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Home » Hawaii » Honolulu Desperately Needs An Airport Hotel!
HawaiiHotels

Honolulu Desperately Needs An Airport Hotel!

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 9, 2019November 14, 2023 21 Comments

a building with a sign on top

Oh Honolulu, so quaint in so many ways. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is in desperate need of a proper airport hotel. There must be an opportunity for an enterprising investment firm to construct a lucrative on-site hotel.

I’m on a trip around the world and my first stop was Honolulu. There, I faced a quandary. I arrived late, was departing early, and really had no desire to take the time to go into Waikiki for the night. Instead, I wanted to remain near the airport.

And that’s quite a problem in Honolulu, where you essentially have three poor choices. All three are located near the offsite car rental facilities, a 5-7 minute bus ride from the arrivals level. One is a Best Western, which as the “flagship” airport property charges $250/night for rooms that go for no more than $80 in most US. cities. Yeah, not interested.

The second property is aptly called the Airport Honolulu Hotel. It’s a two-star hotel that runs $200/night plus tax and is just a few doors down from the Best Western. It was sold out.

The third property is called the Pacific Marina Inn, which is an old-school style motel with 1950’s stonework, exterior corridors, and a pool in the middle. It was running about $130/night plus tax. 

So I had a choice. Pay the exorbitant Best Western price. Go into Waikiki and pay the same to stay at one of the three Hyatt properties, or just sleep in the Pacific Marina Inn, get up early, and head right back to the airport.

I chose the latter. There was absolutely nothing luxurious about the property at all, but 1.) I knew what I was getting myself into and 2.) it was clean. So had I arrived even a bit earlier or departed a tad later, I would have gone into Waikiki. But this property served its purpose: I was able to sleep. I don’t know about you, but I’m simply not willing to drop money on a mediocre property like the Best Western charging far more than warranted for a clean bed.

a pool with chairs and umbrellas

a swimming pool with plants and plants around it

a room with a couch and tables and plants

a bed with a wood headboard and a chair

a bathroom with a toilet and sink

A Missed Opportunity

I’m not up on local Honolulu politics. For all I know, perhaps several airport hotel projects have started and failed over the years. But all I know is that if there was a Hilton or Sheraton or something similar attached to the airport, I would have gladly paid a premium for it. An airport as large as HNL deserves a full-service, built-in airport hotel. 

As construction continues to modernize HNL, I hope that one day (in my lifetime) we will see a proper onsite airport hotel.

image: KeithH / Wikimedia Commons

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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21 Comments

  1. Brendan Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    There is one in the works….already seen construction plans. It will be adjacent to office park with all the ramps connecting the buildings.

  2. henry LAX Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    i presume you meant “so [quaint]” ?

    • Tripeee Reply
      July 9, 2019 at 3:59 pm

      I have stayed at the Best Western and while over priced and mediocre to this day we had one of the best nights sleep ever in a hotel room

    • Jason Andrews Reply
      July 10, 2019 at 2:17 pm

      What Honolulu needs ii a to bulldoze the airport they have and build a decent one worthy of all the traffic it gets. As it is it reminds you of a leftover from the eighties. I couldn’t believe how old and sad it was when I had a layover. Will never subject myself to that ever again. You make so much off tourism spend some of that on improving your airport

      • Kalena Reply
        July 11, 2019 at 3:24 am

        Well good! We were nt miss ya! it’s an airport I Could say the same about SFO, but if you don’t come back “Kama’aina” probably won’t lose sleep over what someone passing through grumbles about.

        We have a serious affordable housing issues for people who live and work 24/7 n this state. So kissing your “Okole” is clearly not that high on our priority list of things folks in Hawai’i Nei need to address? Just saying!

        Oh so don’t let the door hit your bum on the way out! Aloha!

  3. ghostrider5408 Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 3:29 pm

    Never has been a real need for it and they want you to stay downtown. Firs time through was 1968 headed to Vietnam since then if there was a real demand one would have been built. Even when I was doing business in the islands never really thought about it.

    • UA Flyer Reply
      July 9, 2019 at 3:55 pm

      I agree about the lack of need. How many carriers even let you connect via HNL? Hawaii remains a destination vs. a hub and until that changes the need is small.

