Ocean Tower - Pre-Construction Information
(From @Rancher) Well not new exactly but they have started the conversion of the north tower of the Hilton hotel At Wailoloa on the Big Island. While this news had been reported quite a while ago they have now started the work. The person I talked to did not know how many units they would end up with or when the work would be completed but everyone seemed happy that work had begun. The first phase is expected to open 4th quarter 2018.
Construction Picture on January 18, 2018 posted by @Rancher.
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This is what we believe the point chart will be for Ocean Tower as reported by @GregT
Platinum points (same weeks as current Platinum season)
Studio Standard - 3,400
Studio Premier (Ocean View) -- 9,300
I was informed that following unit types have sofabed, small dining table and mid-size (not full size, but not your typical small hotel size) refrigerator:
Studio Penthouse Premier - Ocean View - SH3
Studio Plus - STP
Studio Premier - Ocean View - STX
I was informed the other two unit types -
Studio - Resort View - STD and
Studio Plus - Partial Ocean View - SP3 do not offer those features.
1BR Standard -- 4,800
1BR Plus Standard (Partial OV) - 7,200
1BR Premier Standard (OV) - 9,300
1BR Large -- 7,200
1BR Plus Large (Partial OV) - 9,300
1BR Premier Large (OV) -- 16,800
2BR Standard - 10,500
2BR Premier (Luxury Ocean) - 19,200
2BR Penthouse - 17,500
2BR Penthouse Plus (Partial OV) - 21,000
2BR Penthouse Premier (OV) - 24,000
3BR Plus (Partial OV) -- 23,000
3BR Penthouse Premier (OV) - 28,750
Pre-Construction Floor Plans, Unit Type and Room Pics posted by @SmithOp
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Resort Name: Hilton Grand Vacation Ocean Tower
Big Island Ocean Tower Front Desk Text: 808.202.2280
Part of the Hilton Waikoloa Village located in Waikoloa Beach, Island of Hawaii (aka “Big Island”), state of Hawaii
Post is current as of Spring 2023
Website: Hilton Waikoloa Village (Note: HGVC Ocean Tower is an individual building withing the Village) maintains a web site at
www.HiltonWaikoloaVillage.com . Note that the web site is focused on guests or the hotel rather than the HGVC timeshare facility, but many property features are relevant to both.
Developer: Hilton Grand Vacations. Development began in 2017 and is on-going. HGVC is converting legacy hotel rooms in a stand-alone building within the Hilton Waikoloa hotel; that building is named “Ocean Tower”. Ocean Tower shares most amenities with the legacy hotel.
Resort Reviews: https://tug2.com/resorts/resort/Hilton-Grand-Vacations-Club-Ocean-Tower/description
Resort Images: https://tug2.com/resorts/resort/Hilton-Grand-Vacations-Club-Ocean-Tower/resort-images
Resort Location: Reference “Hilton Waikoloa Village, Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii” on most mapping software.
Address: 69-425 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Waikoloa, Hawaii 96738 USA
HGV Front Desk Phone: 808-886-5900
Background
In 1988, Hyatt opened its new 1,200 room Hyatt Regency Waikoloa on the Kohola coast (northwest side) of Hawaii’s Big Island, a 62-acre complex of 4 main buildings, connected by a long, semicircular museum walkway with arts and crafts from Asia and Polynesia, a tram, and a waterway with custom boats. The complex also contains 3 freshwater pools, a large saltwater lagoon with sand beach, a full-service in-house spa and fitness center, and multiple interior restaurants. Three of the main buildings were designed as high-rise guest accommodation towers: Ocean Tower, Palace Tower (now called Hale ‘Ike), and Lagoon Tower (now called Makai)
At the time of its opening, nearly $360 million 1988-era dollars (or nearly $1 Billion 2023 equivalent dollars US) had been invested in transforming barren lava fields into a tropical paradise, making it the most expensive hotel built in Hawaii at the time. It became popular as a convention resort (convention space is the primary use of the complex’s 4th building), but struggled to maintain high occupancy rates between conventions.
Hilton Hotels purchased the complex in 1994 and renamed it Hilton Waikoloa Village.
The Hilton Waikoloa Village (including Ocean Tower) is part of the larger Waikoloa Beach Resort, which offers two large retail/dining open air shopping centers, multiple golf courses, and various additional timeshare and condo/townhouse properties.
