Ocean Tower now bookable

[buzglyd]

spend em if you got em in 2019.

 

[GT75]

Looks like you previously reported this. (https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...ntory-is-loaded-for-2019-reservations.273822/)

 

[buzglyd]

You are correct. Must be the email they sent out today. I’ve always been ahead of my time.

 

[linsj]

Here's a detailed review. Sounds like HGVC opened for business too soon.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hil...-hgvc-ocean-tower-now-open-but-shouldn-t.html

 

[buzglyd]

That’s quite an elaborate review.

 

[alwysonvac]

Here's a detailed review. Sounds like HGVC opened for business too soon.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hil...-hgvc-ocean-tower-now-open-but-shouldn-t.html

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sammi]

Thanks for sharing. I am headed there in 3 weeks and am a bit worried now!

 

[klpca]

Wow. That review was very detailed. I'm on my phone and didn't read the whole thing because my eyes got tired, but I got the gist of it. We walked around that property in May and there was a ton of construction then....doesn't sound like much has changed.

 

[alwysonvac]

Thanks for sharing. I am headed there in 3 weeks and am a bit worried now!

JMHO...I would try to change my reservation to one of the other 3 resorts in Waikoloa

 

[David M]

I'm here now, and haven't had many issues with the studio I'm in. It's huge, compared to those at HHV. There was a bit of confusion of where the safe was, but it turned out to be a dresser drawer with an electronic lock, below the TV. The new Toto seats open as you walk up to them. Nice huge walk in shower ... no tub.

The fridge's full height, but narrow. There are no upper cabinets in the galley. The cups and dishes are below the microwave, which itself is below the counter ... electric kettle in a drawer. It seems redundant, as there is an instant hot water spout on the sink. There's a pull out cabinet (like at the Hokulani) the height of the fridge, that's mostly empty, with just the toaster and ice bucket ... no water jug or blender. Coffee maker uses basket filters ... a permanent mesh filter would have been a nice touch.

The room is dead quiet once the door is closed, though I could hear contruction noise from upstairs, after 10am. I'm on the 5th floor. Great view of the golf course, and ocean, though there's a couple of Bobcats, and landscaping going on below.

The center of the ring is long from complete, but the landscaping is coming along nicely.

It is quite a hike from the HWV lower lobby shuttle drop. I thought I'd save a few steps by jumping on the tram by the Palace tower, 'til it started heading back toward the lobby ... LOL ... I was tired

 

[alwysonvac]

I'm here now, and haven't had many issues with the studio I'm in. It's huge, compared to those at HHV. There was a bit of confusion of where the safe was, but it turned out to be a dresser drawer with an electronic lock, below the TV. The new Toto seats open as you walk up to them. Nice huge walk in shower ... no tub.

The fridge's full height, but narrow. There are no upper cabinets in the galley. The cups and dishes are below the microwave, which itself is below the counter ... electric kettle in a drawer. It seems redundant, as there is an instant hot water spout on the sink. There's a pull out cabinet (like at the Hokulani) the height of the fridge, that's mostly empty, with just the toaster and ice bucket ... no water jug or blender. Coffee maker uses basket filters ... a permanent mesh filter would have been a nice touch.

The room is dead quiet once the door is closed, though I could hear contruction noise from upstairs, after 10am. I'm on the 5th floor. Great view of the golf course, and ocean, though there's a couple of Bobcats, and landscaping going on below.

The center of the ring is long from complete, but the landscaping is coming along nicely.

It is quite a hike from the HWV lower lobby shuttle drop. I thought I'd save a few steps by jumping on the tram by the Palace tower, 'til it started heading back toward the lobby ... LOL ... I was tired

Thanks for the update.

The long and very detailed Flyertalk post along with pictures is mostly complaining and warning folks about the ongoing construction.

“Instead of a grand opening of a new resort, they’re giving guests the chance to splurge on expensive vacations in the literal middle of a construction project, with construction hazards everywhere compounded by shuttered resort grounds”.​

From the Flyertalk thread called “HGVC Ocean Tower is Now Open, but it shouldn't be.”

....While Hilton literature and websites are clear that construction on the Ocean Tower would be wrapped up by October 27 in time for the opening of the renovated tower for new guests, I was disappointed by arriving as one of the first guests to see not only construction not complete, but almost just getting started.....

