Hilo Naniloa Hotel

Still under heavy renovations. The elevators are gutted and there is a lot of construction around the place. Rooms are 100% tile, so I recommend slippers or sandals to walk around. The surrounding area is a bit sketchy at night. Parking lot is very small due to the construction. Rooms do not have wi-​fi, but they do have a mini fridge and small coffee maker for 2. Zero sound isolation in the rooms: you can hear your neighbor using the toilets and talking at normal volumes. Noises in the hallways echo since the hallway is all tile too. I should have expected to pay less for an unfinished building. It has the feeling of a hostel at a hotel price.

Wow so they are under renovation but just WOW! They should just close down until it’s finished. There is dirt everywhere, the room is very dusty and dingy and gross. Base boards are black, parts of the walls look freshly painted but other parts not so much. The elevators are sketchy and are stripped down to just framing and hall ways look like a demolition crew didn’t finish .I have mold allergies and my sinuses have been going off all morning!!! There is no wifi in the rooms so I can’t do work. I will never stay here again even when the renovations are over. A few new paintings and pillows in the «lobby» is a poor attempt at a revamp of this aging hotel.

This would be a 0 star review.
Very disappointed in my stay here at the Naniloa Hotel. I understand that there are renovations going on but I did not expect the renovations to be 2 doors down from my room! I came back for a midday rest and there was drilling and banging as if it were going right next door! There’s no wifi or telephone in the rooms. The elevators are extremely slow and take you to the wrong floors and sometimes even get stuck on a floor with the doors open and start beeping. we got out immediately and walked the remaining flights. Then we left for a short walk. We didn’t leave the «do not disturb» sign up. But when we got back it was on our door with the do not disturb sign up and a note wedged in our door saying «we respect your request to not be disturbed however we want you to know you are very important to us…». AND TO TOP IT OFF OUR ROOM DOOR WAS LEFT AJAR FOR ANYONE TO WALK IN!!! And half the parking lot is blocked off due to the renovations which resulted in someone banging my 3 month old car!

Got here Thursday night front desk check in OMG it was like talking story with family… asked for the nearest kareoke bar to go have a drink among the locals … but that’s another review
So our first night the view OMG can’t get over the beautiful night sky over hilo bay… and the sunrise wow… we were upgraded to ocean view … construction was going on but being from Honolulu the noise noise didn’t bother us one bit… y would it.
So the hotel offers continental breakfast nothing special but then again it’s a gathering place to make new friends right… would be the case if you felt welcome… we get there about 830ish and the guy working the food line is right by the door OMG thought we were still in hawaii… talk about NO ALOHA!!! no smile no good morning more like how long more do I have to be here… As an employee of gourmet events hawaii… the client no matter who they are is just as important as the next… so needless to say the coffee ran out so my friend goes and let’s Mr no aloha know and 2 mins later comes out of his corner with his container of cold coffee.. not only was it cold but really since when do we have pineapple flavored watered-​down coffee… yes I have coupons for two more days but I rather pay for service and food and feel welcome … yes they say u get what u pay for but seriously no tip was left geee I wonder y… and I feel sorry for the tourist that came in after us hope this wasn’t their first day to Hawaii I know it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if it was…
Needless to say hotel scenery rest of the staff wonderful. .
Dude working the breakfast needs to go… spiral effect hope it didn’t bring down anyone’s day I didn’t let it bring ours down.

ID WRITE A 0 STAR REVIEW IF IT WERE POSSIBLE.
My family and I booked our stay from ²⁄₁₂. We got to the check in desk and they told us that they didn’t have rooms available for us even though we booked far in advance. They saw we were local to Hawaii and just tossed us over to Uncle Billy’s next door. The Naniloa did not at all inform us prior that they had sold us to another hotel. The lady at Uncle Billy’s was super nice to accommodate us. So we complained to the manager. She said she didn’t have a room for the 12^th but the next day we’d have ocean view rooms. Tbh that isn’t gonna even begun to do justice. No offense to uncle Billy’s but it’s so run down. There’s one full size bed and a pull out sofa/​bed. It’s so incredibly rude that the Naniloa sold us to another hotel due to all their renovations. That’s complete bullshit.

Not impressed at all. Quite disappointing considering the lobby area is open and such a beautiful view in the lobby. Our room was not available til 6pm. We were on the 2^nd floor, the hotel is under renovations. They put us in a bare somewhat unpainted room, no phone, no ice machine, no blow dryer, no iron/​ironing board, ants roaming the desk area, huge cockroach in the bathroom that ran away in a crack wall under the toilet, yikes! and the A/​C died on us last day. I had to use my own cell phone to call the front desk a few times. We were there for Merrie Monarch 2016 and you would think being one of the «hosting» hotels, it would be decent considering the price we paid. We asked for the Wi-​Fi password and was told by front desk that they don’t have any but next door hotel does. Are you kidding me, in this time and age, everyone has Wi-​Fi especially in an establishment. I was even ashamed to take pictures inside of the room. Staff was okay. Extremely upsetting!

