This hotel, from what I understand, has been in the midst of a renovation for a few years. It is obvious! However, if you are going to stay in Hilo (not many reason to stay in Hilo, unless you need to save money and/or going to the Volcanoes for more than one day) this is the hotel to stay. All other hotels are "local apartments" or very rundown. Our actual room was 2 double beds with a nice size balcony with beautiful view of the bay and Mauna Kea (this is considered "Oceanview") It was recently renovated with nice linens, dorm-style furniture, a beautiful bathroom, and nice artwork. The pool was nice, although no lounge chairs, just patio tables and chairs. Overall a decent place to stay for a night or two.

Stayed here to be near volcano park. I was very worried after reading reviews. But it was fine. It's clearly not a fancy resort. But it comparable to a basic hotel (super 8 etc.) and it's in a great location. We had a partial harbor view which was great. The rooms are very basic but they are clean. You get a fridge, flat screen tv, updated bathroom, low end shampoo/conditioner, very old hair dryer, and coffee pot. Windows didn't open, the beds are old and so soft I was surprised we could walk the next day, and there is a sheet with no extra blankets in the room (I froze). The cheesiest part to me was continental breakfast. It was coffee, tea, white/wheat bread, and muffins. The smallest plates imaginable and a sigh that says "one trip only". Oh, and no wi-if in the rooms. They will give you a cable to get access in your room but for wifi you have to go to the lobby. The pool is tiny and we didn't see anyone use it. There are some beautiful areas to walk to in the area (park area along the coast). All and all, it's fine and we would probably stay again because it was clean. Just be prepared for something very basic. The elevators were a joke. Be patient. One went to whatever floor it wanted and the other 2 were unbelievable slow. And the hallways are all tile which means when people slam doors, IT iS LOUD! Another cheesy move: you can use a microwave in the lobby... For a dollar. Again, nothing fancy and certainly not a resort. Although the others nearby didn't look much better.

What a shame - in its day this would have been a great hotel but its been left to deteriorate over the years. Restoration work is being done but its not the best - this hotel does have great potential.

Pros:
Location is fantastic - the sunsets over Hilo Bay are not to be missed.
Staff - friendly and helpful
Reasonable price: if you are looking for a cheap stay for a night then this is good

Cons:
Rooms disappointing - not that clean, the floors and windows especially were really dirty (couldn't actually see out of the window it was so dirty). The bathrooms are large but cheap renovation as was the superficial paint job trying to make it look like a boutique hotel. Just didn't understand why the TV was placed so high up.
Elevators - dreadful, slow was an understatement, only 1 worked out of 3 and even that had sign on it saying there were problems with closing the doors (it took 4 attempts to close them and get going).

Would I stay there again - NO - if you want budget then its fine

We stayed for 3 nights and they were in the process of remodeling, they had painted the outside. Give them a plus for that, the rooms are clean. The Lobby was nice and the front desk was very helpful and other employees were friendly. We stayed on the 8th floor with ocean view, had great scenery and beautiful sunsets, It was quiet and enjoyed sitting on the lanai. We will go back to see and enjoy the view out of our room and travel the island.