This place has lost its mojo
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 1/29/07
In the past, I've stayed at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental and really enjoyed the experience. The hotel has a lovely location away from the hustle and bustle of waikiki. The beach is beautiful and it has a wonderful dolphin pond.
The hotel apparently changed owners and management becomming the Kahala and this past December 2006 was my first return since the change. Needless to say, I was most disappointed with this recent experience.
For one the room prices are now more expensive, but the facilities are not improved. In fact I've begun to notice that the hotel is in great need of repairs. The rooms are dirty and smelly.
Also the restaurants have really gone downhill. Our favorite restaurant Cabanas no longer serves dinner. We ate lunch there but I guess they were busy because the service was awful. The burgers we ordered arrived cold. We sent them back and the replacements again arrived cold. Lunch at Hokus used to be a highlight. Now they only open for dinner and sunday brunch. The menu has been cut down and just not as appealing as in the past. Plumeria Beach house used to have a wonderful buffet, however they only offer it on select nights of the week.
The service has also taken a turn for the worst. While there are some shining stars that i remember from the Mandarin days, for the most part the staff seem uninspired and unhappy. Is the new owner/management treating them right? Service is slow and inattentive. Some staff members, particularly waitstaff actually seem inexperienced, as if they were hastily plucked from fast casual restaurants to replace more professional individuals who have left for the competition. They lack the passion for their jobs and as a result we the guests are not being adequately taken care of.
while i understand that change for the better takes time, I will NOT be returning to this resort in the near future. It is not worth my money anymore. I will stay at the Halekulani next time.