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

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.

A rocky start upon check-in when I reserved an oceanfront room, high floor and received a low floor with a meh view. I had previously contacted the hotel 3 times with my request. However thanks to front desk agent TISHA, she saved the day and arranged to be assigned to the top floor as requested. These rooms are not cheap and a low floor would have been a disaster. I am having a family gather next year in Kona and thanks to Tisha, we will book the Marriott Courtyard again.

This stay was genuinely distressing and left us feeling helpless. We are foreign travelers and English is not our first language, but we made every effort to communicate politely and explain the issues repeatedly. Over three days, the hotel kept deflecting, dismissing, and refusing to provide real solutions, making us feel like we had to beg to be taken seriously. Even at check-out, the hotel did not offer a basic apology. Here is what happened: (1) Right at the start: As a hotel under Marriott, it doesn't have a shuttle bus. After we contacted the hotel upon landing, they only informed us that they would take care of the transportation by themselves. (2) Day 1: a clear bathtub safety hazard, handled in an extremely dismissive way We found an obvious safety hazard in the bathtub and requested maintenance. When the engineer arrived, there was no proper communication about what would be done. Instead, a housekeeping staff member rushed the engineer away and kept repeating: “This is not a problem, everyone is very busy.” We spent over 30 minutes trying to communicate, and nothing was resolved. We were essentially told to just “put up with it.” (3) Next: essential toiletries were missing, and the “solution” was unbelievable The conditioner bottle was empty when we checked in. After housekeeping the next day, it was still not replaced, as if no one even checked. We reported the situation and asked the cleaning staff to replace it. But, Only after we strongly objected did she come back with a key to open and replace it. It is shocking that a basic amenity was missing, and even more shocking that guests were expected to handle it themselves. (4) Then it escalated into a room-change dispute: zero respect for our religious needs Because of the bathtub issue and the risk of slipping, we requested a room change. The alternative room offered involved an arrangement that conflicted with our religious beliefs, which we clearly explained. The response was cold and dismissive. The hotel repeatedly insisted there were “no rooms available,” and the final “solution” was to refund us and have us leave the hotel late at night to figure things out on our own. In an unfamiliar place, asking guests to leave at night is not a reasonable solution. Is this really what a normal hotel offers? (5) During the same period: housekeeping and cleanliness failures became impossible to ignore In a room with two beds, only one bed was made; the other was left untouched. The bathtub, mirror, and sink had visible stains upon arrival. Even worse, the water marks/droplets we left in the tub before going out were exactly the same after “cleaning.” The bath mat and even hair in the bathroom were not cleaned either. (6) Returning at night: staff were absent and the hotel felt unsafe Multiple times, the entrance/doorman area and the front desk were left unattended for long periods. Our tour guide had informed the doorman in advance that we would return at 10 pm, yet when we arrived, the main entrance was locked and no one was there. We knocked and could not get help. A hotel that cannot even maintain basic staffing and access control at night is not safe. (7) Ongoing issue: only two bottles of water, never replenished for three days The hotel insisted that “each room only gets two bottles of water,” and during our three-night stay, water was never replenished. (8) The most heartbreaking day: I had to call 911, and the hotel offered almost no help I had a sudden medical issue at the hotel and had to call 911. While I was taken to the hospital by ambulance, no staff offered assistance or accompanied us in any way. The next morning, there were two brief phone calls asking how I was, but overall the response felt cold and far below what you would expect from a Marriott-branded property, with a complete lack of empathy. (9) Complaints and follow-up: almost impossible, to the point of breaking us down Trying to file a complaint was unbelievably difficult and emotionally exhausting. We made repeated attempts over three days. Even with Booking’s assistance, the hotel refused to respond, and in some cases, they hung up after hearing the reason for the call. The front desk also refused to provide manager/supervisor information. At first they only gave an email address; only after we insisted did we receive a business card, and follow-up still went nowhere. We came to Hawaii for a vacation, but instead spent three days dealing with these problems, exhausted and upset. For a hotel that claims quality and service, this experience is unacceptable. Strongly not recommended.