Property Map of Hilton Waikoloa Village, showing both the existing Hilton hotel and Hilton Grand Vacations’ Ocean Tower (upper right corner)
Property Characteristics
- Sprawling 62-acre resort to explore
- Generally nice weather year round; the Kohola coast is one of the most consistently sunny and dry areas in all of Hawaii
- On-site Dolphin Lagoon – free dolphin viewing and paid in-water dolphin encounters
- Three freshwater pools – two with water slides - and a large saltwater lagoon
- Full-service on-site spa and salon
- Two fitness centers: one for hotel guests, and another (6th floor of Ocean Tower) for Hilton Grand Vacation guests.
- Multiple onsite and nearby dining options, including a Luau and an excellent sunset dinner venue: Kamuela Provision Company (KPC)
- Multiple onsite and nearby ocean recreation opportunities, including snorkeling, paddle boarding, and whale watch boating in-season
- Ocean Tower owners can use the Ocean Tower’s Owner’s Lounge within HGVC’s Welcome Center through reservations with the Owner’s Checkin Desk. The lounge features men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers – especially useful if owners have a late flight and check out well before their flight.
- Two nearby shopping centers (with shuttle service) and some on-site shopping
- Good base-camp location for exploring the island to visit:
- Tropical gardens in Hilo
- Coffee plantations in Kona
- Macadamia nut plantations and processing factories in Hilo
- Western town life in Waimea (aka Kamuela)
- Zip lining in North Kohala
- Astronomical observatories on the top of Mauna Kea
- The southernmost point in the US
- Numerous area restaurants specializing in seafood, excellent pork and beef, and farm to table veggies
- Blue Hawaiian’s nearby Heliport for popular helicopter tours
- And of course, the Hawaii Volcanos National Park and its active Kilauea volcano
Ocean Tower Background
In 2017, Hilton Grand Vacations, Hilton’s timeshare spinoff, bought one of Hilton Waikoloa Village’s three existing guest accommodation towers, Ocean Tower, and is gradually renovating its legacy rooms into timeshare-based studio, one, two, and three bedroom units with varying views.
Ocean Tower, shown in the middle of the above picture, is designed as three interlocking, multi-story rings with heights up to 8 floors above the ground. The leftmost circle is the West (Ocean) Tower, the rightmost circle is the East (Ocean) Tower. The terrain slopes gently from East Tower to West Tower, resulting in variation between top and bottom floor designations within the towers. A golf course is shown in the upper part of the picture. The inverted V-shaped building at the bottom is Palace Tower, which is part of the legacy Hilton Hotel and not part of Hilton Grand Vacation Club.
Ocean Tower Check-In is not done at the Hilton’s main lobby, but at a large HGVC Welcome Center within Ocean Tower itself. Once you enter the open interior of Ocean Tower (arriving via tram, boat or museum walkway), you quickly see which rooms are HGVC converted and which remain legacy hotel rooms. Legacy hotel room sections have deeply recessed doors and are flanked by pinkish walls accessed by tile walkways. HGVC units are medium grey exterior walls with dark room doors flanked by wood trim and carpeted walkways.
- As of 2023, approximately one third of Ocean Tower’s units (specifically the north side of West Tower and north side of East Tower adjacent to the golf course) have been gutted and fully converted to HGVC timeshares available on HGVC.com to Hilton Grand Vacation (HGV) owners. Booking is also available at the 6 month window to those Hilton Vacation Club (HVC) owners who bought into the Max program.
- The remaining Ocean Tower rooms remain configured as legacy hotel rooms, furnished much as they were when HGV bought the tower in 2017. These rooms are rented to the public on the Hilton.com website under the identifier “Hilton Grand Vacations Club Ocean Tower Waikoloa Village”. During 2023, many of the rooms in the West and Central Tower were repainted and recarpeted, though it appears the legacy furnishings remain.
Note: HGVC vs legacy proportions will change as Hilton gradually converts more legacy rooms to timeshares.
Room Numbering and Status
Ocean Tower rooms are labeled as XYYY where X is the floor number and YYY is the individual room number.
- In HGV’s timeshare section, room numbers are not always consecutive, as some legacy rooms were converted into second and third bedrooms in the timeshare. Therefore, those original room numbers were skipped.
- YYY room numbers run counter clockwise from the south entryway.
- East Tower has 7 floors numbered 2 through 8.
- Rooms labeled X001 through X039.
- X001 through X019 are legacy hotel rooms.
- X020 through X039 are HGV-converted timeshare units.