      Especially in the case of an on property airport, heck how many major hubs in the continuous states lack that? (Dulles, for example)

      • Matthew Reply
        July 9, 2019 at 3:58 pm

        I guess I would argue that many times an overnight is required before and after an inter-island flight. Furthermore, there are many early morning flights that some travelers would prefer to be close to. The fact that the airport hotel was sold out on a Tuesday night ask suggests there is demand.

        • Island Miler Reply
          July 9, 2019 at 7:05 pm

          As an area resident, I’ve got to agree with ghostrider5408 and UA Flyer. There really aren’t much in the way of connecting opportunities locally, and the growing availability of direct flights between the U.S. mainland and Maui, Kauai, Kona, negates the need to connect in Honolulu.

          The last time anyone mentioned anything about a new hotel at HNL was back in 2014. No new news has been released since then. And, given the current Aloha Stadium entertainment district proposal, the idea of a new airport hotel may be getting more remote. Plus, the area really sucks. There’s a few places worth visiting/dining at in the area, but it is a very industrial area and not one people want to be around anyway. The airport hotel in Maui, on the other hand, does well because locals stay there. It’s convenient because of its central location plus proximity to where Maui residents actually live.

          • mo
            July 9, 2019 at 9:39 pm

            Also local, and its a guaranteed NO in not only our lifetime but our kids lifetime as well. There’s simply no room to build such a hotel, Plus, we are azz backwards as a State so thats strike 2. The call third strike is $$$ and your out.

      • Stuart Reply
        July 10, 2019 at 12:19 am

        “heck how many major hubs in the continuous states lack that? (Dulles, for example)”

        Dulles has a LOT of options. Including the Marriott that has been at the extended parking and office area since the 70’s. There are many other options like the Hyatt just 3-4 miles away.

  4. Transportprof Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    There used to be a capsule hotel built into the main terminal of HNL. It was closed in the early 2000s, perhaps a victim of the post 9-11 security regime?

  5. mowogo Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    For some of my trips to Hawaii I would love to have a decent airport hotel at HNL. I live far enough west that I can get home from HNL without having to use the redeye, but I do have to leave before 10am in order to do it. Thus when vacationing on another island, I usually have to fly in to HNL the day before my departure to catch these early flights. It would be nice to not have to leave the hotel in Waikiki early just to deal with traffic, or sit in traffic to get to the hotel in Waikiki for the overnight.

  6. Christian Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    What brand toiletries? They look kind of cool/retro.

  7. WrightHI Reply
    July 9, 2019 at 9:15 pm

    It’s possible that major hotel operators just don’t pay enough attention to Hawaii to notice the opportunity they’re missing. But I doubt it, for the reasons others have noted: it’s a lousy area, there’s limited need for overnight connections, and it doesn’t take all that long to get to Waikiki, particularly in the late evening or early morning.

  8. Justin Reply
    July 10, 2019 at 7:47 am

    I agree with the need. However, perhaps a more realistic option is to upgrade the Best Western to a higher standard. That’s been the “flagship” HNL airport hotel for decades and is quite close. If that could get some investment to get it up to 4-star standard, and the other two properties you mention could fill the 3 and 2-star market demand, then I think the issue would be addressed.

    While it doesn’t get great reviews, the Aston at the Executive Center is in downtown HNL so closer to the airport than the Waikiki properties. You should be able to get between the Aston and HNL airport within 15 mins.

    • Matthew Reply
      July 10, 2019 at 8:27 am

      That would be better than nothing, but I think a truly on-site hotel is necessary that is easily walkable.

      • Justin Reply
        July 10, 2019 at 9:15 am

        I’m a big fan of pre-security in-terminal hotels for every major airport. I’ll happily pay a premium to avoid a shuttle bus!

    • FlyGuy10909010 Reply
      July 10, 2019 at 1:40 pm

      Upgrade the hotels near by is a must.

  9. FlyGuy10909010 Reply
    July 10, 2019 at 1:39 pm

    Honolulu has no need for a built in hotel in the airport simply because of building restrictions and availability of land to build.

  10. Bobby Reply
    July 10, 2019 at 3:53 pm

    Yes, I have stayed at the first 2 that you mentioned. They are both truly dumps … with high prices. I frequented these hotels during my mileage running days between SJU and HNL. I would arrive HNL in the afternoon/ evening and then depart HNL on a 6am flight. Nearby (5 mins walk) is a Starbucks and an L&L BBQ in the same strip mall. Staying here beats the longer drive into Waikiki.

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