My room, a large one bedroom unit, is complete on the inside with most things working as they should. But outside, it’s a completely different story. Two of the three fire exits outside my room are blocked by construction barricades or debris. Work men in hard hats bustle by with tool boxes constantly. Inside my room, it’s hard to keep construction noise out. Because they’re not done with the rooms around me, I hear loud banging and drilling noises above and below me. Because the main lobby aka the Palm Terrace area is still in the middle of construction, all the noise and fumes from it rises up the tower. I don’t think things are going to well with the construction; I frequently heard a “fu#%” shouted by workers nearby. Outside, my view is of construction vehicles, dust, mud, and dead landscaping. If I turn my neck just right, I can make out the Pacific. But with dust and exhaust lifting up from construction vehicles outside (not to mention their annoying reverse beeping alarms that start chirping in the morning and run through to the night), the outside is no place to be. There was a modest amount of construction activity over the weekend, but the pace picked up furiously on the first Monday of my stay.

It also isn’t reassuring to see workers work right outside your room with hardhats, and in some cases, face masks.

While fire exits were blocked, construction materials line the halls. A box labeled “dangerous” epoxy is just outside my room, as are large buckets of assorted compounds, each with hazmat-like labels and icons on them. While there are areas boarded up and hiding behind construction barriers, there are just as many places open. There’s no signage and no rhyme or reason to what’s open, closed, or what should be closed. When I noticed one of my fire exits blocked today, I decided to look for an alternate route out. I went down a staircase only to find workers spreading some kind of substance onto the floor / stairs, making them impassible.

There’s plenty of other hazards abound: exposed wires, sharp metal, and all kinds of debris everywhere from nails to what I’m sure was not-so-healthy piles of construction dust.

I’m surprised OSHA allows workers to work in such an environment. I’m more shocked that the County of Hawaii gave the green light to the resort to welcome paying guests. In its current state, the resort is unsafe for adult guests. I’d even go so far to say it’s completely dangerous for kids. Parents, please, do not let your children out of your hand at this resort!

Beyond the massive construction, there appears to be a need for massive renovation elsewhere. Hilton closed the Boat Landing Cantina for my stay; the pools also have “closed” signs on them; the canal boats that used to float from tower to tower are also shut down indefinitely. I asked the Hilton about these closures: they couldn’t elaborate what happened to the Boat Landing Cantina other than say it’ll remain closed “for now”. For the boats, they said, “as part of the ongoing renovations on property, the boats are being completely redone with new engines and a new interior. It is a lengthy process that has to be done off-property, so unfortunately I don’t have an exact timeline on when they’ll be back in service.” Only one tram was working during my stay, which means at any given point, you’ll need to wait at least 15-20 minutes for a ride around the resort. (And with boats out of service and temperatures high, the single working tram was always full.) For the pools, HGVC says they consider pools closed when they have no lifeguard on duty. They didn’t give any indication of when a lifeguard would be put on duty.....​

 

[Jacqueet]

I read the entire review and am so appreciative that the author took the time to write it! We had reservations for a two bed suite for two weeks, in January but changed to Kings Land when we found out about the ridiculous parking fee and that they do not honor the same golf discount that Kings Land has.

 

[craig1mead]

I can confirm, all is good now - beautiful rooms - wonderful breeze outside. In a studio on 6th floor, they do have construction guys working on interior even at this hour (7PM Hawaii time). Gigantic TV, cool new locking drawer. Laundry is pay-per load down on the first floor (just before getting to Buddha point). Coming back again in January.

 

[alwysonvac]

I read the entire review and am so appreciative that the author took the time to write it!

I agree

 

[craig1mead]

On the way home after our Ocean Tower stay that ended 11/14 (today) - so more time to address this 10/27 review. I do pay attention to flyertalk, but will Not address it over there, as this is more HGVC friendly.

I'm ex-corporate real estate, and saw Zero OSHA violations or anything resembling it during our stay. I would have no issue letting my 14 y.o. daughter traverse the property on her own, and saw plenty of security / Hilton staff. We did see workers on our floor epoxying the railing joints, but no smell, and they taped it over after applying the goo (properly). I took a good look at all the work that is visible, and walked a few floors, plus gazed into the main work area (the new HGVC sales center) - no safety issues. All fire exits are available, but to be fair to the writer, there is one stairwell that you cannot get to the main floor (move across on another floor before the main). Also I got lucky and talked with some workers, and found out they passed inspection on another 20 rooms yesterday - so it may be opening up more online within a week. Workers were quiet and talking at a low volume, so maybe they read that review - but anyone I said "Hi" to was friendly back. Also learned that they will be finished in early 2019 at the latest - we all know that HGVC needs occupancy to generate revenue and the stock market watches this closely now - and it appears they are prioritizing construction-conversion of rooms ahead of the sales center. No dust, and the landscaping has reached the point that sod is down, and sprinklers are running on the new rear future-grass area next to the golf course.