The Naniloa is currently under construction, and currently, guests must park across the street, so I was honestly annoyed by this fact. However, they have several employees in golf carts driving guests to and from the lot to the lobby. My son said it was fun driving in the golf carts :)
WiFi is only available in the lobby due to construction, but the rooms have hard cable for laptops. I hear some construction noise faintly in the distance; we’re on the 7^th floor looking over beautiful Hilo Bay. The waves crashing on the rocks are louder than the construction. I recommend paying for the ocean view. It’s gorgeous.
The staff is all very friendly. The room is beautiful. It’s tiled, which is different for a hotel, but makes sense given the moisture level of Hilo… anything to prevent mildew growth! The bathroom is gorgeous; I assume we are in a renovated room because it’s beautiful. There’s a new flat screen TV, fridge, etc. When I went to make coffee this morning, I noticed there wasn’t any of that disgusting powdered «creamer,» (which is chemicals and HFCS solids), so I added sugar (in the raw), and opened the fridge to get some water to cool down my coffee, and there was half & half! Real cream! In the fridge! That’s what prompted me to write this review before I forget. I’m sure occupancy is down due to construction, but honestly, you should not be sitting in your hotel room during the day while on this beautiful island, and we heard nothing at night, though the men are working round the clock.
I have visited the B.I. about 15x, this is my 2^nd time at the Naniloa, and will definitely stay at the Naniloa in the future. The only complaint is their lumpy pillows. Beds are pretty soft too, but I find soft beds at most hotels where I’ve stayed.

This was our second stay at the Naniloa in 6 months. The rooms have been renovated but are sparsely decorated but very clean. The beds are finished but not super cozy as they are in some hotels.
Both rooms we have stayed in had lovely views of the bay and now ocean. The pool is small but nice right on the waters edge. The pool is lit at night and it is quite nice.
The price was right. The staff very friendly. I have read other reviews about issues with prepaid reservations but we had no problems and even got a different view this stay. My only complaints are the tile hallways need some sound dampening art or something. Suitcase wheels are a bit loud. The elevators were a bit slow but I am sure once construction is finished they will be fine. It will be nice when the phone system is operational so we don’t have to go to the desk for any questions.
We would stay here again and look forward to writing our post renovation review.

As others have said, the view from the room (any maybe the low price) is really the only thing that earns this hotel the one star I have to give it.
The room was about 60% bathroom/​40% bedroom, the bed was cheap, lumpy, and only came with two very small pillows and no blanket of any kind, just a fitted sheet and top sheet.
There was no:
— Phone
— Iron/​Ironing Board
— Closet
— Actual bed frame
— Curtains or screen
The staff weren’t rude, but seemed kind of annoyed that I was asking for things. It took about 2 hours for them to send up a blanket and 2 extra pillows, and a long time for an iron and ironing board when requested.
I can’t recommend this hotel to anyone in good faith unless you’re in the same situation we were, where nowhere else has any availability and the only other option is sleeping in a small rental car.

Not too sure about this place. it’s currently under going and renovation construction. My room was cold and unwelcoming. It was dusty and I felt like I needed to wipe everything down. Maybe it will be better once construction and renovations are completed. Until then, I’ll be staying elsewhere.

This hotel was undergoing renovations when my brother and I went there in August 2015, so I have high hopes for it when it is completed. However, for our experience there, it was not as good as other hotel experiences. There is no wi-​fi! Luckily, I found out before and brought my own ethernet cord! How antiquated right. The walls were pretty thin too, so you could hear people in the hallways. The bathroom was a decent size. However, there was no lighting in the shower; so when you close the shower curtain, it is kind of dark.
From the other hotels that we walked past, I think this one was the best you could get in Hilo. A positive is that we could walk to restaurants and stores from there, so it was conveniently located. We didn’t experience any bugs in our room like in other reviews (which I am very thankful for). The staff was also nice and apologetic about the construction. I can’t wait to see what the updated hotel looks like.

This hotel was creepy, but with redeeming features. I enjoyed imagining the Naniloa in its former glory and what it will look like after its ongoing renovations.
Creepy:
Dim lighting
Elevators
Hallways
A lone male hotel staff staring at me while we waited three minutes for the evaluator to arrive; I decided to wait for another elevator
Dudes curled up in the back of a truck smoking weed; no need to be so creepy about it
Redeeming:
Lanai with bay views, protection from the rain
Invasive tree frogs singing every night
Close to restaurants, Hilo town shops, parks
Friendly front desk staff
Simply furnished rooms feel slightly Norwegian
Things you should know:
No wifi in your room
No telephone in your room
Construction everywhere
Don’t lean too hard on the «desk» in your room
The coffee pot in your room may not have been washed
Something to notice:
The management posts great letters apologizing for whatever’s wrong at the moment, then ends the letter on a positive note or activity you should do away from the hotel. Things like: «Please excuse our construction on the pool. Go for a dip in Hilo Bay!» «Our air conditioning is being fixed. Enjoy Hilo’s cool sea breezes.» Ha! So cute.

