to the manager, Matt, and he was able to check us in right away with a lower floor ocean view room which had a view mostly of the blacktop roof. We moved the next day to a higher floor full ocean view which was beautiful. Matt also made up by reducing some of our extra fees. The room was a little dated but sitting on the lanai with the panoramic mountain, ocean, and city view more than made up for it. We used the pool a few days but one day there were no chairs available. The Jacuzzi was usually full of kids and one day it was not working. We had the breakfast buffet which was good and we loved sitting outside overlooking the beach. The hotel location is perfect which is walking distance to the pier, restaurants, and shops. Would I stay here again ? Yes, I’ve already made another booking.