Comments about the lobby area are still accurate (small office with 2 desks, plus DVDNow machine). Concierge is located in an open elevator bank until the new sales center is open, and they are giving 250 HHonors points for stopping by. Check In took about 5 minutes, and Check Out was a phone call to the operator and leave the keys in the room.

Boats are out of service until December 15th, and it is now listed on the website. Talked with one of the maintenance guys and they also continue to push to get the seaweed cleaned up. Two trams were operating at all times during our 3 night stay.

The best / fastest way to get to Buddha Point and the small kids water slides, is to take the elevator to the third floor of Ocean Tower which allows you to crossover the tram area, then turn towards the boat storage area / towards the ocean Maui side / towards the West Ocean Tower, and at the First stairwell follow the stairs "Launderette" signs to the first floor. This then opens out to the seating area and pools - there is a towel machine on the left side next to the bathrooms. Took us 5 minutes from sixth floor rooms to the pool.

If you want to get to the Adult pool (no ocean view, but TONS of myna birds), go down the stairwell opposite from the HGVC elevators (walk the opposite direction essentially) and there is a towel machine at that pool also. There are boards blocking the view of construction, but it was quiet during prime-sun time.

Hilton Waikoloa is huge, but the author overstated how long it takes to traverse it. My wife walks slower, and it was 20 minutes at a normal pace from Ocean Tower to KPC (and the flamingos!).

The author is an idiot when it comes to the criticisms on the kitchen amenities stuff - this is Exactly what makes HGVC great for us to be able to have our own meals without resort prices - go to Costco and cook or have salads in your room. No BBQ grills (and not known to the construction staff), but otherwise the new cook set up is great. I did find out that there will also be 3 laundry rooms for HGVC only - not in room - and a big improvement for those in studios. We had also stayed at Kings Land this trip, and Ocean Tower is using the same amenities (incorrect in the article). We had no issue with hot water - it was available right away.

The awesome amenities for families (pools, slides, dolphin viewing), and the direct access to the ocean and lagoon (snorkeling, paddleboards, toys), make Ocean Tower the premiere Waikoloa property for HGVC in my opinion. Getting access to the resort amenities with no fees (unlike all the hotel guests), outweigh the $27 self parking fee. We love the pool at Kings Land and golf access, but OT blows that away. Kohala has great size rooms and the friendliest bartenders, but the pools are very small in comparison. Bay Club be careful of the first floor "darkness".

Or don't book it - and we will enjoy the easy access!!! As mentioned on my first quick update, we are going back again in January, this time for 5 nights. Cheers!!!

 

[linsj]

craig1mead: Thanks for your review. I'm glad to know this tower is in better shape than the flyertalk review. I've stayed there numerous times on Hilton points and really like its location and the property. I'm glad it has studios since most of the time that's all I need.

 

[cgingrich]

I can confirm, all is good now - beautiful rooms - wonderful breeze outside. In a studio on 6th floor, they do have construction guys working on interior even at this hour (7PM Hawaii time). Gigantic TV, cool new locking drawer. Laundry is pay-per load down on the first floor (just before getting to Buddha point). Coming back again in January.

Is there a pull out sofa bed?

 

[pacman]

Can anyone tell me what is included in the "amenities" that we are paying the $27 fee for?

 

[alwysonvac]

Similar to the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu, there is a parking fee
- HWV Self-parking fee is $27 per night and Valet parking fee is $37 per night, subject to change.

Reservation are BAU
- HGVC reservations booked using Club points don’t require the daily resort fee similar to the other HGVC Hawaii resorts.
- Hotel and RCI Reservations will require the daily resort fee similar to the other HGVC Hawaii Resorts (The Bay Club is the exception)


NOTE: The daily resort fee charge at HGVC resorts via RCI Reservations just started this year. Additional info can be found here - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/new-hgvc-resort-fee-as-of-1-16-through-rick.269123