- Central Tower has 6 floors numbered 2 through 7
- Rooms adjacent to the golf course are labeled X040 through X053
- Rooms overlooking the lagoon are labeled X094 Through X102 (Note: Due to access for tram and boats, these rooms go from Floor 3 through floor 7. Additionally, many of these rooms are legacy one bedroom suites.)
- All rooms in the Center tower are legacy hotel rooms, except for rooms 7040-7053 which are currently used for HGV administration and HGVC model room.
- West Tower, closest to the Ocean, has 6 floors numbered 1 through 6
- Rooms labeled X054 through X093
- X054 through X074 Are HGV-converted timeshare units
- X075 Through X093 are legacy hotel rooms
Ocean Tower's Floor 2 is "lobby level" across all three towers. Floor 2 contains tram and boat stops, HGVC’s reception/check-in desk (aka "Welcome Center"), an adult pool, a gift shop, and a coffee shop. Public restrooms are adjacent to HGVC reception. There is also a water bottle refill dispenser adjacent to reception beside the main elevator bank.
Features Common to all Ocean Tower Timeshare Accommodations:
- At least one balcony (or lanai/patio on ground floor) through a double-wide, sliding glass door with two rattan chairs with pillows and a small side table.
- Under-bed storage space: suitable for 4 or 5 pairs of shoes on one side and 2 medium suitcases on the other side for accommodations with king beds.
- US-style 120 volt electrical outlets with two USB-A type charging ports near each bed, usually on both sides of the bed.
- In-room light control from the balconies is a top mounted, roll up blind controlled by either electrical controls OR a manual chain. There is no screen door, so it is not possible to leave the sliding doors open without inviting insects and the occasional curious bird.
- Large wall mounted, flat panel television in each accommodation, equipped with InnSpire software through a rechargeable remote. One bedroom and larger accommodations have additional similar TVs in each in bedroom.
- InnSpire’s software provides:
- a local TV channel/program guide with extensive channel selections, including some audio-only music channels. HBO, Showtime and Starz are offered in English. Channels for Chinese and Japanese-speaking guests are available.
- built-in app to access selected streaming services (in February 2023, those services were: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, HBOMax, CNN News, ESPN, Sony Crackle and Pandora). Since most of those services require a paid subscription and a personal login, InnSpire offers an option to both save and later erase/wipe your personal passwords from the TV.
- wireless “casting” (i.e. displaying content – usually videos - from your handheld device on the TV)) is supported from your Android or Apple devices.
- Ocean Tower’s InnSpire software in their Smart TVs is apparently based on Google Android software. Therefore, InnSpire’s casting and remote features work seamlessly with Android phones and tablets but are awkward to use with Apple/IOS products. Apple’s native casting software (Airplay) is not supported by InnSpire. The only Apple apps supported for are App Store apps compatible with Google Cast (aka Chromecast). You can Google for a list of Google Cast-compatible IOS apps.
- an option to connect your device (laptops, usually) via a standard HDMI cable (cable provided by the guest).
- At least one of each accommodations’ telephones is connected to a digital alarm clock, which itself doubles as a radio, wireless charging station, and Bluetooth speaker.
- All kitchens in each room type (including the Studio) are equipped with a deep stainless-steel sink including garbage disposal, 1200 watt microwave, full height (yes, full height even in the Studios) LG stainless steel refrigerator with separate freezer/ice maker in lower compartment, standard (not Keurig) coffeemaker, 2 slice toaster, hot water kettle, and a good deal of cabinet storage space.
- Instant Hot Water faucet at the kitchen sink. Separate from the regular sink water faucet, this sink-side dispenser produces instant hot water suitable for instant oatmeal or a quick sanitary rinse of a utensil.
- Iron and ironing board
- Full length wall mounted mirror in the living space.
- Fair to good lighting in the bathroom, including a lighted magnifying shave/makeup mirror at standing height
- Bathrooms can be closed off with a sliding barn-style door. Showers are dedicated stalls. Each shower has both a handheld spray and a regular tall, wall mounted spray.
- Bathrooms have a Toto Washlet – equipped toilet (essentially a high tech toilet seat with built-in bidet features)
- Décor is earth tones: browns, wood looks, blacks. Paint finishes are generally neutral (beiges and blue/greys) with white trim.
- Artificial wood flooring in the living and entry area. Large slate-looking tile in the bath and shower.
Key Features that Vary by Unit Type
- 1 Bedroom and larger units are equipped with in-room stackable washer/dryers. Studios can use laundry rooms within the tower.
- 1 Bedroom and larger units are equipped with 4 burner cooktop, and an under counter oven in addition to the standard microwave and refrigerator freezer.