They don’t have wifi in rooms, no phones, no curtains, AND NO CORKSCREW. Seriously, what kind of hotel is this? I was told this place wasn’t the best place to stay, but I didn’t expect this experience to be so terrible.
The hotel customer service sucks. The front desk is not very friendly. There is no room service. There is NO AC in the elevators so it is HOT. I feel so bad for the maids… they clean the rooms daily and have to commute floor to floor in HOT ELEVATORS. By the way there are only two elevators, so expect to wait a while for an available one.
When I got to my room, it wasn’t so bad.
Generic art displayed as soon as you walk in. The bathroom looked nice, except our bath tub smelled like mildew and sweat. The shower head was broken and the water pressure was low. They provide two soaps and a «conditioning shampoo».
The only good things I can say about this place is the beach downstairs, the maids, and the bed.

The only two things this hotel has going for it is location and view.
If you want to stay here make sure you book a corner room!
As said many times before, the hotel is under construction, has been for years and will be for years to come. Hardly any work is actually being done (I don’t think they have the money) so there is no noise from construction, but there is certainly enough other noise to make up for it in the hallways and the airconditioning that is right next to your pillow.
There is a temporary lobby and guest lounge with furniture that is so old it’s falling apart, but this is were you need to go if you need wifi.
The rooms are somewhat updated, but it’s pretty shoddy work. No tub spouts have been installed in the bathrooms for instance, even though the holes were cut. I guess it is a cost saving measure.
There is no bed, just a boxspring on the floor, no headboard. The bedskirt was super dirty, I don’t think it ever gets changed.
One night the room was invaded by bugs. They were everywhere, even in the bed. Super gross!
The pool is old, tiny and there are no sunbeds, just some old tables and chairs. If you ask in the lobby they will give you a ‘beach’ towel. Ask for at least two, cause they are no different than the bath towels.

Stay away from this horrible place!
Not only was our room shabby and grimy, it also lacked a phone. We had to use our own cell phone to reach the front desk.
And, boy, did we dread dealing with the front desk! The desk clerk and her supervisor were slow and unhelpful to the point of being insolent.
The sad state of the room and the deplorable customer service made our stay a miserable one. Needless to say, we would never choose this crappy, overpriced hotel again.

This place is under some major construction and I do not think it will be finished anytime soon because according to the locals, this place has always been under renovation for sometime now.
We stayed here for 4 days and 3 nights. The lobby/​check-​in area in open in which there are no doors to enter. When we checked-​in, the lady at the front desk was less than pleasant so watch out for that. So much for the Hawaii greeting. When checking out, the other person we spoke to was a bit more pleasant but had a hard time understanding which card we wanted charged for our stay.
Wi-​Fi is ONLY accessible in one part of the building. I had to take the elevator their guest area to be able to use the internet.
The rooms were a bit small and the hallways seemed uninviting or even scary to walk through. The laundry area was decent. It is like any other coin operated laundry mat. It takes quarters only. There were no vending machines in there selling soap. I’m not sure if there are any at the front desk. I had brought a small bottle of detergent from home.
If you’re hungry, there are vending machines in the same area where Wi-​Fi is accessible. Food needs to be purchased somewhere else. There is a pancake house nearby, but other known fast food places are a drive away.
The price is a bit high, especially if they are doing any renovations. I’d try to find other places to stay next time.

We stayed here two separate nights, the night we arrived and the night before our flight home. One night we had an ocean front room, the other night we didn’t. Definitely spend the extra $ 10 on an ocean front, it’s worth the view and the little bit of a nicer room.
Pros:
Very clean, updated bathroom
Free parking, plenty available
Mini-​fridge in the room
Very friendly, welcoming, and helpful front desk staff
You can walk 20 steps from the pool to the ocean!
Cons:
No wifi in the rooms, only in the common area (where it took 10 minutes to download an email)
Plain, bare rooms
Still under renovation
Actual keys instead of cards
Big ledge to climb into shower — if you have any mobility issues this will be a problem!
Overall, a decent place for the price, but don’t expect lots of extras.

