Spent our first night in a B&B about 45 minutes north of Hilo. Although our B&B was very nice, it just wasn't for us. We called home to the mainland for advice as to where to go. We were giving three hotels to check out, and decided to try this one. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED. Our room was absolutely wonderful. It was a corner unit on the 8th floor. The decor was that of an Asian Theme. We had two sets of sliding glass doors with a wrap around balcony. At night we would leave the doors open and listen to the ocean! It was awesome. The was a new HDTV in the room, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. We were more than pleased with our room. And yes, it is evident that the hotel is under construction - but once inside your room, or out in the front garden area, you quickly forget. Don't hesitate! This room was even cheaper than our B&B!

This hotel has a very long way to go. Lovely setting on Hilo Bay and grounds are pretty, but overall it's not even close to worth $100-130/night. Apparently it was closed for several years and is now reopened but is not even close to finished. Public areas are shabby, soiled carpet, paint peeling off walls outside and in, broken tiles around pool. No restaurant (buffet breakfast with good fruit selection mornings only), and no bar (that might have helped). Guest rooms that are finished are pleasant. Staff is congenial and helpful. Tile in hallways means every rolling suitcase or housekeeping cart rumbles at magnified sound and walls are paper thin anyway. And worst of all: I booked on line, prepaid my stay and when I found out I'd have to leave one day early (business reasons, not a whim, and talked to the hotel about it on check in), was told I would not get a refund for the unused night. Overall, a most unpleasant experience.

After reading the other reviews about renovation, I was hopeful they were accurate--and they were. Remember, Hilo is the forgotten stepchild of Hawaii--dampness and cloudiness are very common and as a result, the hotels don't have the traffic to support the high maintenance accomodations of the Kona side or Kohala on this island. As a result, a traveler to Hilo has had the option of a local run hotel usually with frogs (invasive species noisy all night) or mildew, as the other reviews report.
I am happy to say that Naniloa will be our hotel in Hilo for the future. The deck clerk, Curtis, refused to rent us anything but a renovated room. It was clean, newly painted, new fixtures, and tile throughout. He acknowledged that the only complaint he was receiving concerned the tile down the halls, which caused noise to rattle. I am very sensitive to noise, and I was bothered by the local extended family a few doors down who kept their door open, but did not have any problems with the noise. Nevertheless, Curtis averred that once the art was hung in the hallways, he thought the echoing would be ameliorated.
People were working when we arose the next morning, so they are taking the renovations seriously.
Other attributes, tile everywhere in the room eliminated dirt and mildew. Sliding wood doors over the windows kept the light out or opened for a wonderful view of Hilo Bay. Small gift shop in the hotel. Restaurant in the hotel, but we did not indulge, needing only a light breakfast at Starbucks before hitting the planetarium, where we had lunch. New fixtures in the baths. Frankly, the most comfortable bed I've had in a hotel since Steve Wynn's Treasure Island in Vegas. The SO slept in the other bed, so I'm unable to opine on two people in one bed. The sheets and bedding were crisp and new. Coffeemaker in room, look for the grounds in the pullout drawer below the pot.
This hotel is above average for Hilo. I'd give it an excellent, but I think readers would be disappointed if they expected a 4 Seasons. I've stayed in several over here, but not the Hilo Hawaiian, so can't speak of them.

I booked this hotel thinking that all rooms were newly renovated and especially since it is one of the biggest hotels in Hilo. Upon being checked in by a stoned faced unfriendly front desk clerk I requested a renovated room and she promptly told me that she would have to charge me $50 more per night and that they were so busy that she only had 1 renovated room available but the t.v. reception was fuzzy. I told her that I'd just take what she was going to give me. The room was a very musty smelling room with stains on the carpet and mold on the ceiling by the air conditioner duct. When we opened the sliding door to what we thought was a lanai my husband asked if that was a gutter. It wasn’t a balcony but a narrow ledge with a railing that connected to all of the other rooms on the floor (no partitions) and it was stained green and black from moss and mildew. The bathroom toilet looked like it belonged in a public restroom. Beds were very uncomfortable, the springs were ready to pop out and to top it off, the t.v. reception was fuzzy. On the second night I shook the cable for the t.v. and tightened it and the reception improved – we couldn’t believe in this day and age the room had only a 13 inch t.v.!!!!. The front desk clerk told me that they were busy but we commented that it was like that hotel in “The Shining” because no one but us seemed to be around. I will NEVER return to this hotel even if someone paid me to return. Even my 9 year old is going around telling people what a filthy room/hotel this was.