- Some one bedrooms have a soaking tub in addition to the standard shower.
Other features of the Hilton Waikoloa Village and its Ocean Tower resort
- Ocean Tower maintains its own Fitness Center for HGV guests on the 6th floor of Ocean Tower (between rooms 6093 and 6094), separate from that maintained for Hotel Guests located in the Kohala Spa.
- Above: Fitness Center for Ocean Tower guests.
- Resort amenities – including dining venues, pools, and interior transportation – are shared with the Hilton Waikoloa hotel which services the two remaining guest room towers: Palace Tower and Makai Tower.
- On-site parking – via valet or self parking - is available. However, parking incurs an additional daily fee ($44 per day in January 2023), even for Ocean Tower owners. Valet parking is usually ~$10 more per day than self-parking, and tipping your valet is customary. The self-parking lot is more than a mile away from Ocean Tower, so Ocean Tower guests walk or rely on interior transportation options and Bell Services to get themselves and their luggage and groceries to their accommodations.
Floorplan: Studio (Room type codes STD, STP, SP3, STX, and SH3 in Ocean Tower’s HGV room inventory):
Above: Studio seen from the sliding doors to outside
Above: Studio kitchenette. Door to interior walkway access is upper right.
Above: Studio bathroom. Toilet to the left, shower to the right.
Floorplan: Regular/Standard One Bedroom (2 double beds) (DR1, DP1, and DX1 codes. The King Bed BX1 accommodation also shares this floorplan)
Above: Std 1 BR seen from the entry door. Bedroom is on the left, bathroom and Laundry closet is on the right as you enter.
Above: Std 1 Bedroom. Note that the BX1 accommodation substitutes a king bed for these two double beds in the same space.
Above: Bathroom for Std 1 BR, seen from entry hallway. Shower is to the left. Toilet to the right.
Above: Laundry area and small utility closet. Bathroom is to the far right .
Above: Std BR Kitchen Area
Above: Std 1 BR as seen from sliding glass windows to the outside.
Floorplan: Large One Bedroom (1 King Bed) (1BR, 1BP, and 1BX accommodation codes in Ocean Tower’s HGV room inventory)
Above: Living area as seen from dining area. Note that the living area has its own balcony separate from the bedroom.
Above: Dining and kitchen area. Entry door and laundry door are upper left of photo.
Above: Closeup of the kitchen area
Above: Laundry Room beside doorway to the outside walkway.
Above: bedroom seen from hallway from living room to the bath. King Bed just past the partition on left.
Floorplans for the Two Larger Accommodations (all 2xx and 3xx accommodation codes in Ocean Tower’s HGV room inventory)
Note design similarities with the smaller units. For instance, the Three Bedroom is usually made up of a Two Bedroom accommodation with an adjacent “lock off” Studio.
Above: living area for 3 BR. Doorway to lockoff Studio is upper left. Doorways to adjacent two separate private bedrooms are against the rightmost wall, but not shown in photo.
Above: Larger Master Bedroom for 2 and 3 BR accommodations. Except for entry door placement, this bedroom layout is similar to the "Large One Bedroom" accommodation.
Above: Master Bath for larger Master Bedroom in 2 and 3 BR accommodations. Note both the soaking tub (lower right) and enclosed shower (upper left). This layout is very similar to the bathroom in the smaller "1 Bedroom Large" accommodation.
Booking Criteria: Room Variations and Views
When HGVC owners book Ocean Tower, they choose:
- a Season (Ocean Tower has only two defined seasons), based on calendar dates:
- Platinum for most of the year or
- Gold for calendar weeks 19-22 (roughly 2nd week of May through first week of June) and weeks 36-41 (most of September after Labor Day through mid October)
- an Accommodation: Ocean Tower offers studios with one king bed, 1 bedrooms in two configurations (choice of king bed or two double beds), two bedrooms, and three bedrooms. Pull out beds are offered in most 1 Bedroom or larger accommodations.
- a View: Each Ocean Tower room has sliding glass doors looking outward to the resort grounds; all doorway entries from the covered exterior hall are in the interior center of these connected circular towers. Ocean Tower offers “Resort View”, “Partial Ocean Views” and “Ocean Views”
- “Resort View” – may include the adjacent golf course or the resort’s landscaped grounds. Some “resort views” have a bit of an ocean view to their far side, especially in the upper floors (each tower has up to 8 floors, though the concentric rings slope downward towards the ocean so actual height/altitude varies by a floor or two depending on which of the three circles in the tower you are in).