Hilo Naniloa Hotel is a great cheap place to stay in Hilo. Yes it’s under renovations and needs to be renovated. I’m staying here during Merrie Monarch and booked last minute.
Pros: great location easy access to nearby restaurants and shops. 5 min from airport. Reasonable rates, I booked last minute for merry monarch, rate was higher as expected but worth it. Friendly employees! Very comfy beds! Nice renovated bathrooms. View was amazing right on the ocean. Large flat screen tv, coffee maker and good size fridge in room.
Cons: hotel under renovation, rooms white feels like an institution instead of hotel but got over it after the first night, would have preferred carpet or hard wood in room instead of tile floors. No telephones in room due to renovations and the biggest no no is no wifi in guest rooms only in lounge and lobby area.
Over all if your looking for a reasonably price hotel to stay at in Hilo this is the place. It’s no 4 star hotel but I gave it 4 stars for my experience in a 2.5 star hotel. After renovations are complete I’ll review and stay again!

Wow… where to start. Driving into the Naniloa you go through a beautiful driveway only to see a lightpost being held up by 2X4s. Part of the parking lot was blocked for construction too.
You should never judge a book by its cover but maybe we should have… haha
I do want to say the front desk staff was very friendly despite my review. I was shocked to see real keys! I thought hotels only had that in the movies! We had two rooms and for whatever reason, it only had one key. Luckily it didn’t matter and we didn’t need two keys.
The elevator was… unique. I think it was made of wood and there was a lot of space on the button area… maybe they’ll add more floors one day? Lol
Once we got into the hallways I became a little concerned… it was so bare! No carpet either. I guess it makes it easy to clean.
They kept the bare theme up with the rooms too. No frills and no bedding. The walls had two nice paintings but were still very white. The missing carpet made everything echo and you could hear all the doors on the floor closing. The TV was also oddly high. It was on top the closet like they didn’t want anyone to steal it.
The bathroom was nice and clean. The sink was nice and there was some counter space. I think they built the shower for giants. You had to step up almost 4 feet to get in… good thing they have the handicap bar to help you.
The bright spot in all of this was the mini fridge. Hard to find someplace with one of those.
They must have a minimalist that designed the rooms. If you have allergies this is the place to stay! There aren’t any dusty curtains because there are no curtains! At first glance you might even think they forgot to clean half the windows but nope! There are no screens! How do I know this? Did I forget to mention the tiny sign by the elevator that said the air conditioner was broken? Too bad they didn’t mention this when we booked the rooms.
At least there was wifi… they gave us the name and password. Unfortunately it didn’t catch in the rooms. But to end on a positive there was complimentary coffee and lemon lime water.
Overall if you need a place to stay this will meet your needs. Just don’t expect anything fancy. I love Hilo and coming here but the hotels are satisfactory at best.

If you do some research, you’ll find that this hotel was in serious trouble (and looked it!) in October 2013 and was bought by Tower Development Inc. and Wyland Hilo Hotel LLC in November 2013. There are grand plans for this hotel to make it more like a museum experience. It’s not quite there yet, but I think it has come a long way in the last few months (based off of the reviews I’ve read and the pictures of the hotel from before the new ownership).
Backstory: Originally booked a B&B in Volcano through Expedia and they weren’t able to fulfill the reservation so they comped us with a hotel of similar value which happened to be Naniloa. We were able to get a corner room with a panoramic view on the bay side for about the same amount as the B&B. All was good, but then I started reading reviews…
I was seriously nervous pulling up to this hotel after all the negative and scary reviews I read.
The hotel could really use a paint job which is probably next on the list of things to do. It just doesn’t make a good impression as you drive up to it. I feel like it kind of sets the mood and then you start noticing everything else that needs fixing. It also looks pretty rundown in the hallway that leads to the elevators and the elevators themselves need a make-​over.
This hotel is so old school, they still have keys! I don’t remember the last time I used a key at a hotel room. I don’t know if I ever have, really. That was surprising.
Anyway, we got to our room and wow! It was gorgeous! The view was amazing. Everything was clean (except for the vent in the bathroom that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned since the 60’s). But everything else was nice and the view made up for anything else the room was lacking. The TV was in an awkward spot but we didn’t turn it on the entire time we were there.
By the way, it seemed that the entire third floor had been renovated. I peeked into some rooms as I walked down the hallway as they were getting maid service so you’ll be safe on the third floor!
Speaking of maid service… they only change the sheets every four days or something. That’s cool– but I think they could go ahead and make the bed even if they aren’t changing the sheets. That’s kind of the perk of staying in a hotel room — coming back to a clean room and a bed that’s made, right? haha. They took the time to fold the end of the toilet paper and the tissue paper so I don’t think it’d be that much trouble to just smooth out the linens!
I think this hotel has a lot of potential and will probably be a much nicer place to stay toward the end of 2014. I’d say the rating is more 3.5, but I want this hotel to do well so i’m rounding it up to 4.
For now, if you plan on staying here, make sure you book a renovated room and then close your eyes until you get there.
I didn’t check out the hotel grounds or the pool and I didn’t partake in the continental breakfast, but it looked alright!
They also have wi-​fi, but only in the lobby.