Can Westin Upgrade the Service?
For most of the past two decades, the historic and lovely Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel may have been the most underwhelming hotel in Hawaii. A lovely wooden, turn-of-the-century Victorian structure in virginal white, the Moana is one of two remaining vintage hotels in architecturally challenged Waikiki, home to some of the world’s ugliest resort architecture. The image of the Moana has long been a breath of fresh air, with its long, rocking-chair lined lanai (balcony), open sight lines, wooden shutters, and banyan tree shaded courtyard. The image was great. Staying at the property kinda sucked. Service was lackluster, at best, Food was pretty bad. The music played too load. Rooms were not bad, due to a 1998 remodeling, and somewhat modern but in the historic banyan wing they were not terribly comfortable. In a fit of money-grubbing pique, the owners had slapped a butt-ugly addition onto the western end that was more in keeping with Waikiki’s cement ghetto meme (it’s still there and n