- “Partial Ocean View” – of the three original guest towers at Hilton Waikoloa Village, the west-most ring of Ocean Tower’s tri-ring cluster is arguably the closest to the ocean, partly because it sits on an dogleg in the property with the ocean-fed salt water lagoon on one side and the Pacific Ocean in front. But because of Ocean Towers’ circular design, ocean views vary dramatically from room to room, even on the same floor.
- “Ocean View” – Note that due to Ocean Tower’s tri-ring tower design, there are no rooms in Ocean Tower that most would consider “Ocean Front”, since in all cases there is a significant area of lawn between Ocean Tower and the actual Pacific Ocean coastline. HGVC exacts a points premium of up to 4 times Resort View points for Ocean Views. When HGVC renovations to Ocean Tower are complete, I’d estimate that less than 20% of all rooms will qualify as good Ocean Views.
- Some Ocean Tower accommodations – usually the top several floors of each ring in Ocean Tower - are a subset of rooms assigned to the category of “Penthouse”. Studio, two bedroom, and three bedroom accommodations offer the option of penthouse level. Points charts for one bedroom accommodations do not currently list a Penthouse option. The original brochure indicates that the Penthouse category features “upgraded accommodations”; however, my experience is that Penthouse rooms are furnished very similarly to lower tier rooms of the same size but are located on higher (though not always the highest) floors. Views from penthouses vary by category.
Transportation to and from the Hilton Resort
Hawaii Island ("Big Island" to the locals) has two commercial airports. One on the east side in Hilo (airport code ITO) and the other on the west side in Kailua Kona (airport code KOA). KOA is closest to the Hilton Waikoloa Resort. KOA is 19 miles from the Hilton and roughly 40 minutes. ITO is 72 miles and roughly 90 minutes.
KOA offers rental cars from most major US rental companies. Uber and Lyft are usually available in daylight hours. Hawaii’s public transit Heleon bus service (heleonbus.org) has several daily routes between the KOA airport and the Hilton Waikoloa.
Hilton Waikoloa Village has a National/Enterprise Rental Car office on-site. Car selections are limited and sometimes sell out at this location, so advanced reservations are highly recommended.
Hawaii Occupancy Tax
Hawaii (not HGV or Ocean Tower specifically) imposes a daily Occupancy tax over and above timeshare interests that is not usually included in quotes for timeshare use or regular hotel room rental. The tax varies by unit and is payable at check-in. In 2023, the occupancy tax for 1 bedrooms was around $13 US per day.
Room Requests
Ocean Tower’s front desk will accept room requests (applicable for your booked room type) at least 3 days before your checking by directly calling Ocean Tower’s Reception Desk at 808-886-5900. Typical Room requests might include “higher or lower floor” or “West Tower or East Tower”. Remember: the view of your room, and in some cases the specific floors, are constrained by which room type you booked, so study HGVC.com room descriptions (generally found by clicking the grey circle with the “i” in it beside the room names).
Housekeeping
At HGV Ocean Tower, housekeeping usually occurs every 4th day, with your check-in day counting as the “first day”. So if you check in on a Saturday, your housekeeping most likely will be Tuesday and the next Saturday. But your mileage may vary, so check with Ocean Tower reception if you aren’t sure about your day. Extra towels, shampoo and soap, and supplies (coffee, utensils, cookware, etc) can be requested anytime via the in-room phone or by texting the Ocean Tower Concierge at 808-202-2280.
On-site Dining and Groceries
Hilton Waikoloa’s signature in-house dining experience is the dinner-only outdoor lanai at its Kamuela Provision Company (aka “KPC”) restaurant. Situated on the highest point of land in the complex and facing west northwest, its sunset views are often spectacular.
Hilton Waikoloa Village offers other on-site dining experiences, including a buffet breakfast-only venue (Big Island Breakfast – which appears to operate seasonally); casual, counter service lunch at the Kona pool (Orchid Marketplace); a lunch/dinner outdoor seating service at the Dolphin Lagoon (Lagoon Grill); and a midrange sit-down restaurant for breakfast and dinner (Nui Italian) near the Palace Tower. Menus and reservations for Kamuela Provision Company and Nui Italian are often available on Opentable.com. Coffee/light breakfast service is available by a third party contractor (currently Honolulu Coffee) in each guest tower (including Ocean Tower). The Hilton runs its own Luau with dinner service on select days. Drinks and light snacks are usually available at the Kona Pool bar during daylight hours. The Kohola Pool has a small, seasonal bar with limited hours. Menus and dining hours can usually be found on the
www.HiltonWaikoloaVillage.com website.
Outside Hilton’s Waikoloa Village complex but within reasonable walking distance, two small shopping centers (Kings’ Shops and Queens Marketplace) offer a range of food services from nice sit-down to food court-style offerings. Hilton Waikoloa Village usually offers scheduled shuttles between these shopping centers and the Hilton’s lower main lobby for a small fee ($5 per person each way in February 2023). The nearby Marriott has in-house restaurants. A somewhat hard to find dining venue on the beach behind the Marriott (Lava Lava Beach Club) is a favorite for come-as-you-are casual sunset dining.
Despite nice kitchens in Ocean Tower accommodations, grocery selection within the Hilton resort is very limited. However, both nearby shopping centers offer a grocery store, though the Gourmet Market at Queens Marketplace is the largest and offers the most variety, including a small butcher shop (with fresh fish and poke’ selections) as well as a popular deli. Some HGVC guests find that getting groceries from Hilton’s front door to Ocean Tower is problematic: that distance is about one mile. I either drop off my groceries at Bell Services and wait for their delivery (tips are expected) or wait a few minutes for the internal Tram and ride with my groceries from the lobby to Ocean Tower in air-conditioned comfort.
It is unclear what impact HGV’s timeshare unit continuing buildout – especially those with full kitchens – will have on Hilton Waikoloa’s future internal dining options or internal grocery availability.
Summary of Impressions
Renovated HGV Ocean Tower room accommodations are upscale, comfortable, well appointed and recently completed. The Hilton Waikoloa Village resort itself remains both relaxing and impressive despite 35 years of operation.
- The Studio accommodation is a good choice for solo travelers or couples staying a week or so. Larger than a typical hotel room and equipped with king bed, nice bathroom, large fridge, sink and microwave, it has plenty of room for up to two for shorter stays, with an occasional heat-up meal in the room. The STP studio accommodation variant might be appropriate for two adults with one or two small children on the pullout couch unique to that studio accommodation. There is no washer/dryer in studio units, but Ocean Tower provides guest laundry rooms.
- The STP-coded Studio accommodation might be a good choice for a family with one or two small children. It has a king bed and a pull out queen sized sofa, plus a table with seating for 4. Otherwise its very similar to the standard studio described above.
- The 1 BR with 2 Double Beds (aka 1 Bedroom “Small” or “Standard”) is a good choice for two to three friends traveling together who want separate beds OR as a room for kids (where parents stay separately) or for a solo traveler who likes to sleep late. It has good table workspace, a large living area, and cook-in kitchen. The positioning of the bedroom without windows allows much better control of sunlight; in both Studio and 1 BR Large King accommodations, the bedding area is so near the large sliding glass doors, light may wake you just after sunrise each day. The washer/dryer is handy for longer stays.
- The 1 BR with King bed is a good choice for travelers who want a little more stretch-out space and/or guests staying longer than a week. It also works well for a couple where one or both may be working during vacation. The large kitchen is ready for as many dine-in meals as you wish. The washer/dryer is handy for longer stays.
Note that the terminology around the one bedroom units can be confusing. For example, the one bedroom with two double bed version goes by several names: “Standard 1 BR”, “Small 1 BR”, and “1 BR Two Double Beds”. If you are booking a one bedroom accommodation, make sure you verify which type of one bedroom you are booking.
Important Note: During conversion from the legacy hotel rooms to HGVC rooms, Ocean Tower has a blend of room types. HGVC owners traveling on points and (usually) guests arriving on Hilton’s timeshare promotional packages are accommodated in the new HGVC units. Guests paying cash for Ocean Tower rooms, including those booking through Hilton.com, are generally housed in the non-renovated hotel rooms. As of 2023, when you go on Hilton.Com to book a hotel room within the Hilton Waikoloa Village complex, you are offered two choices: (1) “Hilton Waikoloa Village”, offering rooms in the Palace/Hale ‘Ike Tower and Makai/Lagoon Tower hi-rises and (2) “Hilton Grand Vacations Club Ocean Tower”, offering (for now) the legacy, pre-conversion hotel room inventory in Ocean Tower. There are numerous complaints about Ocean Tower's legacy rooms on travel boards, though HGVC appears to be renovating some of these rooms to address these concerns.
Notice: Hilton Grand Vacations Club, Ocean Tower, Ocean Tower floorplans, and Hilton Waikoloa Village are trademarks, service marks and copyrighted materials. The author makes no claim to any